Elementary School Principal

Job Description

Job Description

Position: Elementary Principal (K-4)
Department: Executive Leadership Team
Supervisor: Executive Principal
Type: Full Time, 12-Month, Salary

Position

The Elementary Principal leads the K-4 grades of Explore Community School. This role is responsible for translating the school’s mission into daily practice—building systems, coaching leaders and teachers, and driving measurable academic outcomes. The Principal leads through others by developing strong and consistent instructional practice, maintaining a joyful and structured school culture, and ensuring high quality execution of the school’s PBL vision. As a member of the school’s leadership team, the Elementary Principal plays a key role in whole-school strategy, enrollment, culture, and rigorous instructional practice.

About Explore! Community School

Explore! Community School is an educational outreach of the Martha O’Bryan Center, Nashville’s oldest anti-poverty nonprofit that has been serving the city and Davidson County for over 100 years. Along with East End Prep, Explore makes up the two Nashville charter schools launched by the Martha O’Bryan Center in service to its cradle to career anti-poverty mission. In 2025, Explore was unanimously renewed for an additional ten years through 2035.

At Explore!, we always begin with our mission: to foster the independence, critical thinking, and creativity of a diverse community of learners so they are fully prepared to become confident, conscientious leaders who change the world. To achieve our mission we emphasize interactive, hands-on, project-based learning to build upon our rigorous, standards-based curriculum and ensure learning is authentic, meaningful, and fun. We focus on the whole child, nurturing the social and emotional development of our Explorers while fostering their academic excellence.

Explore enrolls approximately 600 students in K-8 and plans to grow to 700+ students over the next few years. Explore! occupies a beautiful facility in East Nashville; a 90,000 square foot building constructed in 2018 in partnership with the city of Nashville as a key component in the new Envision Cayce development.

Responsibilities

Academics

• Deliver annual academic outcomes that exceed district proficiency rates overall and for subgroups as well as Level 5 TVAAS.
• Deliver a B on the annual state report card and meet or exceed annual academic expectations from the authorizer.
• Ensure continuous improvement of the school’s PBL model, including high-quality project design, daily instruction, and public exhibitions of learning.
• Ensure a rigorous instructional environment and directly manage the growth and development of elementary staff.
• In collaboration with the leadership team, identify academic priorities, set measurable goals to achieve priorities, monitor progress towards goals and adjust as needed.
• Analyze student achievement data as well as teacher performance data on a variety of metrics, both quantitative and qualitative, and use this data to collaborate with leaders and teachers on short- and long-term planning to improve student outcomes.
• Ensure the effective coordination and administration of all standardized student assessments and evaluations, including state assessments, interim assessments and other measures as needed.

School Culture

• Lead a coherent and consistent school culture that embodies our core values.
• Drive student, staff, and parent satisfaction that results in increased enrollment, persistence, improved attendance, and strong survey data.
• Ensure consistent school-wide behavior expectations that ensure logical consequences and restorative practices that are predictable and supportive of student development.
• Demonstrate a commitment to our pillars of project based learning, whole child development, and a culture of belonging.
• Model our core values of Curiosity, Community, Compassion, Courage and Craftsmanship.
• Ensure all students experience a strong sense of belonging, safety, and engagement.
• Ensure all staff members are engaged in a shared vision focused on student learning and growth.

Team Management

• Embody the mission and core values of Explore! Community School.
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate staff of the elementary grades including deans, teachers, paras, etc.
• Ensure regular walkthroughs, coaching and feedback meetings, data meetings and co-intellectual preparation and lesson planning result in consistent high quality tier one instruction.
• Work closely with the executive principal and other leaders to retain, recruit and hire new staff members.
• Plan and deliver small group and staff-wide professional development sessions.
• Co-manage specific aspects of school-wide operational routines such as arrival/dismissal, lunch, recess and transitions, as well as emergencies and emergency drills.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Deep commitment to our mission, values, and educational model.
• Prior, successful roles as an instructional leader and a demonstrated history of delivering strong academic performance for all students.
• Unyielding belief that children can perform at or above grade level regardless of where they start their educational journey.
• Strong organizational and strategic planning skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage complex projects and effectively problem solve with a high level of confidence and professionalism .
• Demonstration of cultural competence and a commitment to grow and model humility in this area
• A minimum of 4 years teaching experience is preferred with demonstrated track record of high student achievement.
• Prior experience and leadership with Project-Based Learning .
• A minimum of 4 years of experience in a management or leadership capacity is preferred.
• Ability to build strong relationships with students, colleagues, and families.
• A master’s degree is preferred.
• Active administrative licensure in Tennessee is preferred.