Form Dean-Upper

Job Description

Job Description

Who we are?

Ethical Culture Fieldston School is a progressive PreK-12 independent school that has been serving students from throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs since 1878. ECFS offers a rich curriculum in the arts, sciences, and humanities. A co-ed, nonsectarian school, it serves an inclusive community of about 1,700 students on two campuses -- one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, and the other in Manhattan. The Upper School, located in the Bronx, is comprised of approximately 600 students and 80 faculty members.

What is essential about working at our school?

The Ethical Culture Fieldston School has a long history of inclusion and belonging deeply rooted in our mission and the educational philosophy of our founder, Felix Adler. We embrace all aspects of an individual, including their ancestry, family, identity, culture, and beliefs. We affirm both our differences and commonalities and strive to balance individuality and community. In keeping with our progressive tradition, we are dedicated to increasing our students’ cultural literacy to help them understand multiple perspectives and see the world beyond the self.

We expect members of our community to engage in open dialogue about living and learning in an inclusive environment inside and outside the classroom. We see this work, with its creative tensions, as a catalyst for individual and collective growth. On a daily basis, we are committed to making this vision of a democratic, pluralistic, and progressive school a reality.

Role Summary

The support that the Form Dean offers is at the heart of what makes Fieldston unique. Deans help the big school feel small and allow for individual attention, an essential part of progressive education.

The Dean’s job is a teaching job, involving endless one-to-one lessons, teaching to multiple intelligences and different learning styles, and improvising different lesson plans for many constituencies. They work to foster the intellectual, artistic, emotional, ethical, physical, and social development of each student in the form throughout their Upper School career.

In order to accomplish this purpose, the Dean must work closely with individual students and their parents on academic and affective issues, and serve as a resource for the advisors and teachers in the grade. The Dean maintains a consistent, available presence for students, advisers, teachers, and parents as a resource for problem-solving for issues that arise in a way that helps the student and parents understand the expectations of the school. The four Upper School deans work collaboratively, calling on their collective wisdom and experience to inform decisions made in specific situations and crises.

The Form Dean reports to the Upper School Principal and works very closely and is also supervised by the Assistant Principal of Academic and Student Life),they also work closely with the other Deans, the Director of College Counseling, the Director of the Learning Center, the BSI team, the Ethics and Technology coordinator, the School Psychologist, and the School Nurse.

The Form Dean:

• Is a Union Represented position;

• Serves as a member of the Upper School leadership team, collaborating closely with their fellow Deans;

• Regularly represents the school at Fieldston-sponsored events;

• Teaches one class per semester or 25% of a normal teaching load;

• Serves as a co-advisor to a group of students in the Form;

• Takes on a 4-year commitment (one cycle): the Dean "travels" with their form as they move through the Upper School;

• This role is expected to last no more than two full cycles (eight years total).

The Form Dean & Individual Students:

• Reads Home Reports and consults with teachers and advisors to monitor student’s academic progress and overall well-being;

• Works with the student and the student’s parents, and advisor to ensure the student’s placement in appropriate courses and to help plan the student’s academic and co-curricular program;

• In consultation with relevant members of the school community, helps students resolve problems that the student is experiencing at school;

• In consultation with the Psychologist, meets with students in distress and their families to counsel them about issues related to the student’s emotional, psychological health, or well-being, and helps students and families to obtain outside counseling or psychotherapy to address those issues; communicating those instances with the larger support team;

• In consultation with the Learning Center, meets with families about psycho-educational evaluations;

• In collaboration with the Learning Center and school psychologists, talk or meet with outside tutors and therapists;

• Works with the Assistant Principal of Student Life (of both middle and upper) and with the Admissions staff to support students’ successful transition into Upper School;

• Collaborates with the College Office to help students and their parents through the college process;

• Follows up with students and families for anyone who may have been placed on academic or disciplinary probation by the Assistant Principal of Academic or Student Life.

The Form Dean in working with the other Deans, BSI team members, Assistant Principals, and Principal:

• Upholds the position of the school and administration with students and families

• Meets weekly to coordinate efforts, discuss student issues, plan events, and ensure general consistency within and across the grades;

• Meets weekly with the Assistant Principal(s) of Student Life to discuss grade-level happenings, concerns, and activities;

• Supports our school’s mission, values, and initiatives across all Forms and in all communications;

• Discusses all major disciplinary concerns and issues that involve a student’s physical and emotional well being with the AP for Student Life;

• Collaborates with the AP for Academic Life around student academic concerns;

• Collaborates with Belonging and Social Impact Leads in addressing and supporting topics/issues accordingly;

• Supports the design and delivery of an advisory curriculum;

• Deans attend two summer retreat days in order to plan for the upcoming year. These dates are set in mutual agreement with the Principals and the APs for Student and Academic Life.

Form Dean & Parents:

• The Dean maintains positive and direct contact with the parent body, establishing open lines of communication and developing strong, supportive relationships;

• The Dean is often the first person a parent will call; the Form Dean works with the student’s teachers, advisor, and others to address parent concerns;

• Meets regularly with the P+T;

• Works with the P+T Coordinators and other form parents to arrange special family events for the form and serves as a liaison between parents and school personnel in arranging those events;

• Regularly represents the School at parent events and other evening gatherings for the Form, coordinating and speaking at those events.

Form Dean & Student Discipline:

• Supports the Attendance Coordinator in determining the accuracy of class and school attendance;

• Assigns detentions for class cuts, tardiness, and other lesser offenses;

• Supports the AP of Student Life investigating alleged violations of major school rules and communicates with students and their parents regarding how the Accountability Restoration Committee (ARC) and other school offices are handling those alleged violations;

• Participates in the Accountability and Restoration Council, when needed.

Form Dean & Colleagues:

• Works with individual teachers to resolve any issues that arise between a student and teacher;

• Communicates to a Department Chair regarding significant concerns about a teacher expressed by students or parents in the form;

• Shares with the Department Chairs, the Principal, and the Assistant Principal the feedback from students and parents about probationary and long-term contract teachers.

The Form Dean & Advisors:

• Supports the advisors in their work with individual students;

• Supports the work of individual advisors by regularly meeting with advisors, orienting new students, planning parent conferences, assisting in course registration, and other form-wide activities;

• Trains and advises new advisors to the school.

The Form Dean & Major Field trips:

• Works with the Principal, the Assistant Principals, and the other Form Deans to plan and calendar special events;

• Coordinates Form Trips or major form wide events in collaboration with department chairs, community service, or other administrators.

The hiring range for this position is $75,261-184,830, which is not inclusive of the $18,000 per year stipend amount for the Dean position.

Please note that this is an onsite role and not performed remotely. Ethical Culture Fieldston School retains its right to modify job duties in accordance with changing operational needs.

Position Requirements

The successful incumbent will possess:

• Bachelor’s Degree required. Master's degree in educational leadership, counseling, or social work a plus;

• Minimum of 5 years (8+ preferred) of excellent and prior high school teaching experience;

• A commitment to fostering an inclusive environment that supports students of all backgrounds and experiences

• Exhibits a commitment to continued growth in their cultural competency

• A keen sense of understanding of the developmental age group of high school-aged students (14-18 years of age) as well as a consistent presence and passion for working with students of these ages ;

• Exhibit a high level of emotional intelligence and the ability to have nuanced conversations with different constituencies including team members;

• Experience and comfort with having difficult conversations;

• Is a systems thinker and can modulate between macro and micro perspectives in supporting students, their families and colleagues effectively;

• The ability to collaborate and build strong relationships with faculty, administrators, students, parents, and the overall community;

• Excellent verbal, written, and oral communication skills;

• A positive attitude and the ability to listen effectively and be receptive to feedback;

• The ability to manage time effectively, stay organized, and prioritize required tasks.

• A commitment to engaging in ongoing professional development and proficiency in utilizing and learning new technologies (i.e., Google Workspace tools);

• Clear, consistent communication within the team and throughout the community

• Communication within the team and throughout the community

• Reliability, punctuality, and consistent attendance; and

• Strong organizational skills, proactive planning and reliability in providing deliverables on a consistent basis;

• The ability to cultivate a welcoming culture in which all members of our community feel valued and appreciated.

To Apply
All candidates should visit our employment page at to apply. Please send a letter of interest, a resume, and contact information for three references.

EEO
ECFS is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to be a welcoming community of professionals that broadly reflects the people of the metropolitan New York City area, our students, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion or religious practices, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship status, national origin, age, ability status, military status, unemployment status or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to hiring practices that ensure all candidates are given fair consideration in alignment with our institutional mission and goals.