SUBSTITUTE LEADERSHIP (PRINCIPAL/ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL)

Position Type:
SUBSTITUTES

Date Posted:
6/11/2026

Location:
Atlanta Public Schools
Substitute Leadership (Principal/Assistant Principal) Pre-K-12

Position Purpose
Substitute Principals and Assistant Principals provide instructional leadership and promote the development of educators to ensure continuity of academic and social emotional learning outcomes for students during the absence of permanent leaders. Substitute Leadership must be adaptable to changing school and district needs and demonstrate the ability to create and maintain a climate that promotes respect, tolerance, and peaceful problem solving for all students. This position is on-call and is assigned based on operational needs.

Key Performance Responsibilities:

• Commitment to APS' Core Values
  • Demonstrate commitment to APS' core values
  • Model and support implementation of the school's vision and goals
  • Supports development of school-wide vision and takes an active role in investing and mobilizing teachers to achieve the collective goals of the school; owns the implementation of select school priorities in support of the school-wide vision
  • Leads the planning and goal setting for the grades/departments that he/she coaches and ensures alignment with school-wide goals
• Lead Academics: Instructional Leadership
  • Demonstrate expertise in what the school-wide academic standards and state assessments require of students' knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery; demonstrated ability to translate student mastery requirements into instructional plans and strategies
  • Demonstrate command of instructional design and the benefits and tradeoffs of school design decisions in driving student achievement
  • Demonstrate understanding of appropriate application and differentiation of high-leverage instructional strategies (e.g. pacing, checks for understanding, students doing the heavy lifting, etc.) based on comprehension of child development and pedagogy
  • Demonstrate investment in and understanding of appropriate application of social emotional strategies to promote the development of the whole child
• Lead Academics: Planning & Assessment
  • Demonstrate skill in data analysis; ability to extract meaningful insights across school-wide data
  • Demonstrate ability to develop, facilitate and ensure positive outcomes of teacher teams and professional learning communities
• Build Culture
  • Set direction across an entire school and invest and motivate others to action
  • Create inclusive environments that honor and support a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
  • Use a variety of strategies to invest and influence team and community members
• Develop Talent
  • Develop and use well-defined systems to recruit, select and hire high-performing teachers and school staff
  • Develop teacher, teacher-leader and staff competencies through providing helpful feedback and professional learning opportunities
  • Retain top talent through recognizing strengths, developing career pathways and applying diverse strategies
• Manage Operations
  • Align finances, time, people, systems and other school resources to supporting the success of all students
  • Manage parts of the daily school operations (e.g. arrival/dismissal, lunch/recess, school trips)
  • Act as the first Leadership Team contact on student intervention and parent engagement hierarchy; determines next steps for issues that rise above the teacher/grade level/department chair
  • Engage, parents, community and GO Team's regularly to ensure they are invested in the school direction and informed of progress; ensures they are appropriately involved in school decision making
  • Perform duties, as assigned, by an appropriate administrator or their representative, with awareness of Atlanta Public Schools Board policies

*Note: The above description is illustrative of tasks and responsibilities. It is not meant to be all inclusive of every task or responsibility.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements
Education:

• Master's Degree in Education or a related field required.

Certification/License:

• Valid Georgia Professional Certification at Level 5 or higher in a teaching or service field.
• Valid Georgia Professional Certification at Level 5 or higher in Educational Leadership, Tier II.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience as an Assistant Principal required for Substitute Assistant Principal consideration.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a Principal required for Substitute Principal consideration.

District Requirements:

• Must successfully pass a GBI Criminal Background Check (required for onboarding).
• Must maintain a valid Clearance Certificate issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). The Substitute Services Department will communicate the requirements and process for obtaining this certificate, including completion of the GACE Ethics for Educational Leadership (Test Code 352). Learn more about the GACE Ethics for Educational Leadership assessment.

The Atlanta Public School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, citizenship, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, medical status, military status, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, ancestry, or any legally protected status in any of its employment practices, educational programs, services or activities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential duties.

This job description is intended to accurately reflect the duties, responsibilities and requirements of the position. It is not intended to be and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of all the responsibilities, skills, or working conditions associated with the position. Management and administration reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and assign other duties as necessary.

**Due to the volume of applications, status updates are provided via this online application portal. **