Dean of Students (Compass Coach, 2026-27 SY)
Description
Internal Application Deadline: Friday, April 24th, 2026 at 8:00am CST
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Employment Type: This is a full-time, in-person, 12-month, school-based leadership role for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year. This is a general listing for consideration at our middle schools or high school.
Salary: The salary range for this position is $60,450-$69,550 and placement within that range is based on years of comparable professional experience.
About the Role:
Valor Collegiate Academies is seeking an exceptional Compass Coach (Dean of Students) who is excited to share our mission of academic excellence and empowering scholars to live inspired and purposeful lives.
The goal of a Valor Compass Coach is to create a positive, strong, and relationship-based school culture that aligns with Valor’s mission. All three of our schools have Compass Coaches leading each grade level, and our Compass Coaches partner closely with the overall school leadership team to ensure we have strong, sustainable school systems and positive school culture. As part of the Compass Team (student support team), you will work to implement strong behavioral systems (mentor groups, scholar comprehensive human development work, scholar and faculty Circles, school-wide positive behavioral intervention systems, family engagement) and restorative behavioral intervention systems (restorative discipline, tiered scholar supports, classroom management training and coaching).
At Valor, we believe that safe and supportive learning environments are rooted in having consistent, positive, high expectations, and we train our teachers and scholars to use consistent routines and systems. In this role, you will work to develop pathways to opportunity for our scholars, build transformative relationships, and create a positive learning environment that contributes to their growth and development.
About Valor:
Founded in 2014, Valor Collegiate Academies is a top-performing, public charter school network in Nashville, Tennessee, serving students in Grades 5-12 across three schools. Our mission is to create a community where students of all backgrounds have equitable access to an education that prepares them to live inspired and purposeful lives. This mission is made possible through an innovative school model that balances rigorous academics and whole-child education in an intentionally diverse environment. Learn more about Valor: https://valorcollegiate.org/our-model/
Core Responsibilities:
Scholar & Family Support
- Develop and implement effective school behavior systems by responding to student behavior
- Lead conversations with families about student behavior, support plans, consequences, and behavioral successes.
- Forge connections between support for students at home and school to establish the most successful environment for students to thrive in.
- Be responsive to family concerns in a kind, solutions-focused and timely manner.
Teacher Development
- Develop and train Valor teachers in our Fortified Environment and behavioral support systems.
- Support teachers in facilitating weekly scholar Circles.
- Conduct weekly classroom observations and individualized coaching with teachers to ensure teachers are building classrooms that are safe and productive.
Scholar Mental Health & Behavioral Support
- Develop and implement multiple school-wide Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) interventions and systems.
- Assist the Compass Team in implementation of the Off-Compass (discipline and behavioral support) systems.
- Collect, maintain, and use behavioral data to identify students that are in Tiers 2 and 3 to create and implement Tier 2 and Tier 3 support plans.
- Support high-need scholars and families via Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports and interventions.
- Participate in the Compass Team meetings and carry out other program elements as needed.
- Support the development and execution of the campus culture vision
Key Qualifications and Experience:
- You have a bachelor's degree and have either (1) experience working in a formal school leadership or school counseling role or (2) at least 2 years of lead teaching experience as a teacher of record with evidence of being a high-performing classroom teacher in a 5-12th grade setting with strong personal development practice and/or history.
- You hold students to high behavioral expectations and possess strong classroom management skills.
- You are comfortable offering adults feedback, engaging in difficult conversations when needed, and holding others accountable.
- You are proactive and solutions focused.
- You utilize relationship-based interventions effectively, minimizing the escalation of student behaviors in your classroom.
- You can identify the root of a student’s Off-Compass behavior and act swiftly to respond to it and put appropriate supports in place.
- You have the ability to set and reach ambitious goals and can handle the intensity required to be part of the Compass Team.
- You thrive on data. You can analyze qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions about culture and student interventions.
- You are passionate about serving an ethnically & economically diverse student body.
- You have the ability to model, live, and reinforce the school’s core values, norms, and policies.
- You enjoy cultivating deep relationships with students, families, and staff to create a positive school environment.
Interview Process
- Resume Review
- Phone Interview with Valor's Talent Team
- Virtual Performance Task
- Final Interview
- Reference Checks
- Offer Extension
Compensation & Benefits:
- We offer comprehensive health (medical, dental, and vision) and retirement benefits
- We offer 8 weeks of fully paid parental leave policy
- Valor-subsidized childcare and priority seating at Little Wonders Day Care for employees
- Free access to an on-site strength & conditioning facility, Vanderbilt Health Clinic, retirement counseling, and mental health support and resources
- Full-time employees wishing to enroll their student at Valor in grades 5-12 will be placed at the top of the new student waitlist.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Valor believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables students and staff to thrive. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We actively seek applications from people of all backgrounds to strengthen our community and the perspectives needed to thrive in a diverse world.