RePublic Schools

Who We Are

Serving nearly 3,000 scholars in seven schools across two cities, RePublic Schools is the only school network dedicated to reimagining public education in the South.

Part of reimagining education in the South means we confront the historic inequities that work against our scholars and actively work to dismantle those inequities. We are doing this by intentionally creating environments that embrace, honor, and celebrate our scholars’ identities and experiences, as well as the identities and experiences of every member of our community.

RePublic Schools is seeking a Chief Academic Officer to serve as a key member of our organization's leadership team and will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer. In this role, you will be responsible for the academic vision of the organization while overseeing the academic performance, instructional leadership, and school culture of our educational network. You will work in close collaboration with other members of the Chief Team - Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Staff and Strategy, Chief Talent Officer, and Chief of Scholar and Family Experience Officer - to ensure our schools meet the highest standards of excellence and equity. Your primary focus will be on delivering exceptional academic results, eliminating academic disparities, and fostering a culture of success for all our scholars.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Vision & Leadership (30%)

• Refine and execute RePublic’s academic vision anchored in love, achievement, and belonging.
• Develop a 3–5-year academic vision, goals, and strategies aligned with organizational goals and RePublic’s Portrait of a Graduate.
• Collaborate with the CEO, executive team, and board to align academic priorities with organizational strategy.
• Lead innovation in curriculum and instruction, expanding pathways through project-based learning, career exploration, and advanced coursework to prepare our scholars for college and career..

Professional Development & Talent Development (25%)

• Own the vision for network-wide instructional professional development for teachers and leaders.
• Ensure professional learning builds skill, deepens instructional expertise, and fosters mission-aligned culture.
• Coach and directly manage senior academic leaders (e.g., Managing Director of Academics, TN Director of Schools), and support principals and assistant principals in deepening instructional leadership.

Lead and oversee the network Academic Team, which includes a Managing Director of Academics, TN Director of Schools, Director of STEM, Director of Data Assessments and Accountability, and STEM Instructional Coach, to ensure they have the coaching and development they need as a department to support schools in driving strong instruction.

Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Oversight (20%)

• Oversee K–12 curriculum design and adoption, ensuring alignment with state standards and culturally responsive, rigorous instruction.
• Partner with the Director of Data, Assessment, and Accountability to implement meaningful assessment systems that measure growth and inform instruction.
• Analyze student performance data and engage school leaders in designing interventions and strategies that close academic gaps.

Equity, Inclusion & Scholar Support (15%)

• Ensure strong academic experiences and support for multilingual learners, scholars with disabilities, and other historically marginalized groups.
• Partner with the Chief Operating Officer and Regional Directors of Student Supports to monitor compliance with IDEA, Title I, and ELD standards while pushing beyond compliance toward equitable and excellent outcomes.
• Lead with a commitment to scholar inclusion and belonging practices across programs and classrooms.

Organizational & Stakeholder Leadership (10%)

• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, contributing to system-wide strategic planning and decision-making.
• Build and foster strong working relationships with principals, assistant principals, network leaders, teachers, and external partners to drive strong scholar outcomes and school experience together.
• Represent RePublic with authorizers, funders, and other stakeholders, advocating for academic excellence and equity.
• Lead with self awareness and emotional intelligence to advance collaboration and successfully lead through challenges/conflict as it arises in your work with others.

Who You Are

• Visionary & Bold Leader: An outspoken advocate for instruction and pedagogy, with the ability to inspire and mobilize others around a transformative vision.
• Equity-Driven Educator: Deep belief that all scholars—regardless of background—can achieve at high levels, with a track record of eliminating inequities.
• Proven Instructional Leader: Minimum 10 years in K–12 education with at least 5 years in senior academic leadership; strong knowledge of K–12 curriculum and instruction.
• Data-Driven Strategist: Skilled at using data to drive decisions, monitor progress, and hold teams accountable for results.
• Relationship Builder: Emotionally intelligent, self-aware, and highly collaborative; able to coach, influence, and inspire across lines of difference.
• Change Agent: Able to balance stability with innovation, leading transformational change while maintaining consistency for scholars and staff.

Chief Expectations

• As Chief Academic Officer, you are expected to meet the following chief expectations to model leadership excellence in the mindsets and behaviors we operate with to lead and support great schools.
• The Chief Academic Officer home base is located in either Nashville, TN or Jackson, MS. Travel is required monthly between regions throughout the year to provide in-person academic support and development to schools and members of your team.