Escola Eleva Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Founding Head of School July 2016 http://escolaeleva.com.br/
The Position Escola Eleva (Eleva), scheduled to open its doors in February 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is seeking a Founding Head of School. This significant career opportunity for a highly qualified candidate will be filled as soon as possible, or else in the summer of 2017, if an interim Head is appointed until that time.
Mission & Values “The mission of Escola Eleva is to forge a new generation of leaders, ready to succeed and make a difference in their own lives, as well as to contribute to a better world.” Eleva is founded on five principles: Respect: We value listening and diversity of ideas: we cherish being together. Enthusiasm: We are curious and passionate about learning. Excellence: We believe in setting our goals high and making the effort to reach them. Great conduct and achievement must always be recognized and, to that end, we celebrate individual and team effort. Responsibility: We use our resources consciously. We are responsible for our school and the world around us. Kindness: We are always considerate and kind. We recognize that, above all else, acting with consideration is our most important choice.
Escola Eleva is conceived as a model international school within the well-established Eleva Educação group of 60 schools. Eleva Educação’s network currently serves 30,000 students throughout Brazil with some schools ranking among the top schools in the nation for university placement. Escola Eleva will provide a challenging, bilingual (Portuguese/English), PK-12 program based on 21st century learning skills to prepare its largely Brazilian student population. In its first year, Escola Eleva will serve a coed student body in grades 1-3, 6 and 10. In its second year, it will expand to include grades PK-11. The school will graduate its first class in its third year. While Escola Eleva’s goal is ultimately to enroll 1300 students in grades PK-12, it anticipates an initial enrollment of approximately 300.
The School Escola Eleva’s academic program revolves around three central pillars: academic excellence, life skills, and global citizenship. Academic Excellence As the basis of the more traditional elements of our program, we value content and most importantly, applied content. We believe in rigor, exams, and in depth knowledge, with an emphasis on math and languages (reading, writing, speaking).
Life Skills We believe that the keys to student success in life go well beyond the ability to perform well on an exam. As such, we prepare our students for university and beyond through character education, building skills towards collaboration, clear communication, and perseverance. Global Citizenship Our mission goes beyond fostering individual success, and looks to educate our students about their role as global citizens. With programming focused on subjects such as the environment and diversity, our program helps students think about the resources and world around them. We believe in making Brazil—and the world—a better place. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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Academics Lower School: In lower school, Eleva focuses on the development of core skills, addressing the whole child through intellectual, physical, psychological and social growth. Our main aim is to develop language skills (both Portuguese and English), analytical thinking, social skills, and independence. During these years, students will be in a fully bilingual course of study, with half the classes taught in Portuguese and half in English. We will use our own curriculum for Portuguese language classes and Mathematics. However, for English, social studies, and the sciences, teachers will use the IPC (International Primary Curriculum). In addition to their core set of subjects, students will take part in project-based learning to develop an awareness of citizenship and ethics, as well as extracurricular courses, including life skills, visual arts and physical education. Middle School: During middle school, we focus on developing students’ abilities in critical/abstract thinking, mathematical reasoning, reading and writing, and global awareness. As students leave lower school literate in both Portuguese and English, they will have greater contact with the Brazilian culture and be more exposed to the Portuguese language. Here, classes will be taught 65% in English, and 35% in Portuguese. Additionally, we also deepen our extracurricular programming. The arts curriculum will include fine arts, music The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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and drama, building student self-awareness, creativity and abstraction. Further, the Life Skills program focuses on six main skills: curiosity, pro-activity, communication, critical thinking, perseverance and collaboration. In the Global Citizenship curriculum, students will connect with real-world problems and work in a project-based manner with themes that combine global thinking and local action. High School: During high school, we focus on student independence and academic rigor. Starting in 2018, students will have the choice of following either the Portuguese (80% of classes taught in Portuguese, following the Brazilian curriculum), or English path (80% of classes taught in English, following the IB curriculum). We continue to focus on student ethics and building intellectual curiosity, preparing each child for the best universities in Brazil and abroad. One highlight of the high school program is that we will offer a broader elective curriculum to help students discover their passions and talents. From ninth grade onwards, students can choose one elective per semester from four areas: Entrepreneurship and Business, Society and Culture, Creativity and Communication and Science and Technology. Examples of elective classes include debate and public speaking, programming and coding, design thinking, negotiation, psychology, managing your money, and justice. In sum, twenty electives will be offered each semester.
Student Body Escola Eleva will ultimately enroll approximately 1300 students in grades PK-12. In 2017, Eleva will open grades 1-3, 6 and 10, and enroll about 300 students, attracting families seeking a well-rounded education. In our first month of the enrollment process, Eleva received more than two thousand e-mails from interested families. Over 1000 parents have visited our facilities, and more than 600 students have submitted the written application form. The application process includes a written application form; student interview and exam
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(in Portuguese, English, and math); and parent interview.
Faculty
The school will begin operating with approximately 30 teaching staff, and plans to grow to 100 faculty members by 2020. We look for five main characteristics when recruiting our faculty: content expertise, classroom management skills, capacity to inspire, life skills, and openmindedness. We are building a diverse faculty body, with local and international teachers. We estimate that approximately 70% of our faculty members will be Brazilian.
Governance Eleva will be led by a Board of Governance, consisting of six members, with four Governors from Eleva Educação, including the Board President. Those representatives will primarily offer pedagogical leadership. The Governors will meet monthly while the school is in its infancy. In addition to the Board of Governance, there will be a consulting board comprised of ten members, meeting twice per year to confer about strategic questions and pedagogical issues. Members will represent various backgrounds from investment and economic expertise to independent and international educational experience.
Physical Campus Escola Eleva is located in Botafogo, a traditional neighborhood in the heart of the south zone of Rio de Janeiro. The school will be housed in the Casa Daros Cultural Center, a 19th century building in neoclassical style, beautifully preserved, and considered a historical landmark. This former museum in the heart of historical Rio de Janeiro has more than 12,000 square meters. With one of Brazil’s most famous architects designing the school facilities, the infrastructure is intended to reflect our pedagogical model and philosophy. Facilities were planned to promote different types of learning (such as project-based, independent study and group lectures) and foster student/teacher collaboration. Spaces are well-lighted and technologically up to date. Eleva will have 30 classrooms, a state of the art library, three laboratories (biology/science, chemistry and physics), a maker space, a media lab, an auditorium, several study rooms and lounges, and two sports courts. We also have a partnership with a local facility to use their sporting facilities, including an outdoor soccer field. .
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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil, situated on the South Atlantic coast. Boasting one of the world’s most vibrant urban landscapes, Rio is one of Brazil’s most popular and frequented tourist destinations. Its bustling city center is bursting with culture as well as a deep sense of history and heritage. As Brazil’s former capital until 1960, Rio has retained much of its distinguished character, with magnificent churches and mansions clustered in downtown Centro. In addition, much of Rio’s stunning coastal landscape has remained untouched. Frequently voted the happiest city in the world, Rio revels in life. Perhaps at no time is the city’s festive reputation better displayed than during the annual Carnival, which enlivens the city night and day with music, singing, parties, and street parades of brilliantly costumed dancers performing to samba rhythms. The city is also an important commercial hub of Brazil and, after São Paulo, has the second largest economy of any Brazilian city. Major oil, textile, shipbuilding, pharmaceutical, media and communications companies have a presence in Rio and the city also hosts a number of important educational institutions. This diversified economy attracts many foreign workers to Rio every year, making it a popular expat destination. Notably, in August of this year, it will be the first South American setting for the Summer Olympic Games. Despite being a large city and business center, the ‘Marvelous City’ (Cidade Maravilhosa), as Rio is often called, enjoys a far more relaxed lifestyle than other major Brazilian cities such as São Paulo or Brasilia. As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Cariocas (as the locals are referred to) are used to having foreigners in their city and they are generally open and welcoming to newcomers. Taking time out to enjoy a siesta or spending hours at a social dinner are important aspects of life in Brazil. At the same time, despite its beaches, beautiful scenery, and easy-going The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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lifestyle, Brazilians work hard, and expats are expected to do the same. Although English is increasingly spoken in professional circles, expats wanting to fully integrate into life in Rio will do well to learn Portuguese. The city features a tropical climate, with a warm temperature and mostly sunny days all year round. During the summer, the temperature can reach 104º F (40º Celsius) and the weather is typically humid. During the winter, the temperatures can reach 62º F (17º Celsius) and some rain is expected. Because the country is in the southern hemisphere, summer falls between September and April, while winter runs from May to August.
Desired qualifications and qualities for the Founding Head of School Escola Eleva is seeking a Founding Head with strong academic and managerial qualifications, whose energy and vision will unite the school community in fulfilling its mission. Desired qualifications and qualities include: • • • • • • • •
Proven experience as an outstanding educator and school leader Someone capable of envisioning and articulating where the school should be in the next five years. Inspirational and motivational personality who leads the faculty and staff towards the mission Outstanding people and team-building skills Understanding of 21st Century approaches to education Visionary and strategic thinker Strong role model who will exemplify the school’s values Visible and involved presence with parents, student and teachers
Additionally, we also value the following abilities: • • • • • •
Strong background in education and curriculum development Cultural awareness and sensitivity. Strong communication and listening skills Successful experience with school finance, development, and board governance International-mindedness and experience Portuguese or Spanish-speaking, with experience living in South American preferred
To Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one e-mail as separate documents the following materials to Art Charles, Fred Wesson, and John Chandler of Carney, Sandoe & Associates: • • • •
Cover letter expressing interest in the Escola Eleva position Current résumé Statement of educational philosophy and practice List of five references with name, phone number, and e-mail address of each Art Charles | Fred Wesson | John Chandler Senior Search Consultants art.charles@carneysandoe.com | fred.wesson@carneysandoe.com | john.chandler@carneysandoe.com Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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