Lesley Ellis School
Head of School
Start Date: July 1, 2025
Coed Day School, Grades PS-8
211 Students
34 Winter Street, Arlington, MA 02474
Head of School Search for Lesley Ellis School
Educators Collaborative is pleased to assist Lesley Ellis School in its search for its next Head of School to begin July 1, 2025.
Vision
To inspire and prepare students to positively contribute to their local and global communities.
Mission
Lesley Ellis School fosters an environment of self-discovery, kindness, and belonging through our engaging and challenging curriculum, as well as our anti-bias approach. Our students are inquisitive and inspired learners, prepared for every step of their educational journey.
Core Values
We Learn About Ourselves
We guide each student to increase their self-awareness. We encourage our students to examine themselves openly and honestly so they become aware of and value their own unique characteristics.
We Are Kind
We care about the well-being of our community. We treat everyone with respect, consideration, and compassion.
We Include One Another
We promote an anti-bias perspective throughout our community. We teach the guiding principles of social justice that encourage us to act against inequity and prejudice, as well as embrace diversity.
We Love Learning
We help students reach their academic potential through creative teaching and a shared joy of learning. We collaborate to create challenging programs aimed to provoke thought, build skills, and foster intellectual curiosity.
A Distinctive PS-8 School
This is a school with an historic past, a solid present, and a bright future. The distinct identity of Lesley Ellis provides it with a unique position in the Boston-area school market, and the opportunity to lead the school forward is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced educator.
At Lesley Ellis School (LES), the small size of the school is intentional so that each child is known, heard, and valued. The school states, “Everyone belongs. Everyone has something to contribute. Everyone makes a difference.” Faculty, parents, staff, and administration work hard to make the school a welcoming, warm, inclusive community. Again and again, constituents underscore how Lesley Ellis is a “family.”
Lesley Ellis is part of a larger consortium of schools and programs: Schools for Children (SFC). This makes the governance structure of the school unique. The Head of School at Lesley Ellis reports to the Executive Director of Schools for Children and SFC provides Lesley Ellis with the administration of school finances, human resources, and technology.
LES is located in Arlington, Massachusetts, an historic suburb about six miles northwest of Boston, bordering on Cambridge, Mass. Parents in the school are professionals and entrepreneurs, often with degrees or affiliations with nearby Harvard, MIT, Tufts, or Apple and Google. The school is housed in a well-maintained historic building, owned by Schools for Children, that features many quaint features including exposed brick and rock. The school has initiated a building project (currently in the construction phase) for a new library/learning hub that is hoped to be completed this spring and a performing arts space to be completed later as a second phase of the project. Dance, drama, and music are embedded and vibrant in the life of this dynamic school. The new capital improvement project is also intended “to provide the space that is needed for the community to share joy in larger group gatherings and allow the whole community to participate in meaningful learning opportunities, traditions, and events.”
An Outstanding Leadership Opportunity
Lesley Ellis seeks a leader who enthusiastically embraces and champions the school’s mission of kindness, inclusion, and a genuine joy for lifelong learning. The successful candidate will bring a professional approach distinguished by enthusiasm, compassion, and humility. With experience in an independent school setting, the ideal leader will reflect:
- A commitment to the mission of Lesley Ellis and a community that deeply values diversity, inclusion, and an anti-bias curriculum that is infused in all of the school’s teaching and learning
- An appreciation of the unique relationship between Schools for Children and Lesley Ellis and the importance of stewarding this meaningful partnership
- Excellent communication skills and a warm, approachable demeanor
- The ability to build relationships quickly in both the internal and external communities
- The capacity to provide thoughtful leadership in developing the strategic vision of Lesley Ellis that generates excitement and shared investment in the school’s future
You can learn more about the school and this exciting leadership opportunity by reading our Information for Candidates
How to Apply
Please reach out with any questions or to learn more about this opportunity. Candidates interested in this position are asked to submit the following materials by November 15.
- EC Summary Sheet and Disclosure Statement (Contact Carole Everett or George Sanderson for these documents)
- Letter of Interest addressed to the Search Committee
- Current Resume
- Statement of Educational Leadership Philosophy
- A list of five or more professional references with contact information (name, relationship to candidate, phone number, and email addresses)
Carole Everett, Partner, Educators Collaborative
George Sanderson, Partner, Educators Collaborative
Listing Date: October 8, 2024
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