HEAD-ROYCE SCHOOL UPPER SCHOOL HEAD - Oakland, California Start Date: July 2021 headroyce.org
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HEAD-ROYCE SCHOOL
Oakland, California
UPPER SCHOOL HEAD
Start Date: July 2021
headroyce.org
Mission
The mission of the Head-Royce School is to inspire in our students a lifelong love of
learning and pursuit of academic excellence, to promote understanding of and respect
for the diversity that makes our society strong, and to encourage constructive and
responsible global citizenship.
OVERVIEW
Head-Royce School is a diverse K-12, independent, coeducational college-preparatory day school that
offers a challenging and transformative program to educate the whole child. For over 130 years, the
School has offered outstanding academic and co-curricular programs. Nestled in the Oakland hills,
Head-Royce strives to inspire in its students a lifelong love of learning, an exuberance for academic
excellence, an understanding of and respect for the diversity that makes our society strong, and a
commitment to global citizenship.
The School is committed to a program of excellence, one that provides opportunities for the intellectual
and personal development of each child. Its three core pillars of scholarship, diversity, and citizenship
guide everything it does and helps cultivate lifelong learners who lead with joy, purpose, and compassion,
and are well prepared to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future.
There are many reasons why the Head-Royce Upper School is such a stimulating place — engaging
courses; incredible extracurriculars; leadership, travel, and service opportunities; and a passionate,
dedicated faculty. The Upper School educational environment reflects the School’s core values and
offers a program in which each student can thrive as they are prepared to be effective global citizens
who can face and embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future.
Head-Royce seeks a new Upper School Head to advance the philosophy and mission of the School’s
Upper School for students in grades nine through twelve. The next Upper School Head will be an
experienced, visionary leader with a passion for working with students in this age group. Responsibilities
for the Upper School Head include overseeing day-to-day operations, academic and co-curricular
programs, student life, faculty professional development, and other related aspects of the Upper School.
As a member of the senior leadership team, the Upper School Head will work closely and collaboratively
with colleagues across the school and in close/direct partnership with the Head of School.
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Fast Facts
Founded: 1887
Total students: 900
Total students of color: 63.5%
Students in Upper School: 385
Total faculty: 122
Total faculty of color: 39%
Upper School faculty: 52
Faculty with advanced degrees: 65%
Student/teacher ratio: 8:1
Financial aid awarded: $6.3 million in 2020-21
Students receiving financial aid: 27%
SCHOOL HISTORY
The School was founded in Berkeley in 1887 by Anna Head as Miss Head’s Preparatory School for
Girls. In 1919, the School was renamed to the Anna Head School for Girls in honor of its founder. After
the property was acquired by the University of California, Berkeley, the campus was relocated in 1964
to its current site on Lincoln Avenue in Oakland. In 1971, the School’s board of trustees opened The
Josiah Royce School for Boys, named for Anna’s brother-in-law, in an adjacent site. The two schools
merged into a coeducational school in 1979. The remarkable and innovative thinking launched by Anna
Head over 130 years ago remains a source of pride and is the core of Head-Royce School today.
As Head-Royce looks to the future, the School guided by a comprehensive strategic plan, Bridge to 2022,
that aligns its work across five goals: teaching and learning, equity and inclusion, civic engagement,
balance and well-being, and financial stewardship. These goals and initiatives are purposely aligned
with its mission and intentionally centered on its students.
THE SCHOOL AND UPPER SCHOOL DIVISION
Firmly rooted in its mission and core values, Head-Royce continues to pursue the best possible
education for its students as they enter a rapidly changing world. All members of the Head-Royce
community—students, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and trustees—strive for a
balanced educational environment in which each student can thrive.
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Key to each student’s success is the Head-Royce faculty, a group of world-class educators who bring
unique perspectives from a wide range of experiences. Their diversity of thought, coupled with their
subject-matter mastery, positions them to provide transformative experiences to every student. Faculty
are dedicated educators and inspired mentors, experts in their fields, eager to share their enthusiasm
for their subjects—and it’s obvious they love their jobs. They take the extra time to discover the right
approach for each child and inspire students to reach way beyond the mainstream. Students say the
teachers really know and encourage them. “My four words to sum up Head-Royce are: Fantastic,
capable, caring teachers!” enthused one current tenth-grader. Similarly, a parent commented, “The
faculty met all three of my very different kids in the ways they needed and inspired their engagement in
learning.” The Upper School has 52 teaching faculty members.
Head-Royce enrolls approximately 900 students with 385 in the Upper School. Students come from
Oakland, Berkeley, and over 30 other Bay Area communities. Students of color comprise more than
60% of the population. For the 2020-2021 academic year, the School has granted approximately $6
million in financial aid to 27% of its students. Admission is open to all students regardless of race,
ethnicity, religion, physical ability, learning style, and national or ethnic origin. The school continues
to seek diversity in students, faculty, administration, and staff. Thirty-nine percent of employees are
people of color.
The School’s diverse community reflects the city they call home. As such, Head-Royce is committed
to respecting, nurturing, and promoting diversity and its importance in the development of students
and the well-being of the community. Its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan, created this past
summer, prioritizes action and accountability in addressing inequity issues, dismantling oppression,
and creating a welcoming, open, and safe community.
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College Admission
The following is a partial list of
colleges and universities that have
offered admission to members of
the Classes of 2015-2019:
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Carleton College
Columbia University
Duke University
Emory University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Haverford College
Howard University
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Loyola Marymount University
ACADEMICS Massachusetts Institute of
The academic experience in Upper School features Technology
a stimulating liberal arts program combining both core New York University
curricula and electives. To educate the best possible Northeastern University
21st-century citizens, the faculty regularly evaluate the Northwestern University
pedagogy and program to best meet the needs of a Occidental College
changing world and to best educate and inspire future
Pomona College
leaders. To that end, the Upper School program includes
courses relevant to today’s world that cover topics Princeton University
such as computer science, neurobiology, multivariable Stanford University
calculus, Islamic studies, and women’s literature. Over The New School
recent years, the Upper School has steadily moved Tufts University
away from Advanced Placement (AP) courses in favor Tulane University
of offering advanced-level courses that are as rigorous University of California, Berkeley,
and allow for deeper and/or more specific exploration of
Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles,
subject areas.
Riverside, San Diego, Santa
In the Upper School, all students take four years of Barbara & Santa Cruz
English and at least three years each of math, history, University of Chicago
science, and a world language (French, Mandarin University of Michigan
Chinese, Spanish, or Latin). Electives include options University of Pennsylvania
in the arts, humanities, a four-year computer science University of Southern California
program, and more. Courses are designed to provide
Wesleyan University
learning opportunities in which students develop critical
thinking skills, take intellectual risks, work in collaborative Washington University in St. Louis
settings, engage in creative and imaginative learning, Yale University
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and practice ethical decision making. Many courses resemble college seminars in content, style, and
expectations. Given the robust senior seminars in all departments, from Neurobiology to Oakland
Through Many Lenses, or Poetry to Democracy in Action, seniors can craft an academically rigorous
fourth-year curriculum that allows them to make deep connections to topics that inspire them. “Head-
Royce students are amazing,” said an Upper School faculty member. “They’re motivated, hard-working,
dynamic, diverse, inspired, and inspiring!”
Other curricular highlights include the I-Search (an extensive ninth grade research project that includes
a formal paper and TED Talk style presentation), senior projects (structured internships exploring an
area of personal, academic, or professional interest), study abroad opportunities (Head-Royce partners
with School Year Abroad), and Global Online Academy (interdisciplinary online courses; Head-Royce is
a founding member of this consortium of independent schools from around the world).
A thoughtful, highly personalized College Counseling program is the capstone of the Head-Royce
student’s journey. Counselors work closely with students and families, getting to know them as unique
individuals, with the goal of seeing each student matriculate to a school at which they can thrive based
on their specific abilities, personalities, needs, and aspirations. More than 70% of graduates attend
highly selective institutions.
ARTS AND ATHLETICS
The Upper School offers a broad program in the arts, including opportunities for involvement in school
musicals, dramatic and dance productions, jazz band, and chorus. Coursework includes photography,
graphic design, film, studio arts, and music theory. FADE, an intensive student-run dance program,
stages a major production each spring. Upper School musicians in the select instrumental and choral
groups Caravan and Colla Voce, respectively, travel to music festivals across the country.
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The mission of the Head-Royce School Athletics Department is to enrich the mental, physical, and
emotional well-being of all student-athletes by providing equal opportunities for competition in which the
lifelong values of sportsmanship, individual effort, teamwork, integrity, commitment, and self-discipline
are emphasized throughout the sports season. Through its premier athletic program, Head-Royce
students can play on over 26 interscholastic teams. The Jayhawks have captured more than 60 league
championships in the last 20 years. Sports offered include baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse,
golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball, and clubs for sailing and ultimate frisbee.
Recent Head-Royce graduates have competed in interscholastic sports at the NCAA Division III level
and occasionally at Division I.
STUDENT LIFE
Head-Royce fosters an atmosphere of self-governance and encourages its students to develop
leadership skills both inside and outside the classroom. Upper School students may apply to serve
in one-year posts on faculty/student committees in areas such as curriculum, diversity, STEM, and
student life. Students regularly represent Head-Royce at the National Student Diversity Leadership
Conference. Other leadership opportunities include serving as senior prefects and student council
officers.
Extra-curricular opportunities include the award-winning debate team, student newspaper, literary
magazine, and yearbook. Active student clubs include Black Student Union, Latinos Unidos, Gender
Sexuality Diversity, Green Team, Computer Science Club, Vex Robotics Team, Diversity Council,
Asia Club, FADE (student-led dance troupe), and Thespian Troupe 2811, among many others. Upper
Schoolers also enjoy outdoor education adventures that include camping, hiking, and river rafting.
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Established in 2013, Head-Royce’s Center for Community Engagement provides students with
opportunities to explore civic engagement on a personal level with internships and summer opportunities.
The goal of the center is to help students form authentic partnerships with organizations that promote
social change and encourage leadership training in fields such as global education, government,
medicine, and STEM research. Head-Royce helps students discover for themselves what it means to
be responsible members of their local and global communities, providing opportunities to experience
what it feels like to be in someone else’s shoes.
CAMPUS
The Head-Royce campus sits on 16 acres and consists of three distinct areas for each division.
The main courtyard of the Upper School, referred to as the Upper School patio, is surrounded by three
buildings. The World Languages Building was completed in 2008 and is dedicated to Middle and Upper
School language classes. The Read Library sits near the center of campus and provides abundant well-
lit space, resources, and information services. The main Upper School building, which is perpendicular
to Lincoln Avenue, has three levels. The bottom level houses the Jayhawk Café. The faculty room,
student-faculty lounge, computer lab, and Upper School office are adjacent to the café. The second
and third levels have most of the English, history, math, and science classrooms, including two biology
labs and two chemistry labs.
The building parallel to the main Upper School building houses additional math, history, language, and
science (specifically physics) classrooms. This building is connected to the Chapman Pavilion (the
gym) which includes a weight room. Further east of the gym is the outdoor basketball court, tennis
courts, and athletics fields.
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“Head-Royce students
are do-ers.”
- Upper School faculty member
Ten years ago, the School purchased eight acres of land directly across the street from its current
campus. After thoughtful planning, the South Campus Master Plan was created. The Master Plan will
create a cutting-edge instructional environment that includes innovative new learning spaces; a state-
of-the-art performing arts and community center; improvements to traffic flow and safety via a new
internal loop road and pedestrian link; and expansive new green spaces dedicated to outdoor learning.
Construction is expected to begin in 2021.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, Oakland is a fascinating place to live and learn, with rich
multicultural influences, a strong and diverse economy, and a vibrant sports, arts, and music culture.
The city has also led the way nationally with its sustainability environmental practices, community
engagement/organization, and racial and ethnic diversity. Oakland has long been a hub for large
corporations, and more recently the city has attracted high-tech and green energy startups, creating a
tech boom that has fueled the economy and attracted young, well-educated professionals to settle in
the area. Nearby is the University of California, Berkeley.
The city’s ideal climate makes for ample opportunity to explore the East Bay Regional Parks, which
include three preserves and four parks, one of which is Redwood Regional Park. Right in Oakland’s
center, just east of downtown, is perhaps the city’s most popular outdoor attraction, Lake Merritt, a large
tidal lagoon featuring several bird refuges, a nature center, a children’s theme park, and a boathouse.
Oakland’s culture has long been a richly multicultural place, from its vibrant Chinatown district to its
place in music history as the West Coast hub for jazz and blues. With the greatest number of artists per
capita in the U.S, Oakland’s art scene is ever growing. Jack London Square, the Fox Theater, and the
Paramount Theatre all serve as venues for theater tours, music groups, art events, and more. Other
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“My four words to sum up
Head-Royce are: Fantastic,
capable, caring teachers!”
- Tenth-Grader
places of interest include the Oakland Zoo, Oakland Museum of California, and the Oakland Aviation
Museum.
With its burgeoning economy, blissful weather, wealth of attractions and pastimes, and a lower cost of
living than neighboring cities in the Bay Area, Oakland has much to offer.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
The next Upper School Head joins a dynamic division that is celebrated for a deeply committed and
energetic faculty who love teaching, genuinely care for their students, and help students engage in their
learning. The Upper School faculty and staff appreciate the School’s commitment to their professional
growth and feel supported in putting forward and exploring new ideas. “There’s a ‘yes, and’ culture
here,” noted a faculty member and Class Dean. The Upper School’s forward-looking shift away from
Advanced Placement (AP) courses reflects the thoughtful and inventive spirit of the division. Of note,
the entire academic leadership team served as Head-Royce teachers and were able to grow from
within. An external appointee will need to be confident in seeking understanding and in offering new
perspectives. The next Upper School Head will be an experienced, student-centered, and community-
oriented educational leader. The key opportunities and challenges for the next Upper School Head
include:
Joining a collaborative, high-caliber senior leadership team.
The new Upper School Head will join a strong senior administrative team, led by the Head of School, of
nine administrators who share a strong work ethic, respect for a plurality of voices and experiences, a
culture of honest discourse, care and respect for one another, and a desire to keep Head-Royce students
at the center of all decision making. Through regular meetings, regular contact and a willingness to
CARNEYSANDOE.COM 10see both the “forest and the trees,” this team works to meet the needs of a complex K-12 organization,
even in the face of the unique challenges of this past year. Members of the leadership team support
each other as thought partners, mentors, sounding boards, and collaborators. The Upper School Head
will also have to be comfortable asking questions, seeking support, and responding with equanimity to
unpredictable day-to-day events while working with the leadership team on long-term strategic goals.
Caring for the faculty.
With COVID-19, racial reckoning, and the general unsettled nature of the current moment, teachers
need support. The next Upper School Head will steward a generational change in faculty that is already
underway, and which requires the political astuteness to inspire and encourage teachers who are at
very different points in their careers and may have disparate philosophies on pedagogy, rigor, and
assessment. Acknowledging faculty service to Head-Royce students, witnessing and celebrating daily
work, coaching teachers in an non-evaluative setting, and listening authentically to all teachers, veteran
or novice, the next Upper School Head will nurture an environment that celebrates the hard work and
dedication of faculty and staff while setting the expectation that the adults in the Upper School deploy a
portion of their passion for subject and students on behalf of larger institutional goals.
Leading the Upper School team and articulating a shared vision for the division.
The Upper School Head leads a newly-structured team currently comprised of deans and counselors.
The Upper School Head will have the opportunity to continue to clarify these roles and will benefit
from drawing upon the wisdom of this group as well as the school-wide leadership team to clarify,
communicate, and pursue the goals of the division. Head-Royce, in asking generative questions about
rigor, equity, and student well-being, seeks an expanded definition of success. In collaboration with
initiatives like Mastery Transcript and Challenge Success, the School asks how less quantifiable but
teachable characteristics like social-emotional resiliency, civic engagement and leadership, and student
agency and sense of belonging inform the School’s priorities and aspirations for its graduates. Qualified
CARNEYSANDOE.COM 11candidates will relish the opportunity to lead this challenging work and will have a track record of inviting
faculty into honest discourse while moving complex initiatives forward. This position requires a focused,
empathic, discerning individual who can inspire colleagues to reach organizational goals.
Shepherding the work of equity and inclusion work with courage and skill.
The Upper School Head will meet constituents where they are on their DEI journey, manage nuanced
conversations, and join with the leadership team to implement all aspects of the DEI Action Plan. The
division head will embrace equity and inclusion work with a sense of urgency and grace, setting high
expectations while allowing space for learning, trepidation, missteps, and recovery, inviting people to
engage in this work from a place of respect, humility, and improvement, not perfection. Related, the
division head will strive to develop support and structures to recruit and retain talented BIPOC faculty
and staff.
Engaging with multiple constituents.
The Upper School Head will work with many constituents, including parents, trustees, and community
members. Connecting authentically with different groups, listening to concerns and suggestions, and
understanding the experiences and responsibilities that frame an individual’s relationship with the
school are foundational to building trust and advancing the work of the division and the school as a
whole. The Upper School Head will participate in Board meetings, support Board committees, lead
parent groups, and form positive relationships with Head-Royce’s neighbors and partners in Oakland.
CARNEYSANDOE.COM 12DESIRED QUALITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS
In addition to and underscoring the qualities described above, ideal candidates will also be/have:
• Effective, efficient, and thoughtful communicator skilled at building community, who can empower
the faculty and administration to act and lead, and that consistently, transparently, and fairly holds
others accountable.
• Well-versed in and committed to equity and inclusion practices with experience in guiding students,
colleagues, and parents in their growth in these spaces.
• Thorough and demonstrated understanding of and love for working with Upper School students with
great energy, warmth, and humor.
• Approachable and open to feedback with the ability to be discerning and discreet.
• Significant and successful classroom teaching experience and a track record as an effective
instructional leader and manager.
• Experience with managing and empowering colleagues.
• Strength in building and maintaining connections and community between colleagues, divisions,
parents, and students.
• Collaborative, effective, and pragmatic skills as an administrator.
• Enthusiastic community-builder and connector—highly visible and engaged around school and
within the local community.
CARNEYSANDOE.COM 13TO APPLY
We hope to appoint the new Upper School Head before the winter break. Interested and qualified
candidates should express interest and submit application materials as their earliest convenience.
Please submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following
documents:
• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
• A current résumé;
• A one-page statement of educational philosophy and practice;
• A list of five professional references with name, phone number, and email address of each (references
will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:
Jennifer Christensen
Search Consultant
jennifer.christensen@carneysandoe.com
Karen Whitaker
Search Consultant
karen.whitaker@carneysandoe.com
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