Elementary School Principal Jobs for OPT Students

Positions currently open at: Diggs-Latham, Meadowlark, Southwest, Union Cross, and Smith Farm Elementary Schools

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS) formed in 1963 with the merger of the Winston Salem and Forsyth County school systems. It is the fourth-largest system in North Carolina and the 81st largest in the nation. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools serves more than 52,744 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 with the goal of providing a quality education for each child. The school system has 42 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, and 16 high schools. Eight specialty schools bring the system-wide total to 81. Our collective mission is to engage all students in high-quality, relevant learning experiences so they will graduate with interpersonal, academic, and workforce skills to compete globally and contribute to society. To help deliver on this mission, WS/FCS has established five focus areas to guide our work and investments as described in our WS/FCS Strategic Plan.

The principal in WS/FCS is a critical lever for change and serves as the instructional and operational leader of a school by developing and implementing policies, programs, curriculum activities, and budgets in a manner that promotes the educational development and achievement of each student and the professional development of each staff member.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Instructional Leadership

• Leads the school’s vision, mission, and strategic goals to support academic and socio-emotional success for all students.
• Supports and supervises the design of rigorous, standards-based instruction with measurable outcomes.
• Analyzes student achievement data and other data sources to identify and inform school improvement efforts.
• Develops a collegial environment that supports teacher leadership, collaboration, and.

Managerial and Human Resources Leadership

• Ensure a safe and nurturing environment for students, staff, and families.
• Creates processes to provide for a balanced operational budget for school programs and activities that are aligned to school improvement.
• Creates procedures to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce in the school that meets the diverse needs of students.
• Develops a master schedule for the school to maximize student learning by providing for individual and ongoing collaborative planning for every teacher.

Equity-Centered Leadership

• Communicates strong ideals and beliefs about equity, learning, and teaching, with teachers, staff, parents, and students and then operates from those beliefs.
• Instills a culture of continuous improvement using data-informed decision making and guided by the school improvement plan.
• Supports the positive, culturally-responsive traditions of the school community.
• Systematically and fairly acknowledges failures and celebrates accomplishments of the school and staff.

External and Micropolitical Leadership

• Complies with all state and federal laws and local policies.
• Demonstrates situational and political awareness and builds relationships with individuals, groups, and other stakeholders to bring positive resources and support to the school community.
• Maintains open, vertical and horizontal communications throughout the school community and district office.

Family and Community Engagement

• Actively advocates for and engages family and community.
• Strengthens teacher and staff capacity to cultivate and sustain meaningful partnerships with families of diverse backgrounds.
• Develops community partnerships that support student achievement and well-being and manage partnerships.

Key Competencies aligned to the Equity Driven Leader Framework

Model for Equity and Excellence for All Children

• Demonstrate belief that each student can achieve at the highest levels; hold self and others accountable for promoting high expectations for academic achievement.
• Build an organizational culture that accelerates learning and expectations for every student.
• Demonstrate cultural fluency, sensitivity, and a strong equity lens to meet the needs of a diverse student body.
• Address matters of equity, race, and bias in decision-making with clarity, confidence, openness, empathy, and historical context.

Effective Relationship Builder and Communicator

• Communicate clearly and consistently, tailoring messages for the audience, context, and mode of communication.
• Advocate for and serve as key connector between the school, the district office, and the community.
• Assess team and individuals’ skills, identify individual professional learning needs, and provide feedback and support to improve practice, build capacity, and maximize talent.
• Listen with an open mind, seeking understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives before establishing a direction forward.
• Navigate politically complex structures, relationships, and dynamics to enable thoughtful decisions and positive outcomes for students.
• Respond to feedback and concerns in a timely and empathetic manner.

Skilled Facilitator and Change Agent

• Lead with a strong focus on goals, accountability, and results; set clear metrics for success.
• Build, inspire, manage, and coach an effective leadership team to achieve ambitious goals.
• Monitor progress and demonstrate persistence to overcome obstacles to achieve goals.
• Exercise professional judgment, maintain confidentiality when trusted with sensitive information, accept responsibility, maintain transparency, and lead by example.

Strategic Thinker and Decision Maker

• Exhibit outstanding critical thinking skills, including the ability to analyze data, identify trends, pinpoint problems and root causes, ask probing questions, and develop innovative solutions.
• Create, implement, and institutionalize effective policies, systems, and structures to optimize school and student success.
• Lead effectively even in times of ambiguity and adapt and respond to unexpected challenges.

Qualifications

• Successful teaching and school administration/leadership experience.
• Master's Degree from an accredited institution.
• 4+ years of K-12 teaching experience; Elementary or Secondary Experience preferred.
• 2 years of teaching experience required.
• Hold or be eligible to hold a valid NC Principal’s License.
• Compensation is determined by the Administrator Salary Schedule 12 Months.

Candidates invited to screening should be available on April 8, 2026.

WSFC Equity Framework