Job Description

Chief Academic Officer

At Tulsa Honor Academy (THA), we are on a mission to equip all scholars with the academic skills, content knowledge, and ethical character required for college graduation and life success.

We believe ALL scholars, regardless of race, background, income or ability, can achieve at high levels. We work relentlessly to ensure 100% of scholars are on a path to go to and graduate from a college of their choice, beginning in the fifth grade.

Opening our doors in 2015 with 92 fifth grade scholars, THA has grown to serve over 1,400 scholars in grades 5-12 across our three schools in the 2026-2027 academic year.

We keep our five core values at the forefront of our work:

1) Equity at Our Core

• We believe all scholars, regardless of race, background, income or ability, can achieve at high levels.
• We set rigorous academic goals for ALL scholars, and work relentlessly to accomplish them.
• We provide our scholars access to more life opportunities through educational equity, which will empower them to live a life of independence and purpose.

2) Committed to Community

• We lead in service of our scholars and our families.
• We strive for ALL of our scholars to thrive and feel like they belong.
• We work to bring out the best in ourselves and each other.
• We make decisions with our scholars and their futures first in mind.

3) Pursuit of Excellence

• We continuously seek improvement.
• We value and pursue a unified definition of excellence.

4) Real Change Now

• We recognize that our scholars and community deserve a quality education now.
• We use every minute with scholars with intentionality.
• We value effectiveness and efficiency.

5) We Choose Courage

• We are unapologetically college prep.
• We make bold choices in pursuit of our mission and vision.

When you join the THA Familia, you are joining a team with an unwavering commitment to ensuring scholars in our community have access to a high-quality, college preparatory education. One that is focused on developing successful college graduates who will become well-rounded, engaged individuals who will transform their communities.

Candidates must share our unshakeable belief that all scholars can achieve when given the opportunity. Sound like you?

You are a firm believer that all scholars can go to and graduate from college.

You demonstrate determination and know that the work is hard, but worth it.

You display humility through consistent self-reflection, problem solving and implementation of feedback.

You believe in team first and know that success is not defined by individuals, but by the team itself.

You demonstrate a commitment to structure knowing that school-wide systems are critical elements of our scholars' success and network-wide systems support consistency and equity.

You are a proactive communicator who does so clearly and concisely with scholars, families and staff.

You are nerdy about ensuring scholars have access to rigorous academic instruction, including deep and complex content.

You desire to be in the trenches with us and our kids and can engage and motivate diverse stakeholders.

You are goal-oriented and set meaningful, ambitious goals and achieve success despite potential obstacles or setbacks.

You are always hungry for more and have a deep desire to be an expert in your field

Grit and an indomitable spirit are an instinctual reaction when the work is hard in order to achieve our mission and you display ingenuity, resourcefulness and tenacity to tackle complex problems.

You lead. You model what you expect.

You sweat the small stuff. You are extremely detail-oriented. You firmly believe the small details can make a mission or vision come to life.

You thrive on variety and constantly grow. Our roles may change every day. You get energy from continual learning and diversity in the day. You have high expectations, always seek feedback, and continue to heighten expectations.

You block and tackle. You create an environment in which teachers can teach and scholars can learn. Scholar achievement is the most important thing.

You both are proactive and responsive. You fix and prevent problems. You plan ahead to anticipate needs and are responsive when a need cannot be anticipated. You always have a plan but you always plan to be flexible.

You communicate frequently and effectively. Our duties and priorities change frequently. You communicate clearly to all stakeholders.

You are reliable. Consistency is key for all stakeholders. You gain trust from families, scholars, and staff if you are consistent, clear, and reliable.

You are systematic and efficient. You look at the short term efficiency and the long-term impact. While one sometimes takes precedence, both are key.

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) plays a central role in fulfilling Tulsa Honor Academy's mission by advancing and executing THA's academic vision and strategy across all schools. The CAO leads the development of rigorous and engaging instruction, curriculum, and assessment systems and directly coaches and supports School Principals to ensure strong implementation and continuous improvement. As a member of the Executive Team, the CAO works closely with the CEO and other senior leaders to ensure every THA scholar receives an excellent education that prepares them for success in college and beyond.

Core Commitments

• It is hard, but joyful - for kids and adults. You work hard, but love just as hard.
• Develop a palpably positive school climate with frequent and authentic instances of shared smiling, laughter and enthusiasm where joy is deeply rooted in achievement, the content, and team/individual successes.
• Believe that scholar actions and mindsets stem from teacher actions and mindsets
• Back-to-basics, liberal arts school - You have a fundamental belief in teaching kids to be critical thinkers through ELA and STEM.
• Ensure all scholars complete the cognitive work during the lesson, such as reading, writing, discussion, analysis, meaning-making, computation, and problem-solving
• Display that you value risk-taking, especially when the work is challenging. Expect all scholars to attempt all work, take academic risks, and learn from their mistakes.
• Structure Driven School - You sacrifice autonomy in exchange for consistency and commitment to a shared definition of excellence.
• You sweat the small stuff
• Believe that scholars want and need to be held to a higher standard and that scholars are capable of making good choices
• Teach and enforce school-wide systems, rules and consequences, disciplinary codes, and rewards at all times
• Know that warm and strict are not opposites
• Team, team, team - You support our community, learn from one another and respect each other enough to hold high expectations for ourselves and our scholars.
• Value parents as our partners
• Model what you expect because you know adults drive culture
• Believe in a all hands on deck mentality
• Constant Improvement - You model what it really means to receive feedback.
• Gain energy from the feedback cycle, not lose it
• Looking in the mirror rather than pointing out the window
• Use feedback to make productive changes in performance
• Diversity and Equity - You believe institutions thrive with diverse people and backgrounds
• Ensure our community is an inclusive and safe place
• People, paper, college - What you invest in says a lot about what you prioritize
• Developing rigorous instructional materials
• Supporting teammates, families and scholars
• Do whatever it takes to ensure our scholars go to and graduate from college

Core Responsibilities

Academic Vision

• Champion and advance THA's vision for world-class academic excellence that prepares scholars to thrive in and complete degrees from competitive four-year colleges and universities.
• Serve as a key member of the Executive Team, partnering with the CEO, senior leaders, and School Principals to establish organizational priorities, long-term plans, and measurable academic goals.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure organizational systems

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