Superintendent
Khartoum American School (Sudan)

Candidates who have already applied for this position should not re-submit an application.

Khartoum American School provides an exceptional international education for the family of those who have come to Sudan from abroad, as well as families based in Khartoum looking for an American style education.  Khartoum American School seeks an educator with the creativity, resilience and commitment to lead the school in continued academic excellence, thriving student life, and increased enrollment. 

Mission Statement 

Khartoum American School provides an outstanding learning environment to promote an open, inclusive, and student-centered program. We are devoted to fostering educational growth and development for our internationally diverse student body.

Additional Belief Statements

Character 

By helping students to develop self-discipline and a positive self-image, Khartoum American School encourages students to explore their potential and to develop a rich and broad understanding of today’s world. Khartoum American School fosters in students a strong sense of personal commitment and dedication to their own learning. 

Curriculum

Khartoum American School follows an American Curriculum based around internationally recognized standards. Our student-centered program offers a technology-rich and inquiry-based approach. Khartoum American School offers a program of study that allows all students to reach their potential. 

Community 

Khartoum American School actively pursues a sense of community characterized by students who are cooperative, communicative, productive, and responsible.  Students are encouraged to view themselves and their school as integral parts of the global community. Our community is a partnership of stakeholders who are actively engaged in the school and collectively shape its direction and ethos. 

Citizenship 

We promote global citizenship and the expectation of our students is to reflect upon their own world and the world around them and to develop the skills required to make positive changes worldwide. We encourage students to embrace the diversity present at Khartoum American School and to celebrate the fact that it makes us a richer school community.

The School & Curriculum

Khartoum American School (KAS) was founded in 1957 under the auspices of the US Department of State in order to provide education for the children of US diplomats serving in Khartoum. KAS has continued in its mission to offer a US-style education to expatriates and Sudanese youth alike.  Today, the school serves over 230 students from over 30 different countries.  Some of these students come from the diplomatic community; others come from the many developmental and non-governmental organizations currently operating in Sudan, while others come from the growing business sector, mostly petroleum and telecommunications.  

With such a highly diverse ethnic and national profile, KAS serves a vast number of English-Second-Language learners.  Over the past decade, the ESL department has grown to accommodate this growing number of students.  

The entire faculty has been actively engaged in a thorough review of the school’s curriculum.  Using the Understanding by Design (UbD) model for curriculum planning as well as the AERO standards, committees have systematically worked through the core curriculum to ensure that it reflects good and current research as well as the best practices of international schools.  A part-time Curriculum Coordinator directs these efforts.  

The Early Childhood division (Nursery-PreK) carefully reflects a strong developmental emphasis.  The Elementary division (K-5) employs multi-age grouping to best serve the various learning styles and levels of its students.  The Middle School division (6-8) is based on a strong philosophy that understands and recognizes the unique needs of early adolescents in the learning process.  

The High School curriculum has been standardized around a traditional US model and Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in English Literature, World History, Physics, Chemistry, and Calculus.  KAS graduates have been accepted into excellent colleges and universities in the USA, Canada, and the UK as well as in the Middle East and Asia. 

The school made the significant move in 2012 to a one-to-one laptop program for Grades 3-12, and the use of technology in the class rooms obviously plays an important role throughout the school.

Over the years, KAS has acquired the reputation as a community oriented school that fosters shared responsibility for learning, and the school has continued to maintain that profile even as enrollment has grown to record levels in the past two years. 

Governance and Administration

By constitution and throughout its history, KAS has encouraged active parental involvement in the work of the school.  The KAS board is comprised of eight parents and one US Embassy representative.  These parents are elected for 2-year terms at the Annual General Meeting of the parents each spring.  Parent volunteers serve on board committees as well, namely the Policy Committee and the Facilities Committee.  Additionally, parents are involved on planning committees for various functions and events such as the annual International Potluck Dinner, the Sudan Days celebrations, graduation, etc. 

The Board in turn hires the Superintendent to lead and managethe school.  There is a School Principal whose duties include the overseeing of scheduling, student discipline and the faculty assessment process.  The school also has a School Counselor, a part-time Curriculum Coordinator, and an IT Coordinator.  

The school receives generous support from the Office of Overseas Schools of the US Department of State. The most recent support was in the form of a generous grant for security upgrades. 

Faculty

The faculty is currently comprised of 34 teachers, 11 classroom assistants, 6 administration and many support and service personnel.  Most of the teachers are recruited from the USA and Canada as well as from the UK, South Africa, Italy, Japan, Namibia, Philippines, Egypt, and Sudan.  

Professional development opportunities for the faculty focus on helping faculty achieve professional goals while furthering specific school initiatives. Faculty have been supported to attend seminars and training opportunities; outside experts have been funded to present workshops and training sessions on campus; summer courses or graduate level courses have also received support. 

Campus and Facilities 

The school’s campus is on the south side of Khartoum.  The school’s thirteen-building campus is built to US standards.  There are 33 classrooms, a science lab, and art, music, and computer rooms. 

Since 2011, the school has undertaken major renovation and building programs.  As a result, all classrooms have been air-conditioned, an aquatic complex including a 25m swimming pool has been added, and the basketball area has now been covered. Additionally a new classroom block was built to accommodate unprecedented growth.  The library has been greatly enlarged and resourced.  The IT infrastructure of the school has been totally renovated and the school has dedicated, high-speed internet connections with Wi-Fi throughout the campus.  A new, state of the art iMac lab with 25 computers was created in 2007 during the IT overhaul.  An additional 17 computers are available in the library.    A workers’ kitchen provides free meals for the school’s workers and security personnel.  There is a small playing field as well as a regulation-sized soccer pitch. All around the campus, there are many grassy, tree-shaded areas with tables and benches, which families have been known to frequent on weekends and evenings.  

Accreditation and Affiliations 

KAS has been accredited for many years by the Middle States Association.  In 2008, the school completed the process for joint accreditation with MSA and the Council of International Schools (CIS) and has completed its mid-point review in 2015. KAS is also a member of the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA).  

The Position

KAS is looking for an experienced educator with strong leadership and managerial skills.  Experience leading an international school would be a significant advantage for the successful candidate. 

The Superintendent will be charged with: 

• Articulating the vision of the school
• Managing the day-to-day work of the school
• Implementing board policy and procedures
• Recruiting, hiring, and evaluating faculty
• Ensuring that the academic and extra-curricular program of the school reflects the best practices of international education
• Working with the board to oversee the budget
• Maintaining good communication between and among the various constituencies of the school
• Willingness to represent and promote the school throughout Sudan 

Qualifications 

• An advanced degree with emphasis in education and leadership
• Previous experience of school leadership in an international setting
• Training and experience with American curricular models
• Dynamic, creative thinking with the ability to make decisions that reflect the best interests of all concerned parties
• Ability to solve problems with determination, creativity and in good-humor
• Good team-building skills and a person who can inspire confidence and trust
• Excellent communication skills as a speaker and writer

Terms of contract

The initial contract would be for three years.  Salary will be competitive.  Additional benefits include furnished housing, excellent international medical insurance, retirement allowance, use of car, annual home leave, professional development allowance, tuition for school-aged children, and shipping.

Application procedure 

Interested candidates should send an application at the earliest possible time but no later than May 15, 2016. 

Applications will be accepted in electronic form only.  Qualified candidates are asked to send all application materials in a single .pdf file, of 4 MB or less, to bmcnamer@searchassociates.com, with a cc to jdoxey@searchassociates.com.

Applications should include the following:

• Cover letter
• Resume, generally not more than two pages
• Statement of educational leadership philosophy
• Names and positions of at least three references, with current and accurate email addresses
• Up to three (3) open letters of references may also be submitted  

Candidates should note that, in the event an outstanding applicant is identified early in the search process, KAS reserves the right to bring the search to an early close. For this reason it is veryimportant that interested candidates apply at the earliest possible time. 

Please refer to the school’s website: www.krtams.org for further information and pictures.