Chief Academic Officer; CAO; SY

Overview

CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER - Lighthouse Community Public Schools (LCPS). LCPS operates two high-achieving K-12 public charter schools—Lighthouse and Lodestar—serving nearly 1,500 students in East Oakland. LCPS is guided by the EL Education Model and core values of community, integrity, agency, love, and social justice. The organization seeks to disrupt inequities by providing exceptional educational opportunities for students and families and aims to prepare diverse students for college, a career of their choice, and lifelong change making.

LCPS is seeking a Chief Academic Officer (CAO) to lead a rigorous, equity-centered TK–12 academic program while engaging effectively in the East Oakland community and operating within California’s charter and accountability landscape. The CAO reports to the CEO and oversees principals, special education and mental health services, college and career programming, and central academic teams, impacting approximately 200 staff across the organization.

• Academic Strategy, Systems Alignment, and Instructional Excellence
  • Lead the design, execution, and continuous refinement of a coherent, equity-centered TK–12 academic program that reflects LCPS’s mission, values, and East Oakland community context.
  • Establish and communicate clear academic priorities that drive student achievement, engagement, and long-term success, with particular attention to historically underserved student groups.
  • Oversee and align curriculum, instruction, assessment, literacy, English language development, and intervention systems across all schools to ensure consistency, quality, and impact.
  • Ensure strong alignment between network-level academic strategy and school-based implementation through clear expectations, coaching, and performance monitoring.
• Community Partnership, Political Navigation, and External Engagement
  • Operate effectively within East Oakland’s complex social, cultural, and political environment, including violence-impacted neighborhoods and labor-centered community dynamics.
  • Build, sustain, and repair trust-based relationships with families, students, community leaders, partner organizations, and local stakeholders.
  • Engage in sustained, trust-based dialogue with community partners to center their voices in shaping and advancing shared, community-driven priorities.
  • Navigate a political climate with credibility, diplomacy, and strategic judgment, particularly during high-stakes charter renewals and accountability processes.
  • Serve as a visible, trusted representative of LCPS in community, district, board, and public accountability settings.
• Student Support, Special Education, and Whole-Child Systems Leadership
  • Provide strategic leadership for a comprehensive special education program serving nearly 20% of students, including moderate-to-severe populations.
  • Oversee special education, behavioral health, and mental health services to ensure high-quality, compliant, and inclusive support for students and families.
  • Champion access, inclusion, and dignity for students with the greatest needs, reinforcing LCPS’s commitment to serving all students without exclusionary practices.
  • Ensure strong collaboration between academic teams and student support services to promote holistic student success.
• College, Career, and Postsecondary Readiness & Pathways
  • Lead and continuously strengthen college, career, and postsecondary readiness systems across middle and high school grades.
  • Oversee CTE pathways, dual enrollment, and postsecondary partnerships to ensure alignment between academic preparation and real-world opportunities.
  • Ensure students graduate with clear, supported pathways to college, career, and technical options aligned to their aspirations.
• Leadership Development, Talent Strategy, and Performance Management
  • Supervise, coach, and evaluate principals and senior academic leaders, building instructional leadership capacity across all school sites.
  • Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and shared accountability among academic leaders and teams.
  • Develop and sustain leadership pipelines while maintaining high expectations for performance, growth, and results.
• Gov…