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Touchstone Head of School
Start Date: July 21, 2025
Location: Touchstone Community School, Grafton, MA
About Touchstone Community School
Touchstone Community School is an independent, progressive school serving approximately 75 students in grades Pre-K through 8th grade. Our mission at Touchstone is to cultivate a joyful learning community committed to creating a more innovative, just, and sustainable world. Our incredible community of families and faculty are truly committed to each child’s growth as critical thinkers, problem solvers, and stewards of the earth.
At Touchstone, children are active and valued members of our community. Our school offers a child-centered and purposeful progressive education where children are engaged, thoughtful, and curious learners. Rooted in the ideals of John Dewey, Touchstone’s approach encourages students to ask meaningful questions, challenge assumptions, and view the world from multiple perspectives. To foster transformative intellectual, social, and emotional growth in our community, our faculty and staff are reflective, lifelong learners who are passionate about play-based, place-based, and project-based learning. They foster a flexible, student-driven curriculum that values hands-on, authentic experiences and deeply respects young learners. Located in Grafton, MA, with a five-acre island in Upton, Touchstone provides an inclusive environment where students feel known, supported, and empowered to take risks and make mistakes as part of their growth. Education extends beyond the classroom, promoting creativity, ecoliteracy, acceptance of all people, collaboration, and compassion.
As an AISNE-accredited school, learning at Touchstone is not confined to traditional academic metrics. Students take pride in their work through projects, essays, portfolios, and creative expressions that reflect their personal growth and understanding. Touchstone fosters a community where children’s learning is celebrated in meaningful and individualized ways. The school emphasizes play, community, integrated curriculum, nature-based education, and social justice activism, all while respecting children’s natural pace of development. Through a profound partnership with parents and a commitment to emergent anti-bias and anti-racist curriculum, students develop a deep sense of responsibility not only to their own learning but also to the entire Touchstone community, the environment, and the world around us.
Touchstone’s Pillars of Progressive Education
At Touchstone Community School, progressive education is guided by key pillars that shape students’ learning experiences. Relationships are built through authentic discussions where students express their opinions while considering others’ perspectives. Collaboration encourages students to make meaningful choices, fostering both independence and the ability to support each other’s growth. Critical thinking is developed through purposeful, curiosity-driven experiences, helping students become confident risk-takers. In our approach, students are both teachers and learners, asking questions, exploring answers, and sharing knowledge. With a focus on Interdependence with Nature, students spend significant time outdoors, fostering environmental stewardship. Finally, in a culture of Be You and Be Known, every individual, regardless of age, is valued, and has a voice in the community.
The SEEDS Strategic Plan
The SEEDS Plan
represents Touchstone Community School’s commitment to forward-thinking, progressive education. Developed with the future in mind, this strategic plan reflects the school’s dedication to evolving alongside a rapidly changing world while staying true to its core mission and values. The SEEDS Plan focuses on five key strategic goals: student success; ecoliteracy; enrollment and engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and improving physical and personnel infrastructure. Each of these goals is supported by specific action steps designed to enhance the school’s ability to engage, empower, and inspire its students in innovative ways. By prioritizing adaptability, the plan ensures that Touchstone continues to offer a learning environment that not only prepares students for the future but also cultivates a lifelong passion for learning.
Position Summary
Upon the retirement of our Head of School, we seek a new Head who shares a commitment to our Pillars of Progressive Education
and who has experience overseeing operations including enrollment, finances, fundraising, and administration in a small- to medium-sized school. Our next Head of School will have the flexibility to thrive in the everyday and will also be a visionary leader who can help us continue to steward the specific strategic goals outlined in our SEEDS Plan
(student success; ecoliteracy; enrollment and engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and improving physical and personnel infrastructure).
A day in the life of Touchstone’s Head of School could include:
- Stepping into a classroom
- Strategizing with a student about a challenge
- Accompanying a class to our island campus
- Meeting with current and prospective families
- Assisting students feeding the chickens and goats
- Asking an alum for a donation
- Curriculum planning with our Director(s) of Education
- Attending an evening board meeting for a local nonprofit
- A passion for education, comfort in the classroom, excellent communication skills, an ability to collaborate, and a demonstrated track record of success in fundraising are necessary to be successful in this position.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising & Development
- Develop and lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy, including annual fund campaigns, major gifts, grant writing, and capital campaigns.
- Foster a culture of philanthropy, and cultivate and steward relationships with donors, alumni, foundations, and corporate sponsors to support the school’s financial goals.
- Engage with the Board of Trustees to create and execute long-term financial development and strategic plans that align with the school’s mission and vision and ensure the school’s long-term sustainability.
Operations & Administration
- Oversee the daily operations of the school, ensuring a safe, efficient, and welcoming environment for students, staff, and families.
- Collaborate with the Operations and Finance Manager to manage facilities, including maintenance, security, and future capital improvement projects.
- Ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations, including health, safety, and employment standards.
- Hire and retain highly competent faculty and staff and develop pathways for their continued professional growth.
Admissions & Marketing
- Develop and implement an admissions strategy in coordination with admissions support staff.
- Collaborate with the Marketing Committee to drive admissions, retention, and community engagement.
Financial Leadership
- Use financial acumen to steward the school’s resources in support of the continuing development of its program, the improvement of its facilities, and its long-term financial stability.
- Manage the school’s budget and financial operations, including tuition setting, financial aid allocation, financial reporting, and the school’s endowment.
- Work closely with the school’s Operations and Finance Manager to ensure sound financial practices, forecasting, and accountability.
- Implement strategies to grow enrollment while maintaining the school’s commitment to small class sizes and individualized attention.
Leadership & Community Engagement
- Foster a culture of open communication and collaboration among staff, faculty, parents, and the wider community.
- Serve as the public face of the school, effectively communicating its mission, values, and educational philosophy.
- Work with the Board of Trustees on governance matters, providing transparency and strategic direction.
- Build a diverse and inclusive school community that reflects the values of progressive education and environmental stewardship.
- Foster connections within the greater community.
Educational Leadership
- Support and uphold the principles of progressive education, ensuring that the school’s academic program aligns with its mission, and partner with the faculty to maintain a robust and innovative curriculum that encourages student-centered learning, ecoliteracy, and individual growth.
- Act as a thought leader in progressive education, staying informed of trends and best practices in the field to guide the school’s academic direction.
- Be committed to anti-bias, anti-racist, and anti-homophobic education, and have familiarity with restorative practices and Collaborative Problem Solving.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Leadership experience in an educational or nonprofit setting.
- Bachelor’s Degree required, Master’s degree or relevant experience preferred.
- Experience in fundraising, development, and financial management, particularly in a non-profit or independent school setting.
- Demonstrated commitment to: growing enrollment and increasing retention; progressive education, with a deep understanding of child-centered, experiential learning; anti-bias, anti-racist, and anti-homophobic education.
An Exemplary Touchstone Candidate is someone who has:
- Demonstrated success in leadership at a small to medium-sized school, or a similar educational organization.
- Experience working with a Board of Trustees and understanding the governance model of independent schools.
- Knowledge of and commitment to ecoliteracy and sustainability education, with a passion for environmental stewardship.
- Exceptional hands-on leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, is an active listener, and has the ability to inspire and engage all members of the school community.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $82,000.00 to $92,000.00 based on experience.
Touchstone Community School offers a benefit package, including medical insurance plan, health savings account options, a percentage of salary contributed to TIAA CREF, and paid time off.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and statement of educational philosophy to careers@touchstoneschool.com. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Candidates must have the ability to work in a school environment by successfully completing all legally required background checks, including CORI, SORI, and a fingerprint-based criminal background check.
EEO Statement
Touchstone Community School is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Touchstone welcomes candidates who will add to the diversity of our community and who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their teaching and learning.
Touchstone Community School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, family composition, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its employment.
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