Director of Content and Coaching-ELA (Charleston)

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) 4% Match
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Director of Content & Coaching, ELA Charleston

ORGANIZATION

Leading Educators (LE) is a national nonprofit committed to ensuring that all students have access to excellent and equitable teaching every day. Educational equity starts with creating consistently excellent learning experiences from classroom to classroom so every student has the opportunity to reach college and career readiness. Alongside school system leaders, we create the conditions and structures for teachers to continuously and collaboratively build skill and knowledge in mathematics and ELA/literacy through the implementation of shifts- and standards-aligned curriculum. We reinforce system-wide progress with highly customized, direct support to teacher, school, and district leaders, focusing on building rigorous content knowledge as well as deep knowledge in learning systems, equity, and learning culture. When we lead educators, and empower them to lead other educators, we create exponential impact across entire school systems, ensuring every student in every classroom has what they need to thrive. Please visit leadingeducators.org to learn more.

POSITION

Leading Educators works to support teachers and school leaders in building equitable schools through effective distributive leadership. In our Charleston project, we serve a cohort of schools in Charleston County School District (CCSD), Charleston, South Carolina to support teacher leaders in facilitating content-specific professional learning communities (PLCs) with teachers at their schools. Teachers engage in iterative cycles of professional learning, in which they learn individually and collaboratively, apply new learning in the classroom, collaboratively plan and practice for instruction, and analyze student work to determine impact. As we expand our programming to High School English Language Arts, we are seeking a Director of Content and Coaching - High School ELA to support this work.

The Director of Content and Coaching- HS ELA (DOCC - HS ELA) will serve as our team’s expert on secondary ELA/literacy instruction and impactful implementation of Grades 9-12 ELA curriculum. The DOCC - HS ELA will help ensure that our programming makes a measurable impact on teacher practice and student learning. The DOCC - HS ELA will serve as a leader in instructional coaching, modeling through the coaching of district coaches, teacher leaders and school-based instructional coaches. The DOCC - HS ELA will also design and facilitate professional learning to support secondary English Language Arts teaching and learning.

Finally, as part of the Leading Educators Charleston team, the DOCC - HS ELA will work closely with school and district leaders around systems conditions, curriculum implementation, data analysis, problems of practice and long term planning to ensure that we build local capacity to sustain the project outcomes by the end of the contract term.

This position reports to a Senior Director of Networks and will work in close collaboration with other members of the Charleston team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Instructional Coaching

• Provide coaching and support to ELA instructional leaders, including teacher leaders. Coaching includes monthly sessions focused on deepening ELA content knowledge, internalizing standards and curricula, co-planning professional/literacy learning sessions, modeling effective facilitation, observing and providing feedback, co-analyzing teacher artifacts, and/or co-observing ELA classrooms
• Develop school-based ELA instructional leaders in:
• ELA content and pedagogical knowledge, including understanding the South Carolina College- and Career- Ready Standards
• Internalizing and implementing the curriculum (e.g., Odell Education)
• Leadership actions to support College and Career Ready Standards-aligned professional learning
• School conditions necessary for strong teacher development.
• Build trusting relationships with school leaders and other leaders in schools

Design and Customization

• Design curriculum-aligned cycles of professional learning for ELA leaders (e.g., instructional coaches, teacher leader) to implement with their teams
• Customize content to district context, curricular resources, and current research
• Design in-person and virtual professional learning sessions for teachers, teacher leaders, instructional coaches, school leaders and/or internal teammates focused on:
• Developing high school ELA/literacy content knowledge
• Understanding and implementing a variety of standards-aligned curricula, including the Odell HSLP (9-12) curriculum
• Facilitating cycles of professional learning
• Setting clear, standards-aligned goals for cycles of professional learning, including goals for teachers’ planning/practice and students’ learning
• Collecting and analyzing evidence of student learning, teacher planning and practice, and teacher leader skill development to determine the impact of learning
• ELA instructional coaching
• Model excellent facilitation to build the capacity of others to facilitate effective adult learning
• Capacity Building and Client Management
• Build trusting relationships with district stakeholders including district leaders, school leaders, instructional coaches, and teachers. Contribute to coherence in learning across these stakeholder groups.
• Work in close collaboration with school leaders and district leaders to learn about district strategy, priorities, curricula, and assessments. Engage in dialogue with school staff to understand their context and identify assets to build from within the system.
• Design and lead structures, such as co-observations, session planning and event debriefs, with district-leaders to deepen their capacity for content-specific professional learning.
• Lead a system of school supports to ensure that program participants across multiple levels of leadership (teacher leaders, principals, district staff) learn and apply high-leverage instructional and cultural leadership practices.
• Collaborate with colleagues in planning and facilitating data reviews with school partners to engage in analysis, reflection, and planning around goals.

Data and Evaluation

• Develop, analyze, and use programming-aligned assessments to measure the impact of professional learning and coaching and inform future programming.
• Design and lead school learning walks 3-4 times/year to build school leader capacity and measure impact of professional learning.
• Design and lead data review sessions to monitor interim progress aligned to annual and quarterly goals.

Learning and Development

• Participate in internal learning communities to capture and leverage bright spots in core innovation and discoveries from problems of practice
• Engage in self-directed learning and research to meet project needs and share learning across team.

Embodying Leading Educators’ Values

• Demonstrate a deep commitment to equity and an openness to exploring your own identity, biases and beliefs. Engage in ongoing learning conversations about equity and anti-racism.
• Model and foster the Leading Educators values of Disrupt Racial Inequity, Build on Strengths, Prioritize People, Continuously Learn and ensure design work embodies Leading Educators’ mission and values.
• Commit to deepening one’s own content knowledge and skills by regularly seeking and applying feedback.

REQUIREMENTS TO BE HIRED FOR THE ROLE:

• Candidates must be able to travel, unless an accommodation has been approved. For this role, monthly travel to Charleston (approximately 1-2 times per month; 2-4 nights per trip) and 20% national travel for org retreats, programming or professional development required
• Candidates must:
• Demonstrate commitment to educational equity and anti-racism
• Have at least 4 years of 9-12 ELA classroom teaching experience, at least 1 year leading others, and at least 2 years of experience coaching teachers towards stronger instructional practice
• Have significant knowledge and experience with High School College- and Career-Ready ELA Standards and standards-based instruction
• Have experience with or knowledge of a variety of high school curricula, including Odell HSLP
• Have significant knowledge and experience with supporting secondary schools and teachers in internalizing and implementing curriculum
• Have knowledge of and successful application of content-specific adult learning design and facilitation best practices that result in desired outcomes
• Have the ability to build trusting relationships across a range of internal and external stakeholders
• Have the ability to thrive in a goal-oriented, collaborative, and entrepreneurial environment, including the ability to be flexible in project execution, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to gain clarity in the midst of some unknowns

LOCATION

When not traveling (monthly travel to Charleston (approximately 1-2 times per month; 2-4 nights per trip) and 20% national travel for org retreats, programming or professional development required) the Director of Content and Coaching - High School ELA will work from a home office that can be located anywhere in the United States.

COMPENSATION

If hired for this position, the compensation range for this position starts at $77,942 has a midpoint of $97,428 and a maximum of $116,914 annually. Compensation is competitive, commensurate with experience and in alignment with internal equity. Candidates, either newly hired or new to the role, can typically expect a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. In addition, Leading Educators offers a very generous benefits package including 100% paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for individual employees. Additional premium costs are covered 60% by Leading Educators for partners and dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans. We also offer a 4% matching 401k plan, Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare and commuter expenses, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits are valued at or above $9,000 for employees.

Additionally, Leading Educators offers generous time off with pay in order to support a sustainable high performance work culture. During the first three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year. Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment. Leading Educators also offers 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT

Leading Educators strongly values equity and challenges historical inequity with a persistent focus on dismantling systemic racism. We work towards a more just society and as such we are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.

APPLY

Please apply by using the online application at https://leadingeducators.org/careers/opportunities/