Managers of Teacher Leadership Development (MTLD) are at the heart of Teach For America's work. As an MTLD, you will manage, coach, and develop our corps members to fundamentally transform the lives of students and become lifelong advocates for educational equity. You will help corps members’ students achieve major academic and personal growth, and build leadership in your corps members both in their classrooms as well as in the long-term movement. You will also be deeply involved in communities and schools, engaging with school leaders, students and families.
To reach this vision, you will work directly with a cohort of teachers in Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts. You will regularly collaborate and problem solve with your colleagues, playing an important role in achieving critical organizational goals in multiple functional areas (for instance, selecting new corps members, recruiting alumni to join staff, or helping out at regional events). As a staff member based in Western Mass., you will work together to develop and maintain a strong culture among corps members in the area. You will report to the Team Lead, Teacher Leadership Development.
Build Corps Member Leadership
- Build authentic relationships through multiple touch points with a diverse group of teachers; including meetings and communication on evenings and weekends
- Support and foster corps members’ leadership development by helping them stay centered on their classroom visions and learn critical leadership skills
- Ensure corps members build perspective and situate their daily work in the bigger picture
- Help corps members understand the community in which they teach and provide strategies for corps members to build meaningful relationships with multiple stakeholders within the community
Coach and Empower Corps Members
- Help corps members deepen their understanding of educational inequity and their role in addressing it, so that they become lifelong advocates for social justice
- Help corps members diagnose top needs based on student progress and gaps in their learning
- Observe corps member instruction in live action (could require independent travel to school sites)
- Provide detailed coaching to corps members on instructional techniques, classroom management, and curriculum, while also helping them connect their values and beliefs to their work
- Facilitate small group sessions and design learning experiences that offer best practices and create communities of collaboration among corps members, including occasional meetings on evenings and weekends
Lead Across the Movement
- Deepen your understanding of educational inequity and your role in addressing it, so that you become a lifelong advocate for social justice, and help corps members do the same.
- Serve as active and engaged members of communities
- Deepen understanding of your own identity and strive to take actions aligned with our vision of inclusivity and equity
- Operate with a deep commitment to our core values, including fostering a diverse movement by partnering with people in the communities that may offer differing perspectives such as parents, teachers, and school leaders
- Own and support broader regional and organizational priorities, including selecting new corps members, encouraging alumni and corps members to join our staff, and supporting regional alumni initiatives
Regional Team Responsibilities
- Support, attend, and/or participate in regional team activities, including regular staff meetings and retreats, and regional pre-service (one week in June).
- Participate in team-wide initiatives and campaigns, such as interviewing and matriculating corps member prospects and outreach to our local alumni
- Minimum of three years of experience achieving ambitious outcomes as a classroom teacher in a low-income community. Secondary experience, math, ESL and special education experience are a nice to have, but not required
- Deep knowledge of effective teaching practices
Work Demands
- Expectation is that this staff member is living in Western Massachusetts (Springfield, Holyoke, or immediate surrounding areas)
- Role is scoped for 55-60 hours/week
- Occasional weekends and evenings required for corps member events
- Independent travel to multiple school sites throughout the day that may be significant distances from one another
- Valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license before the first day of employment, with no major driving violations in the last three years
- Occasional conference travel 1-2 times per year
- Regular travel to our Boston or South Coast offices for team meetings and events
Skills
- Deep commitment to Teach For America's mission and core values
- Focus to constantly keep "eye on the prize" and remember the end goals- even when the going gets tough
- Build deep relationships and communicates effectively with others across lines of difference
- Make smart choices about what to prioritize and what matters most, especially when things get busy
- Reflect and proactively work to grow and improve
- Connect and build relationships with key influencers in the community
- Ability to engage in difficult conversations
- Engage in personal development around diversity, equity and inclusiveness