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 Washington corps members’ students achieve tremendous academic and personal growth, building their leadership in their classroom, their schools, and the long-term movement. You will be expected to take the initiative required to better understand and get involved in their communities, engaging with school leaders, families, and partner organizations and institutions as befits the unique needs of your corps members and their students.
To reach this vision, you will work directly with a cohort of teachers in the Greater Puget Sound. You will regularly collaborate and problem solve with your colleagues on the teacher leadership development team as well as your cross-functional teammates on the development (fundraising), alumni engagement, and internal affairs teams. In addition to your unique charge of coaching and supporting Greater Puget Sound corps members, a central part of your role in achieving critical organization-wide goals will require varying degrees of participation in a range of regional activities, including but not limited to:
- Co-leading TFA WA teacher leadership and community building efforts in rural sub-region, located in the Yakima Valley
- Recruiting, selecting, and confirming new corps members
- Recruiting alumni to join staff
- Supporting regional development and alumni engagement events
- Engaging in a suite of staff engagements (such as regional diversity, equity, and inclusiveness development experiences; staff retreats, etc.)
Coach and Empower Corps Members (70%)
- Help corps members deepen their understanding of educational inequity and their role in addressing it as articulated by Teach For America’s Theory of Leadership Development, so that they become lifelong advocates for children
- Help corps members diagnose top needs based on multiple indicators of student progress (including academic outcomes and broader student outcomes) and gaps in their learning
- Observe corps member instruction, be it in live action and/or virtually (will require independent travel to school sites)
- Provide detailed coaching to corps members depending on their unique school context and individual abilities/needs, all couched in the framework of Teach For America’s Theory of Leadership Development (e.g. all coaching must be rooted first and foremost in our organization’s unique philosophy on leadership development, but depending on the corps member, greater emphasis may be placed on ensuring they have access to specific information regarding instructional techniques, classroom management, and curriculum; all coaching must be done with the aim of helping them connect their values and beliefs to the broader systems change work we envision for our alumni)
- Facilitate small group sessions, community connections (including the facilitation of school-based and university partner relationships if necessary), and design learning experiences that offer best practices and create communities of collaboration among corps members, including occasional meetings on evenings and weekends
- 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
Lead Across the Movement (30%)
- Engage as a regional team member to support the various cross-functional and organization-wide projects and programs which enable Teach For America to thrive on a daily basis, including but not limited to the following actions:
- Support, attend, and/or participate in all regional team activities, including regular staff meetings and retreats, and 100% of both regional Induction (one full week in June) and Orientation (one full week in August)
- Participate in team-wide initiatives and campaigns, such as interviewing and matriculating corps member prospects and outreach to our local alumni
- 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
- 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
- Minimum of three years of experience achieving ambitious outcomes as a classroom teacher in a low-income community
- Deep knowledge of effective teaching practices
- Deep commitment to Teach For America's mission and core values
- Focus to constantly keep "eye on the prize" and drive toward the end goals despite obstacles
- Build deep relationships and communicate 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 and committed to proactively providing feedback to corps members and teammates
- Engage in personal development around diversity, equity and inclusiveness
Work Demands
- Expectation is that this staff member is living in the Greater Puget Sound area
- Occasional weekends, evenings, and overnight trips required for corps member and/or team events (likely quarterly, but may vary)
- 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 past three years
- Occasional conference travel 1-2 times per year
- Regular travel to our Seattle office for team meetings and events