The Teach For America – Chicago-Northwest Indiana Regional Team seeks a Teacher Impact Coach to play a critical role at the heart of Teach For America's work. Teacher Impact Coaches manage and develop our first year corps members (1CMs) to deliver on the type of impact that positions our students of today to be the leaders of tomorrow, and equip corps members to become lifelong advocates for educational equity. At the end of a successful year of work, Teacher Impact Coaches will have built a strong foundation of instructional excellence, fostered culturally responsive pedagogical dispositions, developed strong iterative reflective practices, and begun to support 1CMs in developing a theory of change. As a result of maximizing the instructional development of their cohort of 1CMs, Teacher Impact Coaches will see students on a path of expanded life opportunities and access due to enduring academic growth and have prepared corps members with the foundations to amplify their collective leadership as 2nd year corps members (2CMs)
To reach this vision, Teacher Impact Coaches will coach and develop a cohort of approximately 25 1CMs, positioning them to learn and lead together. This person will align supports and development to our corps member arc of experience ensuring that corps members meet the expectations of being in the corps. They regularly collaborate and problem solve with team members and school partners to ensure the success of the region’s strategic priorities.
The Manager, Teach Impact Coach will be a part of our Corps Member Leadership team and will report to the Managing Director, First Year Corps Leadership.
We are specifically looking for candidates who have experience teaching Early Childhood, Math, Science or Diverse Learners or coaching ECE, Math, Science or Diverse-Learning teachers.
Coach and Ignite Corps Members to Lead Together (75%)
- Quickly build rapport and credibility to lead a cohort of 25 1CMs through human-centered coaching
- Guide 1CMs through developing their vision and goals with their students
- Ensure 1CMs know what students need to learn in order to reach their and goals, and have the appropriate resources and support to realize those goals
- Help 1CMs diagnose top needs based on student progress and gaps in their learning, and ensure 1CMs pursue the best solutions and follow through with them
- Gather, reflect, and analyze data to form an opinion and make the best decisions for 1CMs and students
- Coach 1CMs as they develop along our corps member arc of experience, including observations, debriefs, and group experiences
- Design and execute small group learning experiences, including book studies and small group development opportunities for members of their cohort (culturally responsive teaching, pedagogy, and content)
- Connect 1CMs to high-impact external opportunities to improve their teaching
- Facilitate experiences for 1CMs to develop their theory of the problem and personal theory of change and the path they will need to take to realize their personal theory of change
- Develop and maintain a culture in your cohort where all 1CMs feel included, valued, and developed, so that they fulfill their commitment and lead as alumni
- Manage 1CMs to outcomes relative to AmeriCorps compliance, university partner compliance, and “Lead Beyond 2”
- Plan, execute and staff our 2019 Summer Training program which is our pre-service training for all new corps members. Teacher Impact Coaches will be expected to:
- Help design programming and sessions under the direction of the MD, Summer Training
- Engage in training through the spring in preparation for leading sessions in the summer
- Over the seven weeks of Summer Training, Teacher Impact Coaches will be based in schools where they will lead sessions and coach corps members towards the instructional foundations they will need for their full time classroom position
Stewarding External Relationships (10%)
- Build and strengthen relationships with school partners to collaborate around 1CM coaching, support and retention
- Partner with our graduate school partner (Relay/CCSJ) to ensure support from Teach For America and graduate school partners is aligned
Team Collaboration and Coordination (5%)
- Prepare for and lead check-ins with your manager around progress toward your goals and your ongoing development
- Prepare for and participate in Program and 1CM meetings
- Collaborate with and support the Program team’s work and development
- Weigh in on the design and execution of our corps member arc of learning
Collective Responsibility Regional Projects (10%)
- Fulfill foundational responsibilities that allow our region to do our work, make decisions, grow as professionals, and strengthen our team culture, including but not limited to attending regional meetings, operating with our Core Values and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness, completing our performance management cycle, and upholding our data management, office operations, and fiscal responsibilities
- Make a direct impact on the organizational mission of enlisting, developing and mobilizing leaders to strengthen the movement for educational equity by participating in (but not limited to) selection of new corps members (6-10 days total plus preparation and close out time), matriculation of new corps member (up to six windows across the year), and the induction of new corps members to our region
- 3-4 years of work experience with a minimum of 3 years of highly effective teaching experience preferred
- Experience coaching other adults in an education setting towards proven results
- Experience increasing teachers’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions around culturally responsive teaching
- Experience teaching ECE, Math, Science or Diverse Learners or coaching ECE, Math, Science or Diverse Learning teachers
- Experience successfully coaching teachers to increase classroom culture over the course of the school year
Functional Expertise: Corps member development and coaching
- Commitment to, knowledge of, and experience developing CM- learning and leadership-development experiences (including classroom content and culture), teacher and student outcome goals/measures of success, and adult coaching practices that create long-term leaders for educational equity through leading classrooms
- Ability and experience using coaching to create strong group culture and positive affiliation for Teach For America
- Knowledge of Culturally Responsive Teaching practices, including creating an inclusive and engaged classroom culture, and demonstrated ability to coach teachers to enact CRT dispositions
Building Relationships and Influencing Others
- Able to develop and cultivate relationships with 1CMs and school partners in order to achieve results toward goals of overall student achievement and student experience (relates to building relationships & agreements with school partners). Proactively connects 1CMs to one another and leverages group coaching experiences to build networks of support across 1CM portfolio.
- Able to articulate, verbally and in writing, rationale for goals to motivate/inspire others in a differentiated manner and drive participation in leadership programming
- Draws on understanding of others to achieve desired outcomes and inspires action through shaping beliefs and behaviors
- Able to navigate conflict and resolve differences in challenging situations
Reasoning and Strategic Thinking
- Ability to gather and analyze data in order to monitor outcomes and to inform or adjust coaching and support strategy
- Applies reasoning skills to assess situation, select appropriate data, and analyze program outcomes
- Ability to prioritize which problems/opportunities to act upon in order to achieve meaningful outcomes
- Ability to make connections between previously unrelated notions and integrate findings into meaningful and actionable strategies or solutions
Operating and Managing
- Ability to maintain up-to-date program data and monitor progress toward collective deadlines
- Ability to execute against stated program timelines and objectives
Work Demands
- Occasional evening and weekend work is required
- Ability to travel throughout the Chicago-Northwest Indiana area to attend in person meetings with CMs and system/school leaders.
- Limited overnight travel required to attend Teach For America conferences (expenses paid for by Teach For America)