Teach For America Greater Delta- Mississippi & Arkansas, seeks a Director, STEAM: Math and Technology to develop and execute critical instructional and content programming for Teach For America corps members. In the D, STEAM: MT, you will establish a vision and strategic plan to ensure that equity, inquiry, and culturally relevant pedagogy are at the heart of the region’s math and technology education support. You will cultivate and grow the sense of math and technology community in the Greater Delta amongst corps members.
Ideal candidates will have deep content expertise in mathematics and technology, including a deep understanding of State Standards (in both AR and MS); a strong grasp of adult learning theory and the ability to create effective in-person and virtual learning experiences to develop math and technology teachers. The Director, STEAM: Math and Technology will work closely with other team members designing and executing leadership and content programming for corps members and reports to the Managing Director, Impact Integration.
Content Development Programming (50%)
- Oversee the strategic planning and execution of math and technology content and instructional development for a cohort of corps members teaching your content area.
- Create targeted workshops and learning opportunities for corps members centered around most common instructional gaps (these will be executed through monthly events and aligned to designed quarterly learning outcomes)
- Partner with internal colleagues and external organizations to support content and instructional development of corps members
- Build our relationship with university certifying partners; and, over time, work with them to manage content and instructional support for corps members
- Use professional development and classroom observations to build the capacities of our teacher-leaders to create effective learning environments as they facilitate strong content lessons plans rooted in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and infused with effective literacy practices
- Serve as liaison to Director, Leadership and Leaning regarding content specific strategy for professional development and skill development of teacher leaders in content
Coach, Empower and Build Corps Member Leadership (40%)
- Build authentic relationships through multiple touch points with a diverse group of teacher-leaders; 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
- Support corps members to understand the community in which they teach and provide strategies for corps members to build meaningful relationships with multiple stakeholders within the community
- Help corps members diagnose top needs based on student progress and gaps in their learning
- Observe corps member instruction in live action independently and with coaches (requires independent travel to school sites)
- Provide detailed coaching to corps members on instructional techniques, learning environment, 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
- Form partnerships with all coaches to co-facilitate the development of our network
Region-wide and Organization-wide Responsibilities (10%)
Teach For America thrives on cross-functional partnerships throughout our organization. Our staff members are skilled in working across layers, understanding and managing through the reality of competing commitments, navigating these situations with grace, and being culture leaders within our regional team. We do this by upholding an orientation towards flexibility and generosity while also remaining deeply committed to a sense of possibility and achievement. While some days we work independently to achieve milestones, realizing our goals requires regular collaboration at all levels. Everyone shows their support for region-and-organization-wide initiatives by actively engaging in the following:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness professional development
- Corps member induction
- Corps member professional development days
- Corps member hiring events
- Corps member acceptance confirmation
- Regional staff recruitment and talent cultivation
- Cross-functional special projects
- Corps member selection interviews
- All staff leadership development and team building
- Regional social events with staff, corps members, and alumni
Though the D, STEAM: MT is likely to see him/herself in the following examples these are not requirements. Rather, these examples are designed to help you determine if this opportunity aligns with your passion and purpose.
- You approach your work through an equity lens. You fundamentally believe that race, class, and privilege are at the core of inequity in our society and schools. You work to understand the way that your own identity impacts your thoughts, actions, and ultimately your leadership, and you are excited to support educators in understanding this as well.
- You are excited to collaborate. You know great design doesn’t happen in a vacuum -- it’s the result of many perspectives and lots of input. You believe teacher leaders should be at the center of experiences designed for them, and that their feedback and input is vital to your success as a designer and facilitator. You love connecting with other people, value their perspective, and want them to believe that time with you is time well-spent.
- You are obsessed with data and impact. You see data collection and analysis as an essential component of equity work. You consistently collect both quantitative and qualitative data, draw connections between the two, and use these data points to take your work and the work of teachers to new heights.
- You are infinitely curious and math and technology. You learn and continuously improve your methods for building strong learning experiences for adults. You are driven to become exemplary in your capacity to coach educators and to facilitate group professional development experiences. You pursue world-class results because of your deep commitment to the movement for educational equity – especially in these two states where generations have been waiting.
- You create exceptional culture. Teams and communities are better because you are a part of them. In the face of challenge, you choose joy and data informed action. As a result of your work and influence, groups of individuals become teams united in pursuit of a common vision.
- You are self-driven. You don’t wait. You get clear on audacious goals and you pursue them proactively and with vigor.
- You have a bias towards collective impact. You are deeply compelled by the potential for impact of the collective. You creatively and steadfastly pursue strategies that aim to deepen a trusting and connected culture among large groups of people, and orient them towards leveraging their collective power to drive change. You deeply believe in the power of team, and thrive off of working in close partnership with your peers to strengthen your work and impact.
- You achieve quick wins while always keeping the long game in mind. You are energized by doing the tough work today while also keeping your eye on the ball ten years from now because when you do, you ask bigger, more important questions and deliver better, short-term success.
- You operate with a learning orientation. You are an exemplar of lifelong learning and are a reflective practitioner who is committed to your own growth and development in service to increasing your capacity to accelerate the attainment of the mission and lead.
- You establish deep relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. You understand the importance of maintaining proximity with people within and beyond the organization in service to the mission and operate in a manner that conveys your belief in people and our Core Values and DEI Aspirations
Prior Experience
- 5-7+ years of work experience
- Experience as a STEAM classroom teacher (required)
- Experience as a coach for classroom educators, ideally as a Manager, Teacher Leadership Development preferred
- Experience with developing and executing content and leadership programming
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusiveness
- Knowledge of the Greater Delta- Mississippi & Arkansas education landscape preferred
- Knowledge and understanding of the causes of educational equity
Skills
- Ability to set and evolve programming vision and direction
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skill
- Ability to tailor approach toward the perspective of others
- Ability to translate data into actionable solutions
- Exceptional strategic and critical thinking skills
- Ability to build strong relationships with others in challenging situations
Work Demands
- Will need to be available for work activities 1-2 evenings a week and 1-2 weekends per month
- Will need to travel independently throughout Greater Delta for meetings and school visits