The Instructional Leader is responsible for managing a school at the instructional level. Strong Instructional Leaders are able to think quickly, step into support instructional needs in whatever way is needed, including designing sessions, managing trackers, monitoring quality of sessions, and coaching.
The Role
The Instructional Leader is responsible for managing a school at the instructional level. When we think about the learning that happens for corps members and students, it is the Instructional Leader who keeps that progress on track and redirects the route when need be. Strong Instructional Leaders are able to think quickly, step into support instructional needs in whatever way is needed, including designing sessions, managing trackers, monitoring quality of sessions, and coaching.
The Team
More than 400 corps members, 1,600 alumni, and dozens of staff members from TFA national teams call the Bay home, making for a collaborative, supportive environment that encourages the out-of-the-box thinking and innovative spirit the Bay is known for. Our main Bay office is in downtown San Francisco, but our community teams work extensively in the four communities we partner with—San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, and San Jose—and work out of their respective satellite offices. We cannot achieve our long-term vision of unleashing the potential of every teacher without re-examining their entry point to our movement and we can’t achieve these new heights with our students unless they have a very different start to the school year. As the Bay Area regional pre-service team, we believe that by localizing the summer training experience, we have the opportunity to create a cohesive model as part of the broader program redesign and iterate to achieve a future where every incoming corps member is having a fundamentally different start to their career in education. For more information on the summer training experience, please visit https://www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers/summer-staff-opportunities
Mindsets
You are an instructional guru. You have a track record of achieving excellent results for students and success developing and leading effective and outcome-driven professional development in your area of expertise. You feel confident in supporting any possible instructional area regardless of age or subject.
You are obsessive about outcomes and data. You have an incredibly strong past record of results. Your decisions are data-driven, and you stay laser focused on your goals regardless of the day to day chaos you might find yourself in. You have a demonstrated record of success in your work despite obstacles.
You are self-driven and efficient with your time. You have superior organizational and time-management skills, integrity and great follow through on tasks. You demonstrate personal responsibility and take initiative to do what it takes to achieve success.
You are an experienced synthesizer. You can take many different inputs and determine what the root cause is, as a result effectively impacting CM and student results.
Primary Responsibilities
Managing content facilitators and Corps Member Coaches
- Ensure that all teacher-facing staff grow in their facilitation, coaching and leadership through observations, feedback and 1:1 check-ins
Monitor progress to goal at 1-3 schools
- Consistently understand where corps members and students are towards our summer goals
- Ensure that all teachers and staff, including yourself, are tracking progress daily and using data to inform planning and ongoing support
Lead instructional staff meetings
- Lead collaboration and integration of content sessions and corps member coaching
- Ensure all staff are clear on the instructional progress, gaps, and weekly focus
Coach and support our most struggling corps members
- Ensure that each corps member and all students meet the end of summer outcomes and goals
- Provide direct coaching and support to for our most struggling corps members and classrooms to ensure they quickly adjust course
Collaborate closely with other Instructional Leaders
- Ensure that we are on track to hit our regional goals, including by adjusting calendars and designing additional sessions
Requirements
Prior Experience
- Minimum of three years of relevant work experience
- Current or previous experience as an instructional coach required
Skills
- Goal-oriented and results-driven
- Past record of achieving ambitious results in leadership positions
- Experience managing a team of people towards achieving results and providing one-on-one and/or small group training, coaching, and support
- Demonstrated ability to think critically and problem solve in high-stakes, fast-paced environments
Work Demands
- Ability to work evenings and weekends as necessary starting in February for spring training (~3 nights per month)
- Attend the following Pre-Summer Conferences: February 10, March 10, March 31, April 21, May 19, June 2 (only ILs & SDs) and June 9
- Available full-time June 10–July 28 (during the application process you will be prompted to note any conflicts)
Education
- Bachelor’s degree required
Compensation for this position is competitive and depends on prior institute experience. Teach For America provides room and board for all non-local staff members for summer training.
Salary range is based on 3 month summer commitment
To be considered for this role, you must submit an online application and complete the following steps by November 15. Please find the link to the online application below:
http://teachforamerica.force.com/Institute/apex/ts2__jobdetails?jobId=a0...
1. Submit your initial application that includes uploading your resume (maximum length one page). No cover letter or additional uploads are required.
2. The initial application will require you to provide short answers (maximum length 1-2 paragraphs) to 1-4 questions depending on whether you are a new applicant or a previous summer institute staff member.
- New Applicants: Please answer all of the questions provided. If the question addresses returning staff members, please type in “N/A” as the answer.
- Previous Staff: If you are a previous summer institute staff member applying for the same role you held, please only answer the first question addressed to returning staff and type in “N/A” as the answer for the remaining questions. If you are applying for a different role than the one you held last year, please answer all of the questions.
3. Once you have submitted your initial application, you will receive an “Institute Application Started” email. In the “Institute Application Started” email you’ll see a “Reference Request Form” link. Follow that link to request up to three professional contacts to complete a reference survey on your behalf. The survey is intended to give hiring managers an understanding of your full trajectory as a teacher and leader. Therefore, we ideally want to see feedback from professional, managerial contacts (you should not ask friends or family members to serve as a reference) who can speak to your experience in the classroom and school/corps community over time. This is not about the number of references (although hearing from several people can sometimes help understand your full trajectory); this is about getting a full picture.
Upon submitting their contact information to us, we will send your references the reference survey to complete. We encourage you to leave adequate time for your references to complete this step. The survey will take approximately 20-30 minutes for them to complete.
Please note that if references are unable to complete the survey by the application deadline, this should not hold you back from applying.
For more information, please contact [email protected] and CC [email protected].
About the Organization
There are more than 16 million children growing up in poverty in the U.S., and less than 10 percent of them will graduate from college. These statistics are not a reflection of our children’s potential; we know that children growing up in poverty can and do achieve at the highest levels. Rather, these statistics reflect the systemic lack of access and opportunity for children in low-income communities.
Teach For America (TFA) finds, develops, and supports an ever-expanding network of outstanding and diverse leaders committed to expanding opportunity for children in schools, school systems, and in every sector and field that shapes the context in which schools operate. Representing the diversity of America and sharing the experience of having taught successfully in our most challenging public schools, TFA corps members and alumni form a network of change agents inside and outside of education who are grounded in the tremendous potential of our most underserved children and connected to families and communities impacted by educational inequity.
Founded by Wendy Kopp in 1989, Teach For America has since expanded to 36 states and 53 regions, reaching more than 10 million students. Now 53,000 strong and growing each year, the TFA community is leading across all sectors, including as teachers, school and school system leaders, elected officials, policy and advocacy organizers, social entrepreneurs, and business and civic leaders. We support the individual and collective leadership of this network as they work hand-in-hand with students, families, and allies in the effort to realize educational equity and excellence for children across the nation. Please review our Teach For America Core Values and Diversity and Inclusiveness Statement here: https://www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/our-story/our-values.
Benefits and Compensation
Compensation for this position is competitive and depends on prior institute experience. Teach For America provides room and board for all non-local staff members for summer training.
Commitment to Diversity and Equal Opportunity Employment Policy
Teach For America encourages individuals of all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort. Learn more about our diversity on staff: www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/careers/life-at-tfa/workforce-diversity....
Teach For America is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
This job description reflects Teach For America's assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing in this herein restricts management's right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.