Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Job Description
About the School
Great Oaks Charter School opened in Newark, New Jersey in 2011. In the 2013-2014 school year the school will serve grades 6-9, and will grow each year to a full scale of under 500 students in grades 6-12.
Great Oaks was founded with the explicit mission to change the dismal odds that a low-income minority student in Newark currently has of ever obtaining a college degree. Our mission is to prepare students to succeed in college.
Great Oaks Charter School’s approach is distinctive in several key ways:
- Tight-knit small school: Grade cohorts of less than 70 students allows us to develop an intimate community, where every student feels known and cared about.
- Effective teachers: We find the best teaching and tutoring staff from around the country.
- More time on task: Our school day runs from 7:30am to 4:45pm, with extra help after school and on the weekends for struggling students.
- High expectations: Great Oaks has an atmosphere of high expectations combined with caring relationships from teachers and staff that will help each child succeed. Students must earn a 70% to pass a course and every high school student will be required to take Advanced Placement courses and to enroll in a college course during their senior year.
- Small group tutorials: Each student receives two hours of individualized tutorial a day–one hour in math and one hour in English. Tutorials are built into the school day. Our tutors are top-tier recent college graduates who commit to a year of service working with six students, building relationships with students and families.
About the Position
Great Oaks is seeking an experienced, like-minded urban educator to join our leadership team as we expand to serve both middle school and high school students in 2013-2014.
The Director of Curriculum & Instruction for English & Language Arts (ELA) will act as a lead teacher – embodying the work ethic, compassion and desire for improvement that drives the school’s instructional program. In conjunction with other members of the leadership team, the ELA DCI will manage all aspects of the teaching and learning for all humanities courses at Great Oaks including but not limited to curriculum, observations, schedules and classroom instruction.
Responsibilities
The ELA DCI will:
- Oversee, manage and participate in the development of the middle and high school curriculum including but not limited to year-long standards-based plans/calendars, weekly lesson plans and assessment creation for all humanities classes and tutorials
- Observe teachers on weekly basis and track observations for inclusion in and creation of a trimester performance evaluation
- Use BloomBoard to set goals for, track observations of and complete evaluations of teachers
- Conduct weekly curriculum check-ins through the submission and evaluation of lesson plans
- Manage the relationship with Achievement Network and facilitate Data Driven Instruction (DDI) using exam results
- Create a DDI culture among teachers that involves the use of data from unit, trimester and A-Net exams
- Manage weekly Professional Development sessions with Corps Directors, Principal, ED, Math & Science DCI and Dean of Students to provide targeted support to teachers/tutors
- Manage weekly school-wide curriculum update in conjunction with M&S DCI
- Create and manage weekly, trimester and year-long calendar in conjunction with M&S DCI
- Manage and promote all technology related education in classes and tutorials
- Oversee the SpEd Coordinator and implementation of all Special Education programs and accommodations with the M&S DCI
Qualifications
The Director of Curriculum & Instruction must:
- Believe that all students have what it takes to be successful
- Be relentlessly committed to preparing every student for college
- Possess strong leadership and team skills
- Be a self-aware leader who knows how to treat all members of the school’s community with respect, appraises accurately his or her strengths and weaknesses, and is perceptive about how he or she is regarded
- Have superb organizational and self-management skills and be able to handle multiple responsibilities effectively; have strong planning and execution skills; be a goal-oriented and effective problem-solver
- Be dependable
- Be driven to improve the minds and lives of students
- Being dedicated to doing whatever it takes to help all the school’s students achieve academic success
- Be passionate about academic learning and insistent on academic excellence and rigor at all times
Candidates must have:
- A relentless work ethic
- A clear record of elevating student achievement in an urban classroom, with a strong understanding of pedagogy that drives results
- Two years in a leadership capacity, evaluating and providing feedback to humanities instructors that resulted in measureable improvements for students
- Experience designing and evaluating curriculum
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent skills of organization and follow-through
- A strong academic record, including a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
An advanced degree from a competitive university is strongly preferred. Alumni of Teach For America, Education Pioneers, The New Teacher Project, Match Education and New Leaders for New Schools are strongly encouraged to apply.
Staff and Reporting Relationships
The Director of Curriculum & Instruction for ELA courses will report to the Executive Director and work alongside the Math & Science DCI and other members of the school leadership team.
Compensation
Salaries at Great Oaks are competitive and include benefits for all full-time staff members.
How to Apply
Qualified applicants may submit a resume and a compelling cover letter detailing their qualifications and interest in this position online at www.greatoakscharter.org.
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