Instructional Support EL Project Manager (NYC)
Job Description
Teaching Lab seeks a full time EL Project Manager to join our Partnerships Team to lead high-quality, curriculum-aligned professional learning experiences for teachers and schools implementing EL Education’s K-8 ELA curriculum.
Reports to: Director of EL Partnerships
Travel Required: 20-40% NYC local client onsite work and some travel outside NYC
Compensation: Commensurate with experience
Who We Are
Teaching Lab is a nonprofit organization with a mission to fundamentally shift the paradigm of teacher professional learning to achieve educational equity. We envision a world where teachers and students thrive together in communities that enable life-long learning and meaningful lives. In partnership with teachers, we transform professional learning from the ground up to dramatically improve student outcomes. We also work with school, district, and state leaders to create the instructional systems necessary to support these changes.
Our model is based on the best educational research and years of experience using exceptional instructional materials with teachers. Our team of experienced educators is committed to ensuring all students—especially students traditionally underserved by our school systems—meet the academic expectations necessary to succeed now and in the future. Our partners believe in the power of great teaching to inspire students at all levels to learn and grow. Together, we are building a nationwide movement for evidence-based teacher professional learning.
Our Model
The core of Teaching Lab’s work is a belief that stronger professional learning for teachers can radically improve student opportunities and equity. Research suggests that effective professional learning incorporates three critical components:
- Core academic content embedded in exceptional instructional materials and aligned to research-based practices. Teachers deserve daily access to instructional practices based in research. Deep study of high-quality instructional materials allows teachers to grow their knowledge over time and spread that knowledge to their colleagues. We call this the “head” of professional learning.
- Teacher-led communities that build both social capital and buy-in. Teachers deserve to feel motivated and supported by their peers to learn and grow. In teacher-led communities, educators are more likely to buy in to their own development and work collaboratively with their colleagues to improve instruction. We call this the “heart” of professional learning.
- Structured and repeated cycles of learning in the classroom. Teachers deserve to learn from their efforts. Repeated cycles of learning afford teachers the time and space to reflect, incorporate new learning into practice, and verify changes to instruction using evidence of student learning. We call this the “habits” of professional learning.
We integrate Head, Heart, and Habits through the creation of “Labs” in schools and districts:
- A Lab is a group of teachers of the same subject working with students in the same or similar grade levels within a network of schools.
- Labs are led by two or more Lab Leaders, who are experienced teachers and instructional coaches who support their colleagues’ development.
- Labs center their work on curriculum-specific professional learning Content Modules created by Teaching Lab and vetted by experts.
- Content Modules support repeated Cycles of learning that align with student-facing materials to drive teacher professional learning. Cycles last four to six weeks to allow for teachers to apply and evaluate new learning. Labs complete two to four Cycles each school year.
Summary of Position
Teaching Lab is seeking an EL Project Manager (NYC) to join our Partnerships Team to manage implementation of Teaching Lab’s EL partner portfolio projects and lead high-quality, curriculum-aligned professional learning experiences for teachers and schools implementing EL Education’s K-8 ELA curriculum using our model for professional learning.
Specifically, the EL Project Manager will engage in five major workstreams:
- Partnership development: Build and foster school and district relationships, ensuring that partners build institutional knowledge of research-based professional learning practices and the EL Education K-8 ELA curriculum in a way that supports independent implementation of Teaching Lab’s model over time.
- Project management: Create and lead the execution of project plans that support the implementation of Teaching Lab’s professional learning sequence at each site. Ensure that all facilitators are prepared and scheduled in a timely manner, professional learning materials are contextualized for the partner and up to date.
- Facilitation: Effectively lead professional learning sessions for district leaders, school leaders, and teachers that deepen pedagogical content knowledge of the EL curriculum through Teaching Lab’s model for professional learning. Reflect on participant feedback and adjust support in response to partners’ needs.
- Facilitator coaching & training: Lead through a lens of racial equity to support and develop a cohort of 2-3 part-time facilitators as they provide on-site implementation of Teaching Lab’s work in each school, including support and coaching on facilitation skills, knowledge of the EL Education K-8 ELA curriculum, data collection, and partner investment.
- Collaboration: Engage in learning and community experiences, and team meetings with the Teaching Lab Community. Contribute to a culture of collaboration with external stakeholders like NYC schools, district leaders, and professional learning organizations, to ensure success for our school system partners and the students they serve.
As a rapidly growing nonprofit, we seek an entrepreneurial individual excited about launching and implementing groundbreaking partnerships in New York City. This position has high potential for both large-scale impact and career growth.
Eligible candidates must have strong expertise in relationship and partnership development, leading professional learning, project management, the EL Education K-8 ELA curriculum, and the Common Core or similar College- and Career-Ready state standards. Ideal candidates will have the unique combination of intellectual curiosity and established skill in each of these areas. Teaching Lab is a mission and values driven organization. We seek outstanding leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to education equity and racial equity.
Key Responsibilities & Workstreams
Partnership Development – To build & foster school and district relationships, the EL Project Manager will:
- Engage with district and school leadership in partner school systems, including superintendents, curriculum and instruction experts, to build their knowledge of research-based professional learning practices, Teaching Lab’s professional learning model, and the EL Education K-8 ELA curriculum.
- Build rapport quickly across internal and external stakeholders through a balance of empathy and expertise.
- Work with Teaching Lab’s Partnerships Team to identify and engage new and existing school system partners on scopes of work that drive towards impact and outcomes for teachers and students.
- Gain a deep understanding of the district’s and school’s context in order to inform the scope and implementation of the work.
- Effectively lead external and internal communications, including 1:1, small and large group settings, virtual meetings, and presentations.
Project Management – To project manage scopes of work, the EL Project Manager will:
- Lead high-level project management across Teaching Lab’s portfolio of New York City’s EL Education K-8 ELA curriculum projects, including working with the Director of EL Partnerships to staff sites and create project plans to develop facilitators’ knowledge and skills.
- Demonstrate strong organizational skills, time management, and workflow management while attending to the diverse needs of New York City partners.
Facilitation – To effectively lead professional learning sessions, the EL Project Manager will:
- Plan and lead on the ground professional learning for district leaders, school leaders, teacher leaders, and teachers aligned to the Teaching Lab’s model of professional learning.
- Collect, reflect on, and apply data from participant feedback surveys to improve facilitation, relationships, and knowledge building at each site.
Facilitator Coaching and Training – To support and develop facilitators, the EL Project Manager will:
- Train and coach a team of facilitators through a lens of racial equity, developing capacity for team members in this area.
- Train facilitators on professional learning best practices, facilitation techniques, and Teaching Lab’s EL Education K-8 ELA Curriculum professional learning sequence.
- Build a strong mission and values aligned team culture with facilitators in the NYC EL Education portfolio.
- Lead reflection and feedback coaching sessions with facilitators.
Collaboration – To foster a culture of collaboration, the EL Project Manager will:
- Collaborate with the Director of EL Partnerships to adapt Teaching Lab’s EL-specific professional learning content and sequences to partners’ needs. Maintain site-specific versions of content.
- Support Teaching Lab’s data collection and impact evaluation processes in conjunction with the Research and Learning team
- Liaise with external stakeholders, including the NYC district and school leaders to ensure continued success of Teaching Lab’s work with NYC school systems.
Areas for Growth
Teaching Lab is committed to practicing what we preach, which means that development of our team is a key organizational priority. As a community of learners, we support one another through thought partnership, direct assistance, and opportunities to expand our own knowledge. The EL Project Manager will have the following growth opportunities:
- Unparalleled networking and learning opportunities with Teaching Lab staff, board members, and experts in the field, including Student Achievement Partners, UnboundEd, NYC Department of Education, and others.
- A peer community of other Project Managers focused on collaborating and supporting each other in their core areas of responsibility.
- Internal cycles of inquiry on core topics that mirror our client-facing, external professional learning sequences.
Qualifications
We seek team members who bring relevant experience, knowledge, and skills, as well as a commitment to shared values and norms. Prospective EL Project Manager candidates should be able to demonstrate experience or background in the following categories:
Educational & Work Experience
- Bachelor’s degree and minimum five years experience working in education
- Minimum of 2 years teaching experience with K-8 students from traditionally underserved backgrounds with demonstrated evidence of impact
- Experience coaching educators for 2-3 years (instructional coaching preferred)
- Experience facilitating impactful professional learning for educators
- Experience leading relationships with clients and stakeholders in an education context
Knowledge
- Deep knowledge and experience with Common Core or College- and Career-Ready ELA/Literacy standards
- Deep understanding of the EL Education’s K-8 ELA curriculum, including its design and component parts
Skills
- Exceptional interpersonal skills, able to demonstrate a capacity to build rapport quickly
- Outstanding organizational skills
- Superior critical thinking and creative problem-solving capabilities, including a self-starting entrepreneurial approach to difficult problems
- Ability to form credible and lasting relationships with the facilitators, teachers, school leaders, and district leaders
- Compelling communication and influence skills
Values
- Deep commitment to Teaching Lab’s organizational mission and Values, racial equity, and educational equity for traditionally underserved students
- Strong commitment to growth mindset for both adults and students, and a desire to work collaboratively to grow team skills and capabilities
- Belief in the power of relationships to drive collaboration
- Relentless focus on results for traditionally underserved students, including a high bar for quality work
Working at Teaching Lab
This position is eligible for work in New York City. This position will require travel around New York City with some travel outside of the city (20-40%) based on organizational needs and capacity and time of year.
Salary for this position will be commensurate with experience. Teaching Lab offers a comprehensive benefits package, including organizational contribution of 100% of employee costs and 50% of dependent costs for health/dental/vision insurance, a 401(k) program with a 4% employer match and diverse investment options, monthly technology reimbursement, and generous time off and leave policies.
We are committed to building a sustainable organization. We love our work and want to be able to do it for years to come. This means that despite our relentless focus on impact and results for educators and students, we commit to maintaining a balance between work and other parts of our lives.
To Learn More About Teaching Lab
- Explore our website at www.teachinglab.org
- Read more about our model and the services we offer in our SY19-20 Professional Learning Services guide
- Read about our work in the Aspen Institute report Practice What You Teach (pg. 9-11)
Teaching Lab is an equal-opportunity employer committed to reflecting the diversity of the students we serve. We pursue equity as both a means and an end and enthusiastically welcome candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this role.
