Instructional Support Elementary Dean
Job Description
Elementary School Dean (Grades 3-5)
VOICE Charter School (http://www.voicecharterschool.org/) is an elementary and middle school located in Long Island City, Queens that serves about 650 students across grades K-8. We are located just minutes from Manhattan (two stops outside of Manhattan on the F, N, and W train lines) and Long Island City’s growing waterfront district, thriving arts community, and rapid residential growth. We are looking to identify extraordinary educators and administrators committed to urban education who wish to join a dynamic professional learning community.
Our mission is to create a safe and healthy learning environment that will nurture, motivate and challenge all of our children to achieve the highest level of academic excellence and to develop into mindful, responsible, contributing participants in their education, their community and the diverse society in which we live.
What makes VOICE different?
At VOICE, it’s not just about the music. It’s about the people. It’s about what you can be. It’s about using your passion. It’s about relationships. It’s about having the opportunity to choose. It’s about caring enough. It’s about each individual child and adult.
We believe in efficacy. At the core of our academic culture is the idea that all students are capable of doing well in any discipline. At VOICE, all students will learn – being smart is not something that you are, it is something you become. At VOICE, you will be pushed to become more.
We support and develop the effectiveness of our teachers. We believe that teachers need time to collaborate to build their practice, so we provide our team with over two hours of planning time a day as well as additional days for collaborative thought partnership and planning during the school year.
We promote participation in music and the arts. As music and art help develop problem solving and critical thinking skills and open children’s imaginations, all VOICE students participate in and learn from daily activities in the arts including rigorous choral training. We design our arts-integrated curriculum to bring joy and wonder to the lives of our children, providing them with the skills necessary to forge their own path.
All Staff at VOICE:
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- Love and nurture all of our students as they become deeply caring and responsible individuals;
- Take personal responsibility and work collaboratively to ensure that all students achieve and grow, understanding that the performance and progress of our students is directly under our control;
- Ask questions and empower students to exercise curiosity and wonder about the world around them;
- Hold themselves to the highest standards;
- Push and support themselves, their students, and their colleagues;
- Proactively seek and incorporate feedback;
- Help each individual child gain the opportunity to choose what his or her future will be.
Function: The Dean provides coaching and supervision to faculty to provide students with a safe and healthy learning environment that nurtures, motivates and challenges them to achieve the highest level of academic excellence and to develop into mindful, responsible, contributing participants in their education and communities
Major Responsibilities:
- Instructional Support, Coaching, and Supervision
- Observe and provide feedback to teachers
- Develop and implement coaching plans that are measurable and goal-driven
- Model instructional strategies as needed
- Coordinate internal and external professional development activities for teachers
- Design and implement teacher professional development based on identified needs
- Trains supports and coaches faculty in the area of special education, ENL instruction and at-risk student services, ensuring that all teachers know, understand and implement all classroom accommodations and modifications required by IEPs.
- Curriculum Implementation
- Designs curricula and differentiating instruction to best serve all students including those are in need of special education, ENL and at-risk services.
- Provide feedback and support for the development of curriculum maps and lesson plans
- Analyze data to plan reteaches with teachers and help improve curriculum
- Facilitate selected team meetings to model and strengthen intellectual preparation
- Lead specific curriculum initiatives to improve lesson delivery school-wide to ensure that our students’ diverse learning needs are being met.
- Coordinate vertical alignment across grade levels in content areas
- Conduct instructional walk-throughs and follow-up support for particular initiatives
- Team Management
- Employ strategies in developing supervisees and cultivating team culture, which may include but is not limited to leading team check-ins and participating in 1:1 meetings
- Supervise and support individual supervisees’ professional development and job responsibilities, which may include but is not limited to providing coaching, feedback, training and helping to manage conflicts as appropriate
- Provide supervisees with regular performance evaluations through VOICE’s formal mid-year and end-of-year performance evaluation processes
- Ensure general coverage as appropriate
- Divisional Leadership
- In collaboration with the School Director, evaluate the effectiveness of delivery of services and curriculum implementation of the division’s education staff to meet the needs of all students.
- Inspire and rally behind a shared vision and high standards of excellence, including but not limited to fostering staff culture and relationships across teams and divisions
- Creates and implements programs to support the families of students in need of special education, ENL instruction and at-risk student services.
- Ensuring compliance with special education requirements and the maintenance of accurate special education records and reports in accordance with state and federal law.
- As member of the leadership team, contribute to the development and implementation of school-wide policies and procedures, which may involve but is not limited to engaging in other teams’ and divisions’ priorities, goals, and activities
- Oversees the division based special education efforts in the following areas:
- Reviewing the results of diagnostic assessments of new students to identify students in need of special education, ENL instruction and at-risk services.
- Coordinating pre-referral and referral processes for special education, ENL instruction and at-risk services.
- Coordinating classroom observations and testing as needed using service providers when necessary.
- Participating in the development and maintenance of IEPs, managing the provision of direct services by the school
- Exercise external awareness; serve as liaison for other teams, departments and partners.
- Staff-Wide Professional Expectations
- Partnering with the Special Education teams in the Lower Elementary and Middle School divisions, develop policies and procedures that ensure VOICE (schoolwide) is providing the academic, emotional and physical services for students who require additional support to thrive within the school’s core academic programs.
- Embrace and be an ambassador of VOICE’s mission, vision and values
- Collaborate communicate and maintain effective and professional relationships as member of an interdisciplinary team of educators, support staff, and administrators
- Participate in required meetings and events, which may include student events, school concerts, parent-teacher conferences, on- and off-site conferences and trainings, others.
- Meet expectations related to punctuality and professionalism including but not limited to reporting to work on time, following the appropriate call-out and lateness procedures, timely responding to emails, consistently meeting deadlines and communicating appropriately on progress on projects and goals.
- Proactively and appropriately seek assistance and/or guidance when faced with challenges appropriately provide and receive feedback to/from students, parents, faculty, classroom assistants, support staff, and administration
- Reflect on professional practice through self-reflection and engagement in informal and formal feedback processes
Position Qualifications:
Educational Background and Work Experience
- Bachelor’s degree from accredited college or university
- Preferred: Master’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Preferred: NY State teaching certification in Students with Disabilities and or TESOL/ELL
- Preferred: 3+ years of classroom teaching experience
- Preferred: 2+ years of leadership experience (e.g. instructional coach, team leader)
- Preferred: Experience working in an urban school setting
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- VOICE’s mission, vision, values and culture
- Effective skills in self-management including but not limited to meeting deadlines, effective prioritization of tasks, self-organization, managing up, and efficient time and task management
- Ability to gather and analyze data using defined and differentiated processes
- Tact and sensitivity, including but not limited to adhering to confidentiality obligations such as mandated reporting as part of child protection
- Ability to build strong and effective collegial relationships as part of an interdisciplinary team of educators and administrators
- Ability to build warm individual relationships with students
- Ability to communicate and build relationships effectively and appropriately with diverse range of individuals, including but not limited to current and prospective children and families, colleagues, and external partners
- Teaching and classroom
- VOICE Teaching Framework
- Common Core and other content area standards
- Curriculum design principles
- Child learning theory and behavioral approaches, teacher techniques
- Differentiation strategies (conferencing; small group work); basic understanding of English as a Second Language and Special Education approaches and procedures
- Elements of effective classroom environment and management
- Building effective sequential long-term plans and mastery-oriented short term plans
- Maintaining high academic expectations through purposeful building of thinking skills, standards-aligned independent practice, questioning and discussion techniques, high standards for language and evidence, and structured support for students
- Content-Specific:
- Proficiency in MS Office, Google calendar, Salesforce and other software and apps
- Deep understanding of and ability to write and deliver curriculum in classroom
- Deep understanding of classroom management strategies, including but not limited to Love & Logic language, proactive procedures, transitions, recovery, restorative justice
- Adult learning theory/best practices for Professional Development
Behavioral Characteristics
- Wonder, care, and efficacy
- Commitment, authenticity, and passion
- Critical thinking, including communication, analytical and strategic strengths
- Grit and constant learning, including resilience and perseverance
- Strong sense of personal responsibility, including discipline, self-accountability, self-initiative
- Sensitivity to environment, including humility, empathy and kindness
[Please note: All offers of employment are contingent upon the employee meeting all prerequisite job qualifications by the first day of employment.]
Compensation and Benefits: Compensation is competitive and based on experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including participation in a pre-tax commuter benefits program and partial reimbursement for monthly commuting expenses, gym reimbursement, cultural enrichment reimbursements, participation in the Teachers Retirement System pension program, and many opportunities to get to know your VOICE colleagues!
VOICE Charter School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In its employment decisions, VOICE does not discriminate on the basis of an applicant or employee’s race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, unemployment status, or any other status protected by law.
