Instructional Support Instructional Fellow
Job Description
General Summary
To make more elementary, middle, and high schools, we need future leaders to commit themselves to the most urgent and exciting work of our time. It takes individuals who can inspire students, who put excellence ahead of easy, and who project urgency about closing the achievement gap. It takes individuals who are fearless about making decisions and conducting difficult conversations and who can build a highly collaborative team and shape a vibrant culture. These individuals cultivate learning communities that are simultaneously academically rigorous and joyful. They know that their job is the most important one in the world. Self-reflective and humble, they are open to feedback and committed to continuously improving.
Uncommon Schools is offering a one-year fellowship to prepare fellows to open a new Uncommon school or sustain an existing school as Principal.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The fellowship provides a robust development process to prepare leaders to lead a school in conjunction with the Director of Operations. This Fellow and eventual Principal is a full-time employee, hired, supported, and, evaluated by the Assistant Superintendent. The Instructional Fellow must have a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of four years of teaching experience and at least 1 year of experience leading or coaching teachers.
Prepare for Success
Leaders are born, sure. But those who become great leaders do so through hard work and deep learning. At Uncommon Schools, we make that learning possible through a year-long fellowship. The Fellowship year is based on a foundation of six core elements that are aligned to the competencies of Uncommon leaders. Each element is designed to build Fellows’ capacity towards becoming effective instructional school leaders. These include the following:
- Evaluation and Feedback;
- Fellowship Deliverables and Immersion;
- Professional Development;
- Reading and Discussion Groups;
- School Startup Preparation; and
- School Visits.
Evaluation and Feedback
Throughout the fellowship year, Fellows will receive coaching and feedback from their Assistant Superintendent in addition to the school leaders they are working closely with during their fellowship year. Each Fellow will have an Individual Development Plan that identifies the specific areas of development for the Fellow around which the fellowship will be customized to ensure focused development opportunities.
Fellowship Deliverables and School Guidelines
During the fall of their fellowship year, Fellows will be placed at an existing Uncommon school to observe and learn in the environment of a successful school. While in this residency, the Fellow will be involved in teaching across subject and grade levels, observing and providing feedback to teachers, and completing special projects for the school. In addition, Fellows will be responsible for completing a variety of pre-determined deliverables.
Professional Development
Ideally, fellows start in June to prepare to open their schools in the following summer. Throughout their fellowship, they will engage in professional development focusing on two domains: Cultural Leadership and Management, and Instructional Leadership. Each professional development session will be led by our experienced group of Assistant Superintendents, current leaders, and a select group of external partners.
Cultural Leadership and Management:
- Connecting with and Leading Teachers
- Difficult Conversations
- Managing Teams and Groups
- Personal Effectiveness
- Student Recruitment
- Teacher Recruitment
- Understanding Yourself as a Leader
- Family Engagement
- Community Engagement
- Whole-school Moments
- Celebrating Student and Staff Successes
Instructional Leadership:
- Curriculum Alignment and Yearlong Planning
- Data-Driven Instruction
- Driving Student Achievement in Special Education
- Observation and Feedback
- Taxonomy of Effective Teaching Practices
- Teaching Math
- Teaching History
- Teaching Reading
- Teaching Science
Qualifications
- Demonstrates a relentless drive to improve the minds, characters, and lives of students both in and out of school;
- Strong record of driving exceptional student results;
- Strong data analysis skills;
- Ability to provide high leverage feedback to teachers via classroom observations;
- Demonstrates grit and personal responsibility;
- High quality communications skills with multiple stakeholders including teachers, students, families, and colleagues;
- Able to have difficult conversations in a respectful manner;
- Committed to continual professional growth;
- Strong organizational skills, extremely careful attention to detail and follow-through
Minimum Education Level
- The Instructional Fellow must have a Bachelor’s degree.
Experience Required
- 4 or more years of teaching experience highly preferred;
- 1 or more years of experience coaching or leading teachers (e.g., grade level chair, content/department chair, Assistant Principal, Dean of Curriculum, etc.) highly preferred.
Compensation
We offer a generous compensation package. All staff members are equipped with the tools needed to succeed, including a dedicated work space, laptop computer, email, high-speed internet access, and all necessary supplies.
