Instructional Support Literacy Associate (Curriculum Writer)
Job Description
Who We Are
RePublic Schools is a network of high-performing public charter schools in Nashville, TN and Jackson, MS with a mission to reimagine public education in the South and prepare all of our scholars to graduate from college. The majority of our scholars come from traditionally underserved communities (approximately 85% identify as low-income, and nearly 95% as students of color) and have been disproportionality denied access to the quality education they deserve. Despite those limitations, they defy the odds to achieve outstanding results. RePublic’s schools have scored in the top 5% of all open-enrollment public schools across the state of Tennessee for both student growth and absolute achievement – making ours the first (and only) charter schools in state history to achieve this dual distinction.
At RePublic we believe that all children can and will read on grade level. Our culture is one that values books and reading over all else and recognizes that success in school and in life is paved with great books. We reinforce that culture by defining it and holding one another accountable to it.
By cultivating a cohesive community of families, staff, and scholars committed to doing whatever it takes we ensure our scholars succeed. We are looking for a dynamic, determined Literacy Curriculum Writer to join us and lock arms with our school teams in Nashville, TN for the 2017-2018 school year.
What You’ll Do
Overview
Our commitment to literacy runs deep, and we know that reading is a lever for closing the achievement gap in more than just literacy. We tackle the that gap in four ways:
- Building a culture of reading and love of books at RePublic.
- Devoting significant time during the school day for scholars to read books of their choice (independent reading).
- Devoting significant time during the school day for teachers to teach scholars how to read (guided reading and/or book club).
- Spending class time finding the meaning of high-quality, short texts and writing about the meaning of those text (close reading).
Reporting to the Director of Literacy, the Literacy Curriculum Writer is the keeper and creator of this culture of reading at our schools. They will develop high-quality literacy curriculum for 5th and 6th graders across our network.
Responsibilities
Our Literacy Curriculum Writer will:
- Create a culture of reading at RePublic Schools by:
- getting adults and children excited about literature,
- collaborating with teachers and leaders to make a culture of reading come alive across schools,
- curating RePublic’s book lists and integrating newly published literature into the curriculum,
- executing network-wide initiatives to promote love of reading across every classroom in every RePublic middle school,
- leading the adoption of Fountas & Pinnell as our reading leveling system in 5th and 6th grades, and
- tirelessly advocating for the power of great books!
- Develop a visionary, engaging and rigorous literacy curriculum that inspires intellectual curiosity and a love of reading. The curriculum is driven by a deep understanding of literature, scholar writing, and the most effective teaching practices. To accomplish this goal, the Literacy Curriculum Writer will execute a redesign of the 5th and 6th grade literacy curriculum to emphasize independent reading, guided reading, close reading, and writing in response to literature.
- Produce unit and lesson plans, create literacy assessments, curate an anthology of high-quality short texts for use during close reading, lead professional development for middle school teachers, and analyze reading and assessment data.
- Observe literacy instruction across our network of schools and support school leaders in prioritizing next steps for teachers to ensure that literacy instruction is implemented at a consistently high level across the network.
- Creating systems to ensure leaders and teachers use data to drive literacy instruction.
Who You Are
Equal parts bibliophile and educational warrior, the ideal candidate brings three qualities to our scholars and team of teachers:
A deep love of literature — The Literacy Curriculum Writer must have an abiding passion for and deep knowledge of literature.
We’re looking for the ultimate bookworm who will:
- Model their love of and enthusiasm for literacy, by creating a culture of reading in our schools that will spell big gains for our scholars
- Train our teachers to be librarians and purposefully guide scholars to their next scholastic adventure
- Aid students as they truly discover what books can be — whether it’s a positive escape from reality, as Francie found in Brooklyn in 1912 or the magic of relationships — especially those built among the trees of Terabithia.
An ideal candidate should also share our deeply held belief that all classrooms should be brimming with high-quality books. We’ll look to you to help us add to our ever-growing library — we’re at 12,000 books and counting.
A belief in rigorous content — We know that high-level content creates high-level readers. By putting rigorous literacy content in front of our scholars, we can engage them in the type of critical thinking that will serve them across content areas. No one ever gained knowledge or increased their lexicon by reading what they already know — literacy growth comes from being challenged and challenges come from rigorous content.
A desire to grow — At RePublic we are committed to the professional growth of our teammates. Applicants do not need to have previous experience writing curriculum, just a detailed knowledge of middle school literacy content, the capacity to interpret data and make the best decisions for our scholars, and a desire to hit the ground running and build the toolkit that will allow you to quickly add value to the team.
A desire to grow students should be foundational. We know that the best predictor of success in class, on exams, and in college is a scholar’s ability to read on grade level. And our results show our commitment to literacy — on statewide end-of-year standardized tests, Liberty Collegiate Academy, a RePublic School, had the highest Reading growth in the entire state for 5th grade students. RePublic accounted for the 1st (LCA), 3rd (NACS), and 7th (NP) highest Reading growth for 5th grade in Nashville. That translates to significant gains for students as soon as they matriculate to our schools, ensuring that they are reading on grade level as quickly as possible.
A successful candidate will also have:
- A minimum of 2 years teaching experience preferred with demonstrated track record of high student achievement;
- Demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly, succinctly and persuasively such that expectations are clear, timelines are delineated, and excellence is defined;
- Ability to manage multiple priorities from a variety of sources, organizing and prioritizing effectively to impact areas of greatest need;
- Experience organizing and running effective meetings across an organization;
- Ability to deconstruct complex problems and develop coherent, actionable strategies;
- A bachelor’s degree with a preference for a graduate degree in a related field.
- Sense of humility in the face of success; and
- Passionate belief in RePublic’s mission, values, and educational model.
Salary is competitive and commensurate based on experience. Compensation at RePublic includes a comprehensive benefits package.
