Instructional Support Teacher Leadership Coach: IPS Innovation Teacher Collaborative (Part-time)
Job Description
Overview of Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all.
Position Description
In April 2021, Teach Plus will launch the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) Innovation Teacher Collaborative, which will provide a leadership opportunity with targeted support, to IPS Innovation teacher leaders as they implement changes within their buildings, with a focus on leveraging the guiding principles of change management, leadership of adult learning, and school model innovation.
The Teacher Leadership Coach will support these teacher leaders in this work. This is a part-time (.50 FTE) position. This opportunity is ideal for a skilled coach who is looking to lead and support K-12 teacher leaders from across IPS Innovation schools in collaborative and sustained teacher-led professional development around teacher leadership and equity.
From the IPS website: IPS Innovation Network Schools operate with the authority to make decisions about all aspects of their school-both academic and operational. They are held accountable by the school district for achieving high academic goals and strong student achievement. The purpose of Innovation Network Schools is to allow our district, and schools within our district, greater flexibility to make decisions based on the specific needs of a school’s student body.
In addition to leading change in their individual school buildings, the IPS Innovation Teacher Collaborative will also work to identify barriers to progress and inform Innovation Network policies over the course of the year. The Teacher Leadership Coach will work closely with the Teach Plus Indiana Executive Director to support the teacher leaders in these endeavors.
Teach Plus has identified five attributes that effective teacher leaders use to improve student outcomes across their schools, to which the Teacher Leadership Coach supports teacher leaders in developing in the following areas:
- Skillful Facilitators of Adult Learning
- Evidence-Based Decision Makers
- Purpose-driven Instructional Leaders
- School-wide Change Agents
- Equity Advocates
Specifically, the Teacher Leadership Coach is responsible for:
Ongoing Teacher Leader Support
- Foster Purpose-Driven Instructional Leadership
- Ensure that the work of the teacher leaders involved in the Innovation Teacher Collaborative is based in evidence and collaboratively achieves desired impact on teacher practice and student learning.
- Ensure that the primary work of each team is focused on improving teacher practice and, therefore, learning for all students through use of change management and continuous improvement.
- Observe and strategically contribute in periodic Teacher Leader-led team meetings and professional development.
- Coach and Develop Teacher Leaders. Plan and facilitate teacher leader cohort meetings. Meet monthly with each Teacher Leader to support the continuous growth towards their project goals, plan for upcoming meetings, debrief previous meetings, and engage in leadership coaching and feedback. Plan for and deliver portions of professional development sessions.
- Support School Leadership: Meet regularly with the principal and teacher leader to ensure program fidelity and success.
- Support Regional Strategy: Works with the Indiana Executive Director, Teach Plus national staff and the National Instructional Leadership Team to develop systems that allow teacher leadership to be implemented more efficiently and effectively.
- Collaborate with the National Instructional Leadership Team to communicate critical support, outcomes, metrics and resource needs.
Coach Professional Learning
Teach Plus invests heavily in the development of the coaching team, supporting travel to ensure that coaches learn from and with each other in the following ways:
- Comprehensive Leadership Orientation.
- Consistent feedback and support through one-on-one meetings with the National Director of Program Design and Innovation.
- Regular virtual Teach Plus Coach PLCs with other Teacher Leadership Coaches across the country focusing on common coaching problems of practice.
III. Qualifications
To be successful in this role, ideal candidates should have:
- 6+ years in the education field, with preference given to candidates who have both a teaching background and experience coaching teachers and school leaders in an urban environment
- Preference given to leaders who have led instructionally transformational work in the urban context
- Instructional coaching experience preferred
- Experience with and understanding of IPS Innovation School landscape preferred
- A relentless focus on data, including analysis and using it to inform instruction and make continuous improvement decisions
- Experience in leadership development and facilitation of inquiry with teachers and/or school leaders
- Commitment to and previous experience with educational equity and a belief in the power of teachers to bring about positive change for all students
- Ability to adapt and comfort in navigating ambiguity
Commitment to Diversity
In order to better-serve the teachers and students at the core of our mission, Teach Plus is committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds and gender identities to apply to our positions.
Start Date and Term
This is a grant-funded position with a tentative start date of April 5th, 2021 through June 30th, 2022. Teacher Leadership Coach positions are renewed on an annual basis effective July 1, 2022, based on performance, funding of continued work with partners, and needs of the organization.
Hours and Remote/School-based Position
This position is 20 hours per week, schedule of which will be determined based on appropriately covering school-based team meetings, one-on-one coaching, cohort meetings, and coach collaborative time. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and re-opening decisions all coaching will be virtual until otherwise determined to be safe. This is traditionally a school-based coaching position and coaches will be required to report to schools, as needed, when their assigned schools re-open.
VII. Compensation and Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. Part-time employees are eligible to participate in the retirement savings plan and receive paid time off which includes 8 vacation days, 1.5 personal days, sick days, 11 holidays, and winter break.
