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About BPE

BPE’s mission is to drive exceptional outcomes for all students by developing great teachers and great schools. For three decades, BPE (formerly the Boston Plan for Excellence) has devised solutions to the toughest challenges faced by Boston’s students and teachers by weaving together expertise in teacher training and school development. We believe ambitious teaching (which we define as instruction that consistently engages all students in rigorous content) requires not only effective teachers, but also systems that support great teaching and methods for continuous improvement. We have prepared over 500 teachers for Boston’s public schools through the nationally recognized and replicated Boston Teacher Residency program, and have pioneered scalable, cutting edge data tools and whole school improvement strategies. Today, we are redesigning schooling for students and teachers by creating neighborhood-based Teaching Academies. We launched our first Teaching Academy, the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School, in 2012. In 2013, we created the Dudley Promise Corps to leverage the power of national service to expand learning time, engage families, and provide extra support to students in the Dudley neighborhood.

Teaching Academy Schools

BPE has embarked on a strategy to create and run a network of neighborhood-based, PreK-12 Teaching Academies:schools which provide access to ambitious teaching to ensure significant achievement for all students and a rich training ground for new teachers. In 2012, in partnership with a powerful community organization (the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative), BPE launched the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School (DSNCS), an in-district Horace Mann charter school which will ultimately serve 325 students in grades PreK-5. We are now building out the preK-12 pathway and will open a second campus in 2015, an innovative 6-12 academy committed to preparing students to successfully face rigorous higher education coursework, career challenges, and the globally competitive workforce of the 21st century. The school design will feature an integrated curriculum that bridges academic learning with career readiness, and will leverage Boston’s unique position in higher education and industry to provide students with access to authentic real-world experiences, while cultivating key critical thinking and communications skills.

Position Description

BPE is seeking an expert curricular resource and instructional coach to serve as the Director of Humanities Instruction, Gr. 6-12 (Humanities Director)for the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School, Campus 2. The Humanities Director provides leadership for the planning, development, and implementation of English Language Arts, Social Studies, and History curricular design and instructional practices in a middle/high school learning environment. The Humanities Director supports teachers and administrators in designing and delivering Humanities instruction that is consistently ambitious and strengthens all students’ ability to engage in Humanities content as critical and creative thinkers. This director is responsible for developing and providing professional development and support to staff and administrators in service of ensuring that all students master Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Skills. This full time, exempt position reports to BPE’s Chief Program Officer.

Key Competencies

• Strong leadership skills and a deep commitment to improving the quality of public education in urban communities. The Humanities Director will work with the school leadership team to implement an instructional system that meets the academic needs and accelerates the learning of all students.
• Knowledge of research-based Humanities curriculum/curriculum development, instruction and assessment practices, especially relative to interventions with struggling and English language learners.
• Strong accountability orientation. The Humanities Director will be responsible for supporting the Principal in the design and implementation of an ambitious model for Humanities instruction that incorporates feedback and accountability practices to evaluate the effectiveness and coherence of curriculum, instructional practices, student interventions, and professional development.

Responsibilities

• Directs the design and implementation of a coherent, cross-curricular Humanities program that is rigorous, culturally responsive, and reflects current research/theory in instruction, in alignment with BPE principles of student learning.
• Promotes Humanities curricula and teaching practices that engage the learner in tasks that require analytical and critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity; that address each student’s needs, interests and skill levels; that encourage the student to define individual goals and accept responsibility for learning; and that provide a variety of methods for the student to demonstrate performance and achievement.
• Collaborates with the Director of Special Populations to design and implement innovative Humanities programming that addresses the needs of students with identified learning challenges.
• Collaborates with the Principal, observes classroom instruction to evaluate the implementation of Humanities curricula and instruction including content, materials, pedagogy, pace and standards, student performance and curricular effectiveness.
• Collects and analyzes performance data including, but not limited to, state and school-wide assessments regarding the achievement of students, work samples, and other pertinent information affecting the design and evaluation of curricula and instructional practices.
• Directs the annual review and revision of Humanities curricula and ensures alignment with the Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Learning Skills.
• Promotes differentiated Humanities instruction and the use of a variety of strategies and materials consistent with research on learning and child growth and development.
• Works with the school leadership team to design professional learning that increases teachers’ knowledge of effective Humanities skill development strategies and instruction.
• Ensures that professional development for Humanities is focused on how students learn, encompasses both content and pedagogical knowledge and skills, promotes collegial learning, and includes job-embedded opportunities for growth.
• Identifies staffing needs and assists with the recruitment and selection of outstanding, high-capacity instructional staff.
• Communicates frequently with the Principal, teachers, data teams, community agencies, and others to ensure coordination of Humanities-related programs, including vertical and horizontal articulation of skills and content sequence and alignment to extended day programming.
• Reflects upon the needs of the Humanities program and students to organize and implement a system for the evaluation and selection of instructional materials and assessment tools that are designed to meet the Common Core State Standards.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in education and/or Humanities-related discipline. 12, effective instructional strategies, and learning assessment and diagnosis.
• Experience in designing and leading Humanities professional development.
• Leadership experience with staff management including, but not limited to, the selection and development of teaching faculty.
• Strong and tested ability to develop excellent teams and participate effectively on teams; a collaborative management style.Proven ability to prioritize, balance, and complete complex projects in the face of competing deadlines.
• Demonstrated passion for and commitment to the BPE-DSNCS mission and educational model.
• Sense of humor!

Compensation

Salary commensurate with experience. Generous benefits package, including group health, dental and life insurance, retirement plan, and vacation allowance.

To Apply

Please visit http://bpe.atsondemand.com/ to submit an application for consideration.

BPE is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.