Position Overview
The mission of the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) is to provide educators with curricular resources, academic programs, and aligned professional development to ensure rigorous and joyful learning experiences for every student. OTL team members support school-based staff in implementing DCPS's existing academic programs while simultaneously working to rethink and redesign school programming, academic and curricular resources, and educator professional development. The Office of Teaching and Learning has 6 divisions:
Divisions/Teams
- Academic and Creative Empowerment: The Academic and Creative Empowerment team sets a vision for serving the whole child and closing the opportunity gap through leading the work in academic programming focused on arts, health and PE, enrichment, innovation and high-potential learners.
- Content and Curriculum: The Content and Curriculum team sets the vision for equity and excellence for each content area in DCPS schools by researching, creating, and curating curricular materials and providing aligned professional development experiences to ensure that all students have access to rigorous and joyful learning experiences every day in every content area.
- Extended Learning and Academic Recovery: The Extended Learning and Academic Recovery team develops extended learning opportunities such as afterschool programs and summer school, overseeing most of DCPS' K-12 summer school programs including enrichment and retention programs. Additionally, the team supports the needs of high potential students in grades K-5 through the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM.)
- Language Acquisition: The Language Acquisition team welcomes families of linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds to DCPS, leads the process of identifying English Learner students, and supports schools in developing programs that supports English language acquisition and academic growth.
- Professional Learning: The Professional Learning team sets a vision for professional development for DCPS through systems, tools, and structures to increase the efficacy of professional learning initiatives. This work includes LEAP, cluster based PD, district PD and other learning opportunities. The team works across all DCPS offices to increase the cohesion of professional development and broad sharing of knowledge, while exploring new avenues and opportunities for meaningful development and learning for our educators.
- Specialized Instruction: The Specialized Instruction team supports students with disabilities by providing schools and families with practical, evidence-based resources to make a high-quality education accessible to all learners, so that DCPS students with disabilities become thriving independent members of society who will contribute to their communities and fulfill their highest potential. The team works to reduce the opportunity gap between students with IEPs and their non-disabled peers; and increases equity and excellence in schools through specific academic programming, related services, professional learning, school leadership development, family engagement, dispute resolution, and community partnerships.
The Early Childhood Education Division (ECED), within OES, works to support the provision of high-quality early education services that prepare children for kindergarten entry and later school success. Approximately 6,000 children ages three to five attend early childhood classrooms in 78 elementary schools across the district, including several schools that offer Head Start programming.
The Specialist, Instructional (Early Childhood Education) builds the capacity of early childhood classroom teaching and support staff, school staff and administrators to efficiently and effectively provides the highest quality education possible for young learners. This position is a safety-sensitive position. As a result, throughout employment this position will be subject to the Employee Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy.
The Specialist, Instructional (Early Childhood Education) will report to the Team Lead, Instructional.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.
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Coaches early childhood teaching staff ensuring strong implementation of best practices in early childhood education, the Teaching and Learning Framework, Kindergarten Readiness Standards, compliance with Head Start requirements, and that lesson plans and instruction meet the needs of all students.
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Develops high quality, job-embedded support through various approaches such as individual discussions (formal and informal), demonstration lessons with pre/post discussion and analysis, and formal professional development sessions.
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Develops and facilitates professional development activities to support school-based staff knowledge and skills development in providing effective instruction to all learners.
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Advises teaching staff on best practices in early childhood education, including those around data collection, analysis, and interpretation, the set-up of classroom environments, language modeling, children’s self-regulation, the value of play and child-initiated explorations, small group arrangements, community-building strategies, and anti-bias education.
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Conducts informal and formal observations, including through use of standardized program quality assessments, in order to provide feedback to teachers on instructional delivery and implementation of best practices in early childhood education.
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Utilizes an assessment process to facilitate a teacher’s growth and development, analyzing their practice and reviewing student work to inform instruction and provision of challenging and engaging materials.
Qualifications
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Bachelor's degree and three to five years of related work experience.
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Master's degree preferred.
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Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
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Two to three years of experience supervising, mentoring, or coaching early childhood educators.
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Experience facilitating trainings and professional development workshops.
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Minimum of two years experience working in a program serving low-income children and families.
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Commitment to Equity: Passionate about closing the achievement gap and ensuring that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, receives an excellent education.
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Leadership: Coaches, mentors, and challenges others to excel despite obstacles and challenging situations.
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Focus on Data-Driven Results: Relentlessly pursues the improvement of central office performance and school leadership, instruction, and operations, and is driven by a desire to produce quantifiable student achievement gains.
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Innovative Problem-Solving: Approaches work with a sense of possibility and sees challenges as opportunities for creative problem solving; takes initiative to explore issues and find potential innovative solutions.
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Adaptability: Excels in constantly changing environments and adapts flexibly in shifting projects or priorities to meet the needs of a dynamic transformation effort; comfortable with ambiguity and non-routine situations.
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Teamwork: Increases the effectiveness of surrounding teams through collaboration, constant learning and supporting others; sensitive to diversity in all its forms; respects and is committed to learning from others.
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Dependability: Does whatever it takes to consistently deliver with high quality under tight deadlines; successfully manages own projects through strong organization, detailed workplans, and balancing of multiple priorities.
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Communication and Customer Service Skills: Communicates clearly and compellingly with diverse stakeholders in both oral and written forms; anticipates and responds to customer needs in a high-quality and courteous manner.