KIPP Northern California
Director of Academics, Literacy
KIPP Northern California, Oakland, California, United States, 94601
Director Of Academics
The Director of Academics will provide visionary leadership and strategic direction for the academic programs across 23 T-Kindergarten through 12th-grade schools. This individual will ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality education by fostering innovation in curriculum development, instructional practices, and professional development. The Director of Academics will work closely with the Managing Director of Academics, managing directors of schools, the Chief of Schools, the Deputy Chief of Schools, school leaders, APs, teachers, and stakeholders to improve student outcomes and maintain academic excellence. Preferred Qualifications Experience: 4+ years of experience as a school leader or in regional academics leadership role with a school network 3+ years of experience managing others Education: BA Required Master's or Doctorate preferred Qualifications: Master's degree in Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field (Doctorate preferred). Minimum of 10 years of experience in K-12 education, including classroom teaching and school leadership roles. Proven experience in curriculum development, instructional leadership, and data-driven decision-making. Strong understanding of K-12 academic standards, assessments, and instructional best practices. Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. Ability to inspire and motivate educators to achieve high levels of performance. Demonstrated success in managing multiple schools or a large academic program. Key Competencies: Visionary thinking and strategic planning Strong analytical and problem-solving skills Collaborative leadership style Excellent organizational and project management skills High level of cultural competence and commitment to equity in education Knowledge/skills required: A history of building relationships and program execution Relentless about making sure decisions get buttoned up and communication is clear across all stakeholders Ability to facilitate people deftly to decisions and clarity Comfort working both independently and on teams Accustomed to giving and receiving feedback Solution-oriented continuous learner Ability to manage - and even thrive - within ambiguity Decision making, often on the fly, and navigating multiple rounds of stakeholder feedback across multiple levels Key Responsibilities: Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement a cohesive academic strategy across all K-12 schools. Establish short-term and long-term academic goals, ensuring alignment with district-wide objectives. Lead initiatives to enhance curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices to improve student achievement. Sets vision and leads others through development and execution, and supports team members in execution. Synthesizes needs, vision, strategies, and often competing priorities. Curriculum Development and Implementation: Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of curricula in alignment with state and national standards. Ensure consistency and coherence in curriculum delivery across all grade levels. Introduce innovative instructional methods and programs to meet the diverse needs of students. Provide differentiated support, resources, and direction as they build instruction aligned to our Academic Literacy Vision and Core Beliefs, and our regional vision of anti-racist, equitable, academically excellent schools. Serve as resident expert by holding a deep knowledge of the science of reading and literacy content and curriculum, standards, instructional materials, standardized assessments and resources for Foundational Literacy, ELD, and ELA. Have a clear understanding of Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) orientations, practices and applications within the ELA classroom. Support development and implementation of region's vision for a balanced approach to literacy, including the use of curriculum and reading intervention structures and aligned assessments. Support change management of curriculum and assessment. Partner with our multilingual learner team to support integration of explicit language instruction that will meet the needs of all learners. With the Academics team, determine best practices in analyzing student assessment and instructional practice data, with key subgroups in mind, to inform planning and strategic support for all students. Monitor curriculum-based assessments to assess quality of implementation. Support the curation, administration, and analysis of our ELA regional interim assessments, Fishtank curricular assessments, and 5-8 DIBELS assessments, to support strong planning and internalization practices across our region. Support HS ELA and the curation, administration, and analysis of HS ELA curriculum and assessments. Instructional Support: Provide guidance to MDs of schools, principals, and instructional leaders on effective teaching practices. Monitor and support the implementation of evidence-based instructional strategies. Facilitate collaboration among schools to share best practices and resources. Coaching and Professional Development: Increase the impact of our instructional coaches and thus their teachers on student achievement by building relationships with them and coaching them using a combination of the Relay Coaching Model, and Strengths Based adaptive coaching. Coach teachers and leaders in the use of research-based instructional strategies and best practices aligned to regional academic priorities (Lesson Internalization, Observation/feedback, Academic Monitoring, Weekly Data Meetings, and Real Time Coaching). Structure opportunities with School Leader Managers/School Leaders/Assistant Principals/Content Leads to strengthen core pedagogical practices through content meeting Scope and Sequence, walkthrough/observation goals, and initial coaching plans. Plan and facilitate monthly professional learning communities (PLCs) with our High School leaders to support their content and pedagogical development. Plan and lead regional professional development for teachers and leaders on best practices in literacy Instruction and learning, including the use of formative assessments and other data to inform instruction. Support APs in developing grades 9-12 teacher capacity to implement integrated ELD within ELA by identifying language demands in Novel and AP for All lessons and modeling how to embed scaffolds that differentiate for newcomer and expanding/bridging multilingual learners, in alignment with the CA ELD Standards. Partner with APs to analyze high school Novel ELA units for opportunities to elevate academic language and plan responsive language supportssuch as sentence frames, structured interaction, and modeling of academic discoursethat promote both oral and written language development across proficiency levels. Assessment and Data Analysis: Oversee the design and administration of assessment programs to monitor student progress. Analyze academic performance data and generate actionable insights to inform decision-making. Use data to identify areas for improvement and develop targeted intervention strategies. People and Team Management: Manages all Literacy ADs and sometimes Managers, including: performance management, weekly check ins, team meetings, stepbacks, annual planning, ongoing evaluations, and salary negotiations. Develop, hire, and retain staff. Create the culture of the team and maintain its health and success. Manage individuals and the cohesive group. Responsible for HR hiring, onboarding, approval of hours, PTO. Pick up and carry what others cannot, if needed. Fill in for roles on the team when no one is in the role or people are on leave. Professional Development: Design and implement comprehensive professional development programs for teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders. Promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Stay current with educational research and best practices to inform professional learning initiatives. Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with parents, community members, and other stakeholders to support student learning. Serve as the academic representative in district meetings and external partnerships. Communicate academic priorities, progress, and outcomes to all stakeholders. Engages with a wide range of cross-team collaboration: Finance, Accounting, PACT, PACE, KIPP Forward, SPED, Marketing, Development, OPS, Data, Tech, ELO, HR, People Initiatives, Enrollment, All Chiefs, all SLMs, all SLs, the Board, and others Resource Management: Manage the academic department's budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources. Responsible for setting, monitoring, and reconciling the Budget. Responsible for Accounting of team members' expenses and team credit card, and working with the Academics Business wing on invoices, logistics, and ordering. Secure and oversee grants related to academic programs and initiatives. Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal education regulations. Work Environment The Director of Academics, Literacy will primarily work in a district office but will frequently visit schools across the district. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required to attend meetings and events. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence the academic success of thousands of students and lead a dedicated team of educators toward achieving excellence in K-12 education. Physical, Mental, and Environmental Demands Physical: Ability to navigate office and school campuses, and hold meetings in different spaces. Traditionally, much of the day involves sitting. Ability to access and utilize technology. Occasional lifting/carrying of equipment 1-20 lbs. Physical agility to move self in various positions in order to execute duties effectively, which may include kneeling, walking, pushing/pulling, squatting, twisting, turning, bending, stooping and reaching overhead Mental: Stress of deadlines and normal work standards, ability to analyze problems
The Director of Academics will provide visionary leadership and strategic direction for the academic programs across 23 T-Kindergarten through 12th-grade schools. This individual will ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality education by fostering innovation in curriculum development, instructional practices, and professional development. The Director of Academics will work closely with the Managing Director of Academics, managing directors of schools, the Chief of Schools, the Deputy Chief of Schools, school leaders, APs, teachers, and stakeholders to improve student outcomes and maintain academic excellence. Preferred Qualifications Experience: 4+ years of experience as a school leader or in regional academics leadership role with a school network 3+ years of experience managing others Education: BA Required Master's or Doctorate preferred Qualifications: Master's degree in Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field (Doctorate preferred). Minimum of 10 years of experience in K-12 education, including classroom teaching and school leadership roles. Proven experience in curriculum development, instructional leadership, and data-driven decision-making. Strong understanding of K-12 academic standards, assessments, and instructional best practices. Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. Ability to inspire and motivate educators to achieve high levels of performance. Demonstrated success in managing multiple schools or a large academic program. Key Competencies: Visionary thinking and strategic planning Strong analytical and problem-solving skills Collaborative leadership style Excellent organizational and project management skills High level of cultural competence and commitment to equity in education Knowledge/skills required: A history of building relationships and program execution Relentless about making sure decisions get buttoned up and communication is clear across all stakeholders Ability to facilitate people deftly to decisions and clarity Comfort working both independently and on teams Accustomed to giving and receiving feedback Solution-oriented continuous learner Ability to manage - and even thrive - within ambiguity Decision making, often on the fly, and navigating multiple rounds of stakeholder feedback across multiple levels Key Responsibilities: Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement a cohesive academic strategy across all K-12 schools. Establish short-term and long-term academic goals, ensuring alignment with district-wide objectives. Lead initiatives to enhance curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices to improve student achievement. Sets vision and leads others through development and execution, and supports team members in execution. Synthesizes needs, vision, strategies, and often competing priorities. Curriculum Development and Implementation: Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of curricula in alignment with state and national standards. Ensure consistency and coherence in curriculum delivery across all grade levels. Introduce innovative instructional methods and programs to meet the diverse needs of students. Provide differentiated support, resources, and direction as they build instruction aligned to our Academic Literacy Vision and Core Beliefs, and our regional vision of anti-racist, equitable, academically excellent schools. Serve as resident expert by holding a deep knowledge of the science of reading and literacy content and curriculum, standards, instructional materials, standardized assessments and resources for Foundational Literacy, ELD, and ELA. Have a clear understanding of Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) orientations, practices and applications within the ELA classroom. Support development and implementation of region's vision for a balanced approach to literacy, including the use of curriculum and reading intervention structures and aligned assessments. Support change management of curriculum and assessment. Partner with our multilingual learner team to support integration of explicit language instruction that will meet the needs of all learners. With the Academics team, determine best practices in analyzing student assessment and instructional practice data, with key subgroups in mind, to inform planning and strategic support for all students. Monitor curriculum-based assessments to assess quality of implementation. Support the curation, administration, and analysis of our ELA regional interim assessments, Fishtank curricular assessments, and 5-8 DIBELS assessments, to support strong planning and internalization practices across our region. Support HS ELA and the curation, administration, and analysis of HS ELA curriculum and assessments. Instructional Support: Provide guidance to MDs of schools, principals, and instructional leaders on effective teaching practices. Monitor and support the implementation of evidence-based instructional strategies. Facilitate collaboration among schools to share best practices and resources. Coaching and Professional Development: Increase the impact of our instructional coaches and thus their teachers on student achievement by building relationships with them and coaching them using a combination of the Relay Coaching Model, and Strengths Based adaptive coaching. Coach teachers and leaders in the use of research-based instructional strategies and best practices aligned to regional academic priorities (Lesson Internalization, Observation/feedback, Academic Monitoring, Weekly Data Meetings, and Real Time Coaching). Structure opportunities with School Leader Managers/School Leaders/Assistant Principals/Content Leads to strengthen core pedagogical practices through content meeting Scope and Sequence, walkthrough/observation goals, and initial coaching plans. Plan and facilitate monthly professional learning communities (PLCs) with our High School leaders to support their content and pedagogical development. Plan and lead regional professional development for teachers and leaders on best practices in literacy Instruction and learning, including the use of formative assessments and other data to inform instruction. Support APs in developing grades 9-12 teacher capacity to implement integrated ELD within ELA by identifying language demands in Novel and AP for All lessons and modeling how to embed scaffolds that differentiate for newcomer and expanding/bridging multilingual learners, in alignment with the CA ELD Standards. Partner with APs to analyze high school Novel ELA units for opportunities to elevate academic language and plan responsive language supportssuch as sentence frames, structured interaction, and modeling of academic discoursethat promote both oral and written language development across proficiency levels. Assessment and Data Analysis: Oversee the design and administration of assessment programs to monitor student progress. Analyze academic performance data and generate actionable insights to inform decision-making. Use data to identify areas for improvement and develop targeted intervention strategies. People and Team Management: Manages all Literacy ADs and sometimes Managers, including: performance management, weekly check ins, team meetings, stepbacks, annual planning, ongoing evaluations, and salary negotiations. Develop, hire, and retain staff. Create the culture of the team and maintain its health and success. Manage individuals and the cohesive group. Responsible for HR hiring, onboarding, approval of hours, PTO. Pick up and carry what others cannot, if needed. Fill in for roles on the team when no one is in the role or people are on leave. Professional Development: Design and implement comprehensive professional development programs for teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders. Promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Stay current with educational research and best practices to inform professional learning initiatives. Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with parents, community members, and other stakeholders to support student learning. Serve as the academic representative in district meetings and external partnerships. Communicate academic priorities, progress, and outcomes to all stakeholders. Engages with a wide range of cross-team collaboration: Finance, Accounting, PACT, PACE, KIPP Forward, SPED, Marketing, Development, OPS, Data, Tech, ELO, HR, People Initiatives, Enrollment, All Chiefs, all SLMs, all SLs, the Board, and others Resource Management: Manage the academic department's budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources. Responsible for setting, monitoring, and reconciling the Budget. Responsible for Accounting of team members' expenses and team credit card, and working with the Academics Business wing on invoices, logistics, and ordering. Secure and oversee grants related to academic programs and initiatives. Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal education regulations. Work Environment The Director of Academics, Literacy will primarily work in a district office but will frequently visit schools across the district. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required to attend meetings and events. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence the academic success of thousands of students and lead a dedicated team of educators toward achieving excellence in K-12 education. Physical, Mental, and Environmental Demands Physical: Ability to navigate office and school campuses, and hold meetings in different spaces. Traditionally, much of the day involves sitting. Ability to access and utilize technology. Occasional lifting/carrying of equipment 1-20 lbs. Physical agility to move self in various positions in order to execute duties effectively, which may include kneeling, walking, pushing/pulling, squatting, twisting, turning, bending, stooping and reaching overhead Mental: Stress of deadlines and normal work standards, ability to analyze problems