Director of School Support – Ohio
Location: Cleveland, OH (with up to 35% travel)
Position is available: Immediately
WHO WE ARE
Every student deserves opportunities in life, and every educator committed to providing those opportunities, deserves support. Those beliefs drive us to work alongside schools to support great teaching so that we can work towards guaranteeing that all students are receiving high quality instruction. We partner with over 900 schools - both district and charter - in underserved communities around the country, thus impacting more than 330,000 students. Third-party evaluations confirm that when schools have the right basic conditions in place and partner with ANet, they achieve 6-8 months of additional learning over a two-year period compared to schools not partnering with ANet.
At ANet we are committed to living out our core values, both across our organization and with our partner schools. We acknowledge that systemic inequities impact student access to opportunities and that in order to ensure educational equity for all students, we must center on the experiences of those from marginalized communities to guide our work. We work to deepen our understanding of how race, class, power and privilege influence the education system as well as influence our own perspectives. To do so, we provide ongoing learning opportunities through org-wide professional development, affinity groups, working groups, and resource sharing.
Individuals who join ANet have the opportunity to be part of a dynamic, values driven, and team-oriented organization that is committed to having impact in schools by investing in each other and learning together. We were named as The NonProfit Time’s “Best Nonprofits to Work For” and work tirelessly to foster a working environment where the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and identities of our staff members are valued.
THE OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a dynamic and skilled instructional leader to serve as the Director of School Support (DSS) in our Ohio Network. As a DSS, your coaching of school and system leaders will empower them to enact change that sets teachers up for success in the classroom, thus ensuring students receive the educational opportunities they deserve. You will leverage your past experience as an instructional leader to quickly build trust within your partner schools, identify strengths and opportunities, and develop action plans that lead to breakthrough results for kids. You’ll be successful in influencing and motivating our partners because you thrive at marrying humility and assertiveness in everything you do. Your flexibility, team first approach, and commitment to equity will be infectious to everyone you interact with, whether it’s a CAO of a school system, a principal of one of your partner schools, or another DSS on your team. Reporting to the Ohio Executive Director, this individual will also work in a highly collaborative, supportive, and innovative fashion with peer coaches across ANet’s other Networks and national teams.
Cleveland’s school system, the second largest in the state of Ohio, serves 44,000 students, nearly all eligible for free or reduced lunch. Across the district, however, only 58% of 3rd graders are proficient in reading at grade level, and 64% of students graduate high school within 4 years. Still, this is a significant increase from 6 years ago, when Cleveland Metro School District boasted the third highest dropout rate in the country. The growth reflects the bold initiatives the district has taken over the past couple of years, including a strong partnership with high-performing charter schools, a shift in teacher performance ratings, and deep support for underperforming schools. These moves signal an opportunity to bring the local school, district, funder and community leaders together to drive stronger schools for students.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Partner with and coach school leaders to strengthen instruction and increase student achievement
Serve as an instructional leadership coach for school leaders, inspiring and motivating teams, supporting school-wide change management, and building expertise in standards-based and data-driven instruction and teacher development
Develop school leaders and teachers on effective use of real-time data from the ANet interim assessments to target student misunderstandings, to improve teacher practice, and to continually deepen understanding of the rigor of the Common Core standards
Train and coach school leaders and teachers on effective backwards planning using state standards, complex texts, and curricula to achieve student mastery of grade-level content
Analyze student data and use research-based practices to inform an individualized strategy for coaching each school
Serve as a leadership coach for school leaders, partnering with them to overcome barriers to successful data-driven instruction and increased student achievement, including how to develop and leverage school-wide practices and structures to build a culture of achievement that accelerates student impact
Engage in a gradual release of support to build some schools’ independence with teacher development, first by modeling meeting facilitation, then observing and providing coaching and feedback to leaders on their facilitation
Develop a strong network of ANet schools
Connect school leaders with other schools to facilitate best practice sharing
Design and lead professional development sessions for groups of school leaders and teachers
Support the regional leadership in growing the Network by sustaining current school partners and fostering new partnerships
Support internal ANet strength and growth
Develop tools, coaching strategies, and innovative ideas for the organization that improve our ability to coach schools
Serve in internal ANet leadership roles, which could include recruiting and hiring, network event coordination, sales, professional development planning and facilitation, and strategy development
WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU BRING
In order to be successful in this role, candidates must demonstrate the following:
You are energized by roles where no day will be the same, but where instructional excellence is at the heart of everything you do. You know how to get breakthrough results for kids because you have a proven track record of using standards and data to drive instruction.
You have a passionate commitment to and a sense of urgency for the support of schools, along with a belief that all students can achieve at high levels. You believe in the power of formative assessment, coaching, and professional development as critical levers in school improvement.
You bring prior experience managing or coaching other adults (e.g. school leadership, instructional coaching, etc.) and know how to develop and motivate others to drive results, while balancing humility and assertiveness. You thrive off building strong relationships, especially when it comes to building trust and credibility quickly.
You are a learner. You don’t shy away from new or ambiguous situations, but rather dive right in and seek out opportunities to continuously improve your skills and expand your impact on kids, while learning from those around you.
You draw others in. Your ability to read and respond to unspoken and implicit cues, and your engaging presentation skills leave others energized and wanting to know more.
You are motivated by working in an environment where we live out our core values daily. You are eager to examine personal archetypes and biases while discussing topics related to race, class, and privilege which relate to ANet’s Advance Equity and People Matter values, and our work towards becoming an anti-racist organization.
You are excited to partner with schools and systems across the Region and within your portfolio and are therefore willing to travel and have access to a vehicle (mileage will be reimbursed) and/or public transportation in order to do so.
Ideal candidates may also demonstrate the following preferred qualifications:
You bring familiarity implementing the Common Core instructional shifts, as teacher and/or as an instructional coach, specifically in math and/or ELA
You have prior experience coaching teams, leading professional development, and/or managing programs at a district/CMO-level
WHAT WE OFFER
ANet offers highly competitive compensation based on prior experience and qualifications as well as comprehensive benefits in order to best support our people. Benefits we offer include: health, dental and vision insurance where ANet pays 80% of the cost of these benefits for employees and their families/domestic partner; 3 weeks of vacation (4 weeks after two years with ANet); 10 paid holidays with paid days off between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays; a paid floating holiday; paid sick & personal days; paid parental leave; retirement plan options; commuter benefits; tuition reimbursement; flexible spending accounts; short and long-term disability coverage; and basic life and personal accident insurance.
HOW TO APPLY
We are now accepting applications for this position, which will be reviewed on a rolling basis. To apply, please click on the blue “Apply” button. You will then be prompted to complete a brief application and upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter in which you outline why you are interested in working for ANet and how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position.
ANet 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.
