SchoolWorks is an educational consulting group whose mission is to build the capacity of educators and educational organizations to advance all aspects of student learning and well-being. We represent a diverse client base including departments of education, school districts, charter school authorizers, charter management organizations, charter schools, district schools, K-12 service providers and foundations, and individual practitioners.
Description:
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) District and School Assistance Unit provides assistance to districts with one or more schools categorized as requiring focused or targeted assistance, as defined by the Massachusetts Accountability System. Two Regional Assistance Teams serve the West-Central and Eastern areas of the state to support identified schools and districts. Team members may serve districts located in more than one region.
These teams provide targeted assistance through a distinct Accelerating Achievement PartnershipModel
that:
Supports districts to identify clear priorities anchored in culturally responsive grade appropriate instruction and sense of belonging;
Targets support in service of those priorities with a particular focus on supporting school and district administrators, instructional leadership teams, the development of highly organized and standards-driven common planning time meetings, formalizing the gathering and use of data, and the adoption and implementation of high-quality instructional materials;
Coaches for Equity in order to operationalize equity and racial equity in schools and districts in the Commonwealth identified by the accountability system as requiring assistance.
The Leadership Consultant is responsible for providing targeted assistance to a caseload of districts (caseloads can evolve based on the total number of districts served annually) based on the region assigned. The Leadership Consultant should model the following competencies: student-centeredness, equity- and racial-equity focused, outcomes and results-oriented, ability to communicate and relate along lines of difference, and willingness to be a continuous learner. The work will include, but not be limited to, focus areas such as school improvement planning and monitoring/reviewing the implementation of actions, using and modeling best practices in data-informed decision making, supporting districts’ and schools’ commitment to equitable practices especially as they relate to disproportionality and historically marginalized students, and providing coaching and technical assistance to schools, LEAs, and/or DESE in support of school improvement planning, implementation, monitoring, and review.
Key Job Responsibilities:
Manage a caseload of assigned districts (caseloads can evolve based on the total number of districts served annually) to identify district instructional priorities which, if addressed, will dramatically improve student achievement and outcomes
Assist districts and schools in reviewing available data, identifying academic and operational priorities, and aligning supports to the needs of partnership schools and LEAs
Support districts and schools by facilitating progress monitoring of student and adult outcomes connected to identified instructional priorities and aligning supports to the needs of partnership schools and LEAs
Partner with district and school instructional leaders to use data, self-assessment, root cause analysis, planning, implementation monitoring, and evidence-based practices to advance improvement efforts
Make midcourse adjustments to assistance models and supports as needed
Support school and district leaders in identifying and implementing improvement strategies aligned to academic outcomes, student experience, and equity
Support districts’ commitment to equity and racial equity by providing support that centers the experiences of historically marginalized students and addresses equity and racial equity detours
Collaborate with DESE staff from other units and offices and external partners to support districts and schools to collect and analyze data, to make connections to resources, and to implement their priorities
Support the development and/or refinement of DESE tools, resources, internal professional learning, and implementation structures related to the Accelerating Achievement Partnership
Desired Knowledge and Skills:
Demonstrate equity and racial equity leadership by centering the experiences of historically marginalized students and addresses equity and racial equity detours
Ability to build strong partnerships with district and school leaders in the state’s lowest performing schools and districts
Demonstrate instructional leadership by possessing a deep mastery of standards-aligned curriculum, instruction, and assessment to ensure all students engage in learning that demonstrates high academic achievement and growth
Ability to communicate in a compelling and adaptive manner to build trust and partnership among internal and external stakeholders; give and receive direct feedback to move adult practice;
Ability to strategically structure conversations that support the development of systems of accountability that ensure school administrators consistently implement research-based practices, analyze implementation, and act to improve instructional quality and student performance, especially around their chosen instructional priorities.
Ability to prioritize effectively to help district and school leaders to center equity and racial equity in their implementation of instructional priorities
Demonstrate collaboration by teaming with colleagues to lead the implementation of improvement work that is backed by research, grounded in data, and directed by the Accelerated Achievement Partnership
Demonstrate high expectations by establishing goals that challenge internal and external stakeholders to accomplish ambitious outcomes for students
Qualifications:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Applicants must have at least (A) five (5) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in educational leadership or administration (B) at least one (1) year must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.
Substitutions:
A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.
A Bachelor’s degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.
A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.
A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.
Candidates hired for this position will be required to travel extensively to schools and districts in either the eastern, central, or western parts of Massachusetts, and must reside within driving distance of the districts they will be serving during regular business hours, in alignment with the telework policy for MA state employees.
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