PAY GRADE: 32E

DEADLINE: Open until Filled

CONTEXT OF JOB:

This is a grant funded position.

Under the limited direction of the Director of the Professional Development Center for Educators, the Senior Associate Director will work with PK-12 public, private, and charter schools to provide high quality professional development for teachers, curriculum specialists, and school administrators in literacy teaching and learning. Through offering of workshops, demonstration lessons, coaching, and mentorship, the Senior Associate Director will work to enhance PK-12 English Language Arts teachers' instructional knowledge and pedagogical skills and students' achievement in partnership schools. The Senior Associate Director will manage all staff who specialize in literacy education, including Associate Directors, Instructional Specialists, Limited Term Researchers, and graduate research assistants. Secondarily, the Senior Associate Director will provide support to state departments of education in the theoretical and scholarly foundation for current education initiatives. In Delaware, this includes working with the Literacy Cadre and the Literacy Coalition to support its work in the era of Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts. The Senior Associate Director may also be asked to support Communications and Collaboration Network and the Teaching and Learning and Assessment Units of the Delaware Department of Education to support curriculum adoption and assessment development.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop professional development program that align with current research and aimed at enhancing PK-12 teachers', curriculum specialists, and school administrators' knowledge of and skills for teaching English Language Arts and evaluating literacy education.
• As the starting point for all professional development activities, critically assess and evaluate the effectiveness of prior professional development programs with respect to the specific goals or objectives; determine the evidence that best reflects the achievement of those goals and communicate how that evidence can be gathered in meaningful and scientifically defensible ways.
• Directly focus professional development efforts on enhancing teachers' content knowledge and their pedagogical content knowledge. Include in all professional development: a focus on literacy content and/or pedagogy, research-based instructional practices, active-learning experiences for participants, opportunities to adapt practices to their unique classroom situations, and follow-up support for teachers in their classroom as they implement new knowledge and skills.
• Provide follow-up support in form of coaching teachers in their classrooms and in professional learning communities for the following purposes: (1) support student engagement in practices and activities that enhance their literacy skills, knowledge, and dispositions linked to the Common Core State Standards; (2) work directly with teachers to develop appropriate activities, lessons and unit plans; and (3) conduct observations of teachers in classrooms to assess relevant skills and recommend methods and strategies for increasing student engagement, conceptual understanding and practical competence in English Language Arts.
• Measure and evaluate success of professional development initiatives using five levels of effective professional development: participants' reactions, participants' learning, organization support and change, participants' use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning outcomes.
• Collaborate with educational professionals on grant proposals to secure external funding aimed at supporting improvement in literacy teaching and learning in PK-12 schools.
• Disseminate the work of the PDCE by writing about effective professional development, literacy teaching and learning, and student thinking for publication in both practitioner and research journals.
• Present at research conferences to disseminate research and evaluation of professional development in literacy education.
• Design and facilitate web-based professional development (i.e. webinars, twitter chats) to connect with teachers across the state and to connect local teachers with educators globally.
• Coach teachers, curriculum specialists, and school administrators in activities that enhance students' knowledge and skills linked to the Common Core State Standards; work directly with teachers and curriculum specialists in developing appropriate lesson plans and classroom assessments.
• Participate in development, implementation and maintenance of policies, objectives, short-and long-range planning; develop and implement projects to assist in accomplishment of established goals.
• Manage and mentor PDCE staff who specialize in English Language Arts, including Associate Directors, Instructional Specialists, Limited Term Researchers, post-doctoral scholars, and graduate research assistants with respect to the above stated goals.
• Manage all new and existing PK-12 school partnership contracts related to English Language Arts within the Professional Development Center for Educators.
• Travel overnight and out-of-state for literacy partnerships.
• Assure fidelity of activities to evolving national and state English Language Arts initiatives.
• Serve on state and national literacy-related committees and initiatives.
• Support teachers and curriculum specialists in curriculum revision linked to the Common Core State Standards.
• Teach graduate and undergraduate courses as needed.
• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree with a specialization in literacy and six years of of job-related experience, or an equvalient combination of education and experience. Doctorate degree preferred.
• A minimum of three years of K-12 teaching experience.
• A documented record of grant-writing experience.
• Experience working with teachers to enhance their knowledge and pedagogical skills in the literacy area.
• Competency in current evidenced-based instructional literacy strategies for reading and writing.
• Ability to provide professional development and technical guidance in integrating new strategies and techniques into the PK-12 classroom.
• Ability to solve problems, implement and evaluate solutions.
• Effective organization and communication skills, both oral and written.
• Credibility with PK-12 teachers, curriculum specialists, school administrators, DDOE personnel and national leaders.
• Program planning and management skills.
• Ability to work with a wide variety of educational stakeholders internal and external to the University.
• Supervisory/leadership experience in curriculum development and assessment design.
• Intermediate computer skills with the ability to conduct statistical analyses, write program reports, and prepare professional presentations.
• Collaborative, friendly, supportive personal characteristics, but willing to hold teachers to high standards.
• Accessible, reliable mode of transportation for commuting across the state of Delaware and the region.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer which encourages applications from Minority Group Members, Women, Individuals with Disabilities and Veterans. The University's Notice of Non-Discrimination can be found at http://www.udel.edu/aboutus/legalnotices.html

To apply please click here!