Chief Academic Officer

Position Overview: The Pawtucket School Department seeks an accomplished instructional leader to serve as Chief Academic Officer (CAO) and chief architect of the district's Teaching & Learning system. Reporting directly to the Superintendent, the CAO serves as the Superintendent's senior academic leader and is accountable for establishing and driving a coherent districtwide academic strategy that defines what students should learn, what high-quality instruction should look like, how educators are supported to deliver it, and how the district determines whether its strategy is producing improved outcomes for students. The CAO leads PSD's Office of Teaching & Learning and ensures coherence across curriculum and instruction, multilingual learner education, Special Education instructional programming, professional learning and talent development, elementary literacy, career and technical education/applied learning, academic assessment and instructional data use, Tier 1 instruction, and MTSS instructional strategy. Directors and specialists within Teaching & Learning retain substantive responsibility for leading and executing their respective areas of expertise. The CAO works in close partnership with School Performance leadership and the Assistant Superintendent to ensure alignment among academic strategy, school implementation, people, resources, programs, grants, policy, compliance, and districtwide priorities. Core Responsibilities: 1. Serve as Chief Architect of PSD's Academic Strategy • Own and lead the development, implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of PSD's districtwide academic strategy. • Translate the district strategic plan and student achievement goals into a limited number of clearly articulated instructional priorities and associated teacher and instructional-leader actions. • Establish a coherent PreK-12 vision for rigorous, standards-aligned Tier 1 instruction and academic improvement. • Ensure academic initiatives operate as parts of one strategy rather than as disconnected programs. • Regularly assess whether the academic strategy is producing intended changes in adult practice, instructional quality, and student outcomes. • Serve as the Superintendent's principal advisor on teaching, learning, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and academic improvement. • Perform additional duties as requested by the Superintendent. 2. Lead and Strengthen the Office of Teaching & Learning • Lead a unified Teaching & Learning Office with clear roles, decision rights, operating routines, and measures of success. • Provide leadership, coordination, and supervision for Curriculum & Instruction, Multilingual Learner Education, Special Education instructional programming, Talent Development/Professional Learning, CTE/Applied Learning, elementary literacy and instruction, academic assessment and instructional data use, and other academic/content functions assigned by the Superintendent. • Develop the leadership capacity of directors and specialists while holding each function accountable for executing the district's academic strategy. • Build structures that promote clear ownership, collaboration, continuity, and disciplined follow-through across academic functions. 3. Establish Academic Leadership and Organizational Alignment • Establish the district's academic strategy, priorities, instructional expectations, and accountability framework. • Partner with the Director of Curriculum, who leads curriculum systems, HQCM alignment, curriculum resources, and curriculum implementation infrastructure necessary to execute the district strategy. • Ensure specialized leaders retain ownership of their programs, expertise, services, and applicable compliance responsibilities while operating within the districtwide academic strategy. • Create clear decision rights so leaders throughout the district understand ownership for strategy, implementation, support, monitoring, and response. 4. Integrate MLL and Special Education Into the Academic Core • Ensure multilingual learner education and Special Education instructional programming are integral components of PSD's academic strategy. • Ensure multilingual learners and students with disabilities have meaningful access to rigorous Tier 1 curriculum, HQCM, and high-quality instruction. • Establish shared planning, professional learning, and progress-monitoring routines across Curriculum, MLL, Special Education, and school leadership. • Preserve clear departmental accountability for specialized services, statutory responsibilities, and compliance while integrating instructional practice into the districtwide academic strategy. 5. Build a Coherent Professional Learning and Talent Development Strategy • Establish districtwide academic professional learning priorities aligned to PSD's academic strategy, curriculum implementation, student needs, and observed instructional practice. • Oversee alignment of Talent Development/Professional Learning to district academic priorities while ensuring the Talent Development Coordinator leads planning, coordination, delivery infrastructure, and implementation support. • Coordinate academic departments and School Performance around a coherent professional learning system. • Establish measures for determining whether professional learning changes adult practice and contributes to stronger implementation and student outcomes. 6. Connect Teaching & Learning to School Performance • Partner closely with School Performance leadership responsible for principal supervision, school improvement, and implementation accountability. • Establish common instructional expectations, look-fors, calibration routines, and evidence of implementation with School Performance leaders. • Participate in school reviews, instructional walkthroughs, and system calibration processes. • Identify schools requiring differentiated academic support and collaborate on district responses. 7. Lead Academic Performance, Assessment, and Continuous Improvement • Own districtwide monitoring of academic outcomes and the academic response strategy when progress is insufficient. • Establish recurring Teaching & Learning performance reviews and implementation-monitoring routines. • Ensure academic assessment and instructional data systems generate actionable evidence for teachers, school leaders, and district leaders. • Analyze outcomes across schools, grades, subjects, and student groups and move teams from data to diagnosis, instructional response, implementation, and monitoring. • Provide the Superintendent and School Committee with clear assessments of academic progress, challenges, and recommended responses. 8. Align Instructional Resources and Grant-Funded Academic Investments • Partner with the Assistant Superintendent and Federal Programs/Grants leadership to ensure instructional investments, including Title I, CLSD, and other academic grant-funded initiatives, align with district academic priorities and evidence of student need. • Provide academic direction for grant-funded instructional initiatives while Federal Programs/Grants leadership retains responsibility for grant administration, compliance, deadlines, and required coordination. • Coordinate with finance and operations leaders to ensure academic priorities are supported by aligned resources and implementation systems. 9. Ensure PreK-12 Academic Coherence • Ensure Pre-K curriculum, early literacy, instructional expectations, and transition into elementary instruction are integrated into PSD's PreK-12 academic strategy. • Partner with the leader responsible for Pre-K program administration so operational oversight and academic direction remain aligned. • Build coherence across grade spans so early learning, elementary literacy, secondary content, CTE/applied learning, and graduation expectations form a connected academic continuum. 10. Leadership, Partnership, and Communication • Build strong working relationships with school leaders, teachers, central-office departments, families, labor partners, RIDE, and community partners. • Communicate a clear academic vision internally and externally and ensure major initiatives remain aligned to that vision. • Represent PSD in state and regional academic initiatives and technical-assistance partnerships. • Model collaborative leadership, clear accountability, disciplined follow-through, and a student-centered approach to decision-making. Leadership Relationships and Organizational Alignment: The Chief Academic Officer works in close partnership with the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Curriculum, School Performance leadership, and other members of the Senior Leadership Team to ensure coherence between district academic strategy, instructional systems, school implementation, and organizational supports. The CAO establishes and leads the district's academic strategy and instructional priorities. The Director of Curriculum leads the curriculum, HQCM, and implementation systems that operationalize that strategy. School Performance leadership supervises principals and monitors school-level implementation. The Assistant Superintendent retains a significant districtwide leadership portfolio and partners with the CAO where people, resources, programs, grants, policy, compliance, and academic priorities intersect. The CAO reports directly to the Superintendent and serves as the senior leader accountable for the coherence and effectiveness of the district's Teaching & Learning system. Qualifications: Required: • Master's degree in Education, Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, or a closely related field. • Rhode Island District Administrator certification or eligibility for appropriate district-level certification. • Significant successful leadership experience at the school and/or district level, including leadership of academic departments, instructional improvement, or systemwide teaching and learning. • Demonstrated ability to develop and execute an academic strategy across multiple schools and departments. • Demonstrated knowledge of curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional learning, multilingual learner education, Special Education, and continuous improvement. • Experience using student outcomes and implementation evidence to drive organizational and instructional decisions. • Demonstrated ability to establish clear roles, accountability, and cross-functional operating routines. Preferred: • Doctorate in Education or related field. • Experience in an urban or similarly complex school district. • Experience leading large-scale curriculum/HQCM implementation, literacy improvement, school improvement, or academic transformation. • Experience working with state education agencies, federal programs, grants, labor partners, and governance bodies. • Bi-lingual proficiency. Leadership Profile: PSD seeks a systems-oriented instructional leader who can translate academic vision into clear priorities and measurable action; build the capacity of leaders and teams; use evidence to drive continuous improvement; champion rigorous and accessible instruction for every learner; and communicate effectively across schools, departments, governance bodies, labor partners, families, and the community.