Reports to: Executive Director of STEM
Location: City-wide
POSITION OVERVIEW:The STEM Program Director resides in the Office of Teaching and Learning within the Boston Public Schools, reporting to the Executive Director of STEM. The STEM Program Director is responsible for providing world-class, practice-changing professional learning to schools. This is done by providing curricular guidance through pacing, training, coaching, and modeling while collaborating with regional teams consisting of the regional superintendents, core academics, coaches, liaisons, and school leadership to advance equity within the Boston Public Schools. The Program Director is a crucial member of the STEM department who promotes the mission of sustaining and inclusionary practices. The STEM Program Director will work closely with all departments for the successful implementation of high quality instructional materials (HQIM) in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics.
The position will have a particular emphasis on problem-solving for and providing district-wide, regional/school-specific responses. The Program Director is expected to have knowledge of and experience with high-quality instructional materials ( HQIM ) that directly impact our 3-6 elementary grades or 7-12 secondary grades of the Boston Public Schools. Candidates should possess an in-depth knowledge of the STE, Computer Science, & Mathematics MA frameworks, the BPS Equitable Literacy framework, and the standards for STEM practice. Candidates should be prepared to collaborate meaningfully with colleagues in central office departments, school and regional administrators, teachers, teacher leaders, instructional coaches, families, and outside partners to strengthen STEM teaching and learning for all students in all schools. This role will focus on ensuring all students receive access to a meaningful STEM curriculum to build strong problem solving, critical thinking, & Design Thinking skills, and graduate from high school well-prepared for college, career, and life.
Provide World-Class, Practice-Changing Professional Learning - Support teachers in the effective implementation of research-based instructional practices using standards-aligned instructional materials to improve student outcomes;
- Develop and provide professional development to support the improvement of core instruction and the implementation of the STEM Frameworks;
- Create, curate, or identify professional development tools and resources that support the consistent implementation of aligned curriculum materials, research-based instructional practices, and formative assessments in order to address the integrity of core content and the expectations of the STEM Frameworks;
- Design and provide professional development for teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators to support the use of tools and resources identified to strengthen STEM teaching and learning;
- Create, curate, or identify tools and resources that articulate and highlight system-wide priorities and policies for educational and professional learning as they relate to STEM instruction;
Ensure student access to standards-aligned, essentials-informed curriculum. - Develop processes and practices for monitoring the implementation of the instructional tools and resources and any accompanying professional development;
- Support efforts of the Office of Teaching & Learning by creating, curating, or identifying tools and resources to support system-wide priorities and policies as they relate to STEM, including the implementation of the STEM Frameworks and the BPS Essentials for Instructional Equity;
- Create, curate, or identify curricular resources and tools to support full alignment to the STEM Frameworks and monitor the use of these resources and tools;
- Develop, implement, and communicate supports that enable the supervision and evaluation of STEM instruction in schools to ensure continuity from pre-kindergarten through graduation;
- Participate in classroom and school visits focused on effective standards-aligned instructional practices in STEM, review data on student performance in STEM, and provide teachers and administrators with next steps to strengthen STEM teaching and learning;
Advance systems of collaboration across BPS, the Division of Academics & T&L - Proactively and consistently respond to classroom, school, and network needs
- Creatively, relentlessly problem-solve and trouble-shoot
- Communicate early and often with and coordinate across offices
- Commit to excellence and deliver consistently
- Create meaningful, trusting partnerships between school based teams and central office
QUALIFICATIONS - REQUIRED: - Masters Degree in Education
- Massachusetts license Science 5-12, Computer Science
- Supervisor/Director - Core (STEM) or Administration license
- A minimum of 3+ years STEM teaching experience
- Outstanding presentation and facilitation skills.
- Demonstrated leadership qualities, interpersonal skills, and personal characteristics necessary for working effectively with students, teachers, administrators, and families.
- Must believe that all students have the capacity to achieve proficiency in STEM.
- Knowledge of equitable teaching practices that provide access, support the development of STEM agency, and build strong STEM identities.
- Ability to work under tight deadlines achieving goals successfully as required.
- Growth mindset and high degree of cultural competence.
- Must have excellent analytical skills as well as oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to retrieve and analyze large quantities of data from multiple resources, review and integrate data analysis, and create reports for various audiences.
- Excellent technology skills (e.g., Google Classroom, Excel)
- Detailed oriented, effective organizational skills, and ability to coordinate and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.
- Ability to work effectively and efficiently individually and in a team oriented, fast paced environment both within the department and across departments.
- Required to work 208 days/year.
- Current authorization to work in the United States.
- An understanding of and commitment to gain greater understanding of what is necessary for an urban school system to enjoy continuous improvement in an increasingly complex and competitive environment.
- A deeply held and unyielding belief in the overarching mission of public education.
QUALIFICATIONS - PREFERRED: - Degree in Computer Science, Sciences, or Mathematics
- Familiarity with Boston and Boston Public Schools
- BPS values linguistic diversity and believes that candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity. BPS is particularly interested in candidates who are fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, or Somali.
- In order to best serve all students, BPS prefers all core content teachers to be certified in their subject area and one or both of the following: Moderate Disabilities, English as a Second Language (at the appropriate grade level(s)).
- Special education license, experience and/or expertise.
Terms: BASAS 9A
