Secondary Instructional Coach

Secondary Instructional Coach

Kamaile Academy

HSTA (10-month)

Summary:

The Secondary Instructional Coach is a critical lever in improving student achievement. The role of the coach is to build teacher capacity and their understanding of instructional practices as related to Common Core and Data-Driven Instruction. An instructional coach is a learner who models continuous improvement, lifelong learning, and goes above and beyond to ensure student success. Instructional coaches will promote reflection, provide guidance and structure where needed, and focus on strengths, collaboration and common issues of concern. They are responsible for ensuring high-quality instruction in classrooms through modeling, co-planning, co-teaching and providing feedback to teachers and leading professional development. The instructional coach will demonstrate and model a passion for continuous school improvement and leadership.

*Note: This is NOT a supervisory position and DOES NOT include the evaluation of colleagues.

General Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Resource Provider: The coach will assist teachers with materials, tools, information, etc. to support classroom instruction. The resources provided could be links from the Internet, materials shared from other teachers, research/articles that are relevant to teacher practices or ideas shared from other colleagues.

Data Coach: The coach will serve as the liaison between research and practice, helping teachers learn to improve their practices in a reflective supportive setting. As a data coach, the coach organizes and analyzes school’s data, facilitating conversations among teachers. The coach supports teachers and administrators in using data to improve instruction on all levels.

Curriculum Specialist: The coach supports teachers by helping with the “what” of teaching. He/she helps teachers use national and state standards to plan instruction and assessment. The coach collaborates and supports teachers in using the curriculum to analyze students’ strengths and target areas for improvement.

Instructional Specialist: The coach supports teachers by helping with the “how” of teaching. The coach collaborates with teachers in designing instruction to meet the needs of all students. Multiple instructional strategies/processes are shared with teachers. The coach also coordinates with other specialists in the school to provide a seamless approach to the educational processes in the school, supporting the idea that literacy is a process, not content. The coach must maintain confidentiality and be responsive to the professional growth needs of the teachers.

Mentor: As a mentor, the coach is a critical friend supporting all teachers, both novice and experienced. The coach provides guidance and structure where needed, encouraging relationship building among colleagues. A mentor focuses on teachers’ strengths, collaborating and discussing common issues of concern and is a resource for teachers to brainstorm ideas and concerns.

Classroom Supporter: As a classroom supporter, a coach is a co-planner, a co-teacher, and a feedback provider. The role is varied including co-planning units of study, providing “over the shoulder” coaching, participating in co-team teaching, modeling lessons, encouraging reflective practices, assisting with small group instruction, helping with assessments, co-creating classroom management techniques which support instruction and facilitating after classroom visitation discussions. The coach helps facilitate discussions resulting in the collaborative, reflective, accountable, self-evaluative, and participative practices that support the educational processes of all students and teachers.

Learning Facilitator: As a learning facilitator, a coach helps coordinate and facilitate learning experiences for school staff. A coach engages teachers in inquiry, collaborates with teachers to determine areas of need and together they design ways to address the issues of concern. Coaches coordinate cross-department classroom visitations, organize professional learning communities within and among schools, help manage study groups, design professional development opportunities, arrange lesson study groups, discuss case studies and examine student work. A coach helps provide opportunities for professional growth on all levels.

School Leader: A coach as a school leader assists and may be called to serve on leadership teams within the school. The coach assists in bridging the gap between and among school programs, remaining focused on the school goals. The coach helps to align individual goals and school goals in a non-evaluative way.

A Catalyst for Change: A coach models and facilitates continuous improvement on the classroom and school levels. On many occasions, the coach challenges the status quo, asks questions and facilitates difficult conversations helping to shape the culture of the school. As a catalyst for change, the coach must motivate the teachers and encourage them to “step out of the box,” reinforcing their learning with support. A coach helps teachers retain what they learn through practice and helps teachers transfer/synthesize their learning by co-planning ways to use the information in new settings.

Learner: In the role of learner, the coach models continuous learning. The coach takes initiative and pursues her/his own learning that focuses on her/his work, her/his own need, and the field of education. Coaches reach out to create learning communities both within and outside the school. The coach, as a learner, uses reflection on and of practice, is aware of the needs of the adult learner, understands the learning process, provides opportunities for proactive support, and leads others as they journey toward changing their knowledge, attitudes, skills, aspirations, and behaviors. The coach is a “thought” leader in the school.

Modeling: As teachers observe, instructional coaches teach their classes and demonstrate how the new instructional method or intervention should be taught. In some cases, instructional coaches provide checklists or some other form of observation tool so teachers know to watch for specific teaching behaviors.

Observing classes: Instructional coaches sit in on classes taught by the collaborating teacher to observe the overall progress of the class as well as behaviors related to specific issues raised during the individual coach-teacher conferences.

Feedback-modeling-observing-feedback: The nature of the instructional coaching process allows for continuous communication between instructional coaches and teachers. After the first observation, instructional coaches meet with teachers to discuss how teachers used the intervention. Coaches provide plenty of validation.

Analyzing teachers' needs: Instructional coaches meet with teachers individually at a convenient time for the teacher (such as during as before or after school during prep) to identify the teacher's most pressing needs and to discuss possible research-validated interventions that might help the teacher address those needs.

Collaborating on interventions: Together, instructional coaches and teachers identify interventions that best address the teacher's most pressing need. As an example, an instructional coach and teacher might determine that a graphics device could help the teacher clearly organize and communicate the standards and content that will be taught in a unit. When necessary, instructional coaches and teachers collaborate to develop a plan for using the chosen instructional method.

Minimum Requirements:

• Secondary teaching certification
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience teaching, with a record of successfully impacting student achievement and working successfully with students who have the greatest needs.
• Experience working with secondary students
• Proven ability to work cooperatively and effectively with colleagues, including the ability to create and nurture a professional community of adult learners.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities and strong interpersonal skills, including giving and receiving constructive feedback.
• Proven ability in using student-level data to guide instructional decisions.
• Demonstrated teacher leadership.
• Strong pedagogical knowledge and content expertise.
• Demonstrated expertise in oral and written communication.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Models continual improvement, demonstrates lifelong learning, and applies new learning to help all students achieve.
• Demonstrates evidence of professional growth, including leadership and participation in a wide range of significant professional development activities.

Desired Qualifications:

• Masters or Doctorate degree in Education/Teaching.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $53,873.00 - $97,943.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Salary : $53,873 - $97,943