Director, Literacy

Company Description

About the Organization

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of tuition-free public charter schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 278 schools, nearly 16,500 educators, and nearly 190,000 students and alumni.

Our mission: Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Our vision: Every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities.

The KIPP Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports KIPP schools across the country. The KIPP Foundation trains and develops outstanding educators to lead KIPP public schools; provides tools, resources and training for excellent teaching and learning; promotes innovation; and facilitates the exchange of insights and ideas across KIPP and other public schools and organizations.

About Our Values: 

Excellent Results for Students: We value results over effort and know that our work is not finished until all students thrive. We maintain high expectations for self, team, and students. We drive outcomes by operating with agility, removing barriers, differentiating support, and prioritizing student-centered solutions—especially for those at the margins.

Collective Impact: We are one team. We win together. We embody a one-team mindset by working collaboratively across teams, aligning goals, and leveraging the strengths of all teammates. We build trust-based relationships and ensure inclusive decision-making by engaging those closest to the work. We provide clarity through simple, repeatable systems and goals that enable transformational outcomes.

Courageous Action: Our belief in what we can achieve is unwavering, fueling our optimism and commitment to overcome any challenge. We demonstrate an unwavering belief in students' potential and ending systemic inequities. We approach challenges with resilience, a solutions-focused mindset, and adaptability. We foster a psychologically safe environment centered on trust and accountability where feedback is encouraged. We leverage data to reflect on progress, own setbacks, celebrate successes, and continuously improve to maximize impact.

Job Description

About The Position

At KIPP, we believe that achieving our mission starts by supporting our students to become strong readers so they can build confidence; learn about themselves, others, and the world; express themselves and ultimately, craft their own future. We believe learning to read isn’t just about academic excellence, it’s about unlocking new worlds, being able to access and reflect on your own history and learning how to advocate for yourself and others. Also, it’s full of joy! As a Director of Literacy, you will partner closely with KIPP regions adopting Novel ELA to create sustaining systems and successful implementation of all One KIPP K-12 literacy initiatives and KIPP Foundation holistic assessment strategy in support of meeting ambitious goals for students. The Director of Literacy is responsible for driving improvement in student outcomes with ongoing proficiency year over year on curriculum embedded assessments and state exams. We believe that regional outcomes are outcomes! The Director of Literacy reports to the Vice President of Literacy and Humanities and is a member of the K-12 Teaching and Learning Team.

Key Responsibilities And Duties

With the Vice President of Literacy, support the implementation of our long-term One KIPP K-12 literacy model with the ambitious goal of 75% of KIPPsters on track for college and ultimately career success.

Curriculum and Assessment

• Maintain and manage the implementation and roll-out of a comprehensive AP-aligned high school curriculum program (Novel ELA) across the KIPP Network.
• Support the effective execution of our One KIPP high school assessment strategy in literacy, including the administration of curriculum embedded assessments, reading proficiency screeners and diagnostics in applicable grades, and college readiness exams, e.g. iReady, AP, ACT, SAT, etc with the goal of 90% completion of all required curriculum embedded assessments in grade 9 and 95% completion results of the iReady reading screener assessment in grade 9 and all new-to-KIPP students across grades 10 – 12.
• Drive improvements in student outcomes on curriculum embedded assessments, benchmark assessments, and state assessments with year over year proficiency gains that lead regions closer to the network wide goal of 75% of KIPPsters on track for college and career success.
• Research and develop instructional coaching tools and resources that support the One KIPP high school curriculum and assessment strategy.
• Participate in and support cross-team advisory, planning, or similar work in support of KIPP Foundation or Network priorities.
  
  

Professional Development

• Support the development of regional and school-based academic leaders across KIPP in acquiring the content knowledge necessary to lead the implementation of high-quality literacy curricula at the high school level.
• Co-design and co-facilitate monthly professional development sessions and community calls for regional and high school academic leaders across the KIPP network with the ambitious goal of 90% representation and attendance from regional academic leaders in all regions implementing Novel ELA in grade 9 and the equally ambitious goals of 90% agree/strongly agree on all PD satisfaction metrics & 90% mastery on all PD objectives. Professional development sessions are rooted in evidence-based practices and include:
• Curriculum Design
• Instructional Coaching
• Rubric Norming
• Assist regional leaders with the strategic planning process that follows professional development.
• Assist regional leaders to develop effective professional learning cycles from planning and execution of professional learning experiences, monitoring of participant learning and reactions, school support and implementation of new learning, to impacts on student outcomes.
  
  

Regional Coaching Support

• Coach regional academic leaders across KIPP in building the technical and adaptive coaching skills necessary to drive strong curriculum implementation and teacher development over time.
• Conduct monthly site visits across KIPP to support regional implementation and alignment with the high school literacy & humanities strategy through classroom observations, rubric evaluations, direct-to-source professional development planning and facilitation, and 6–8-week action planning sessions that focus on both teacher input and student outcome measures.
• Partner directly with a subset of regions to build and/or refine their high school literacy systems (e.g., talent, curriculum and assessment, coaching) so that they create excellent and equitable experiences for all students.
• Lead regular advisory/coaching calls/office hours to support regional partners in developing and executing a program that meets their regional vision and goals in alignment with the KIPP K-12 literacy model, e.g., coaching systems and structures, curriculum and assessment implementation supports, approach to teacher and leader development, etc.
  
  

Qualifications

Key Skills & Mindsets

• Mission & Student Focus: Demonstrates passion and commitment to KIPP’s mission and possesses the desire and ability to uphold KIPP’s core values (Focus on Excellent Results, Collective Impact, and Courageous Action).
• Commitment to Equity and Critical Consciousness: Demonstrates working knowledge that achieving equitable educational outcomes for students and dismantling systems that harm communities begins with self-reflection; continuously exploring our compounded identities, building awareness around interpersonal and institutional dynamics, and, in partnership, cascading changes to enable thriving communities.
• Continuous Learning: Engages in the work of personal development at working, knowing that personal development is ongoing and vital to their personal and professional success; hold themselves accountable to evolving, growing, learning and unlearning in ways that improve results for students, adults, and the larger community.
• Effective Work Management: Sets a clear vision for new or complex bodies of work. Develops and implements agile project plans, navigating difficult situations or conflicts while maintaining effective relationships with all stakeholders; creates and ensures systems are in place for knowledge management.
• Achievement and Outcomes Orientation: Demonstrated record of setting ambitious goals and achieving them with consistency. Invests in developing teammates’ skills and mindsets to address gaps in achieving team growth; determines what quantitative and qualitative data are most relevant to their goals and supports the team in creating and monitoring systems for collecting, reviewing, and acting upon data to drive outcomes; able to monitor progress, communicating status to the right stakeholders and adjusting plans and use of time to ensure systems are yielding desired outcomes.
• Instructional Leadership: Highly skilled and experienced in leading the Internalization and Planning process, conducting Observation/Feedback meeting, providing real-time feedback, leading Weekly Data Meetings, setting academic goals and monitoring progress.
• Instructional Expertise in High School English: Strong Literacy instructional and coaching expertise including deep content knowledge of rigorous English coursework at the high school level, knowledge of culturally relevant teaching practices, and familiarity with current research on supporting older students with unfinished foundational skills instruction; Demonstrated track record of results in advancing student outcomes. Knowledge and skilled in effective professional learning and instructional coaching techniques in the high school setting.
• Subject Matter Expert in Adult Learning: Well versed in adult learning frameworks and tactics; able to design, develop, and implement professional development for diverse adult learners.
  
  

Experience & Qualifications

• Strong emphasis will be placed on this individual’s content knowledge of high school literacy alongside a demonstrated track record of impacting student academic results and in leading and managing major, complex efforts requiring strong process and project management as well as significant stakeholder engagement and management.
• Possesses content expertise in English, ideally K-12, with specific expertise in AP English Language and/or AP English Literature; has deep understanding of research-backed instructional and pedagogical practices for K-12 reading and writing.
• A proactive cultural leader and team player who thrives on collaboration and learning
• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in high school English, experience leading/coaching high school leaders preferred
• Bachelor’s degree required
  
  

Additional Information

Work Conditions

• Travel requirements: 30-40%
• Full-time, exempt role
  
  

Location

It is preferred, but not mandatory for this role to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. This role also offers the option of working from a remote office full-time. KIPP Foundation offices are in NYC and Chicago.

Compensation And Benefits.

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation, or a range thereof, for roles in locations where legally required. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to external market data, internal equity, and relevant experience. The salary range for this position is $120,000-$145,000. In addition, KIPP Foundation provides a variety of benefits to employees, including:

• 25 holidays for 18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for years 3 and 4 and to 28 days for years 5 ).
• 100% paid parental leave
• 100% coverage of the premium for employee and 75% for employee family’s medical/dental/vision plans.
• Wellness benefits such as fitness reimbursements, discounted tickets to theme parks/attractions, backup care support for children and adults/elders, and our employee assistance program
• Finance Security benefits include such as a 401K retirement plan with 4% match, employer-sponsored legal plans, life/disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
  
  

KIPP Foundation embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the students and communities with whom we work and the world that around them. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status or any other category protected by law.