Education Specialist

This position promotes the school readiness of children by providing direction for all program services related to education, including curriculum, program planning, development and training, and serving as a resource specialist for program staff. This position participates in teaching staff orientation, mentoring and helps plan, provide, facilitate, and implement professional learning. This position supervises Instructional Coaching staff and Professional Development Coordinator. This position also analyzes data for goal setting and ongoing monitoring. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:    Other duties as related to the job may be assigned. 

• Responsible for full implementation of education and child development program services to ensure compliance with internal and external policies and standards, including Head Start Program Performance Standards, Head Start Act of 2007, Great Start Implementation Manual, Child Care Licensing Rules, and other pertinent standards; 

• Develop and maintain knowledge of research-based developmentally appropriate best practices and resources in early childhood education, curricula, and disseminate such knowledge by providing ongoing quality assistance to staff; 

• Provide guidance and support to staff with implementation of curriculum/individualization plans and ongoing assessments; 

• Assist in maintaining good school-community relationships; Collaborate as a member in committees related to curricula areas. 

• Review and assess component activities and interrelationships with other components; identify possible solutions for problems and makes recommendations; professionally interact with co-workers, staff, and parents; 

• Support classroom and program monitoring through site visits, classroom observations, review of electronic records, and work groups.  Help assess classroom and program needs and assist with planning strategies for system/process improvement and/or professional learning in the areas of early childhood education; 

• Assist in the development and implementation of training for staff and parents to support home to school connection; 

• Provide training, supervision and management of Instructional Coaches based on the Practice Based Coaching Model and Professional Development Coordinator; 

• Develop and maintain policies and procedures, schedules and timelines for content area in accordance with funding requirements; 

• Review and analyze child outcomes data; recommend and implement continuous program improvement strategies based on school readiness goals; 

• Perform record keeping and internal and external reporting tasks for various reports in a timely and objective fashion; Prepare and submit information for Program Information Report (PIR), monthly, quarterly, and annual reports; 

• Assume the role in absence of an Instructional Coach or Professional Development Coordinator; 
• Conduct small group mentoring meetings for teaching staff to reflect on and apply, developmentally appropriate best practices, assessments, and everyday tasks. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

This position supervises coaching staff.     

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.