Humanities Instructional Coach - UPA High School

Job Summary

The Humanities’ Coach is responsible for ensuring highly effective teaching and learning for the 9-12 ELA and Social Studies content grade-band at the building level. Their day to day practice is grounded in the practices consistent with the Student-Centered Coaching Model and professional learning communities. In addition to providing a clear vision for effective teaching and learning, the humanities’ coach will work to articulate the ELA and Social Studies content standards, curriculum, best practices and assessments towards improving overall instructional practice. As stewards of the network vision, pillars and priorities; the humanities’ coach works alongside teachers as well as school leaders to execute the strategic plan, continuously striving for improved outcomes for all students.

Overarching Role Responsibilities in Alignment with the Strategic Plan

• Culture of High Expectations

  • Project-Based Learning:

    • Leverages and supplements the existing curricula to lead teachers in the creation and planning of project-based learning experiences for students

    • Supports teachers in developing structures and habits that facilitate inquiry-based learning and integration of PBL design elements and teaching practices

  • Standards-Based Grading:

    • Works alongside school leadership team to establish and support standards-based grading practices

  • Leadership Development:

    • Centers educational equity and invest in teacher capacity through student-centered coaching cycles

    • Collaborates with content leads to facilitate and monitor planning and data focused PLCs

• College and Career Readiness:

  • Collaborates with School Directors to ensure consistent delivery and implementation of standards-based curriculum

  • Uses and interprets multiple measures to include performance, perception, process and demographic data from classroom, local, and national assessments to inform coaching cycles and develop professional learning experiences for teachers

  • Collaborates with building level teams, Student Development Team and Learning Specialists, to tailor instruction to meet the needs of students with Individualized Education Plans

• Culturally Responsive Teaching

  • Teacher Development:

    • Delivers feedback and navigates difficult, growth-oriented conversations with instructional staff

    • Conducts and tracks student-centered cycles with teachers including planning, observation, feedback, and student work analysis

  • Student-Centered Coaching Model:

    • Provides direct support to content focused teachers and teams on module/unit and lesson planning through modeling and facilitation of effective planning practices

    • Utilizes student data, informal classroom observations, feedback, and coaching techniques to improve teaching and learning

    • Creates structures that enhance building-wide teacher collaboration

  • Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices:

    • Facilitates teacher and leader learning around culturally responsive and restorative instructional practices in service of students’ intellectual safety, critical thinking skills and creativity

    • Uses research -based practices from Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (Zaretta Hammond) to inform coaching work and foster equity and learning independence

  • Curriculum:

    • Shares feedback and provides input on approach to teaching and learning, considering implications for students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the broader community

    • Deepens teacher practice around the ways that culturally responsive framework is embedded in the curriculum

    • Seeks and suggests ways to make the curriculum and instructional delivery more culturally responsive, particularly by amplifying the outstanding attributes, contributions, historical and critical context of African-American people currently and throughout time

• Restorative Community

  • Communicates in a clear, compelling and adaptive manner that builds trust and buy-in of all stakeholders

  • Collaboratively reviews and audits curricula to ensure equity, responsiveness and inclusion for all learners

  • Promotes ways to help staff and students leverage crew structures to drive and celebrate student achievement.

• Recognizes high leverage entry points to interrupt inequities (e.g. curriculum, expectations, instruction)

• Takes a restorative approach in guiding teachers to increased awareness about how historical systems of oppression manifest in schools, classrooms, and educators' behaviors

• Education and Certification

  • Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred

  • 4 or more years teaching experience preferred

  • Requires a valid Michigan teaching certificate

• Experience

  • Proven success at implementing exceptional instructional practices

  • Leadership ability and the capacity to galvanize and motivate others to move towards achieving a common goal

  • Experience working with others to successfully complete multi-faceted projects

  • Experience with leading major initiatives from concept to implementation

• Skills and Mindsets

  • Ability to distill essential findings from analysis, determine root causes, and suggest ways to improve current practices

  • Strong communication skills, verbal and written

  • Strong leadership skills

  • Malleable and growth-oriented

  • Committed to using coaching to push teacher practice and using data to drive change