application
deadline
open until filled
The
Charles A. Dana Center
at The University of Texas at Austin
Position: Program Coordinator
(higher education math curriculum specialist)
Reports to: Manager of Community College Services
Compensation:
$61,992+ depending on qualifications
Annual budget: $10-12 million annually, projected to grow
The Charles A. Dana Center was founded in 1991 and is now staffed by nearly 80
individuals, including mathematics and science educators, program evaluators, former
school administrators, and experts in professional development, early literacy, and
students living in homelessness. We are nationally recognized for our work in raising
student achievement in K-14 math and science, especially in communities that serve
low-income populations. We do this by providing direct service to schools, districts,
and institutions of higher education; to local, state, and national education leaders;
to professional organizations and nonprofits; and to policy makers and governing
agencies concerned with strengthening American education. We have worked with
90 percent of Texas’s more than 1000 school districts and 50 community colleges,
while also working intensively in over 20 states and in national coalitions to create
significant impact at scale. We are committed to ensuring that the accident of
where a child attends school does not limit the academic opportunities he or she
can pursue.
The Dana Center staff bring a rich collective expertise in teaching, instructional
leadership, administration, curriculum development, evaluation, services to
high-need populations, and policy advocacy. We carry out our work largely
through project-specific teams, which enable us to rapidly iterate through a
design, develop, and review process leading to fast delivery of high-quality
resources and services. We strive for nimbleness and a balance between
evolutionary work – building on what has worked in the past – and
revolutionary work – innovating new solutions to emerging issues.
Our current portfolio of work focuses on four areas:
K–12 System Services
We work with states, districts, and schools to assess local strengths and
challenges, identify appropriate tools, and enact effective strategies to
improve capacity, professional culture, and student achievement. We
help educators and leaders align curriculum, instruction, and assessment
practices to standards and provide coherent, connected supports for
teachers and leaders. Working with partner organizations, we also
convene networks of education leaders to help them stay current with
research and policy developments, learn from each other, and develop
sustainable capacity-building strategies.
employment
opportunity
The Charles A. Dana Center
at The University of Texas at Austin
www.utdanacenter.org
The Charles A. Dana Center
employment opportunity
Tools for Teaching and Learning:
We collaborate with practitioners and recognized experts from across the country to develop
instructional tools and resources that are easy to use, while at the same time robust and powerful. Our
instructional tools address not only the content learning critical to academic achievement, but also
habits of mind that are essential for success in school, work, and life. In collaboration with our education
technology partner, Agile MindTM, we offer a wide range of mathematics and science course programs
spanning grades 6-12.
Higher Education Pathways
We seek to reduce barriers to higher education and improve completion rates by accelerating the
pathways to and through gateway mathematics courses. The higher education work has three major
components: (1) development of research-based math pathways that are tied to programs of study;
(2) development and delivery of high-quality technical assistance for institutions, faculty, and staff; (3)
partnerships to address potential policy barriers to reform and improvement. We are partnering with the
Texas Association of Community Colleges to implement our work at scale across Texas, and are beginning
to develop strategies for implementation in other states.
Public Service Initiatives
While all of our work aims to increase equitable access
to an excellent education, we manage programs
explicitly designed to serve children struggling
with reading (ACE: A Community for Education) and
children living in homelessness (THEO: Texas Homeless
Education Office). ACE provides 100 tutors in 25
schools serving over 2000 K-2 students annually. THEO
provides services to 130 districts across Texas reaching
over 60,000 students.
An ACE tutor at work.
“We must send a clear, unequivocal message to our children
that hard work does pay off—and that part of this payoff is
the unfettered opportunity to continue one’s education and to
pursue one’s dreams.”
— Uri Treisman
Professor of mathematics, professor of public affairs,
and executive director, Charles A. Dana Center
Students make their way to and from classes on "the forty acres," the historical name of the main campus area at The University of Texas.
page 2
The Charles A. Dana Center
employment opportunity
The Position
The Dana Center’s work in higher education focuses on the New Mathways Project (NMP)1. Through this
project, the Dana Center develops tools, resources, and services to support colleges seeking to improve
developmental and gateway mathematics programs. The Dana Center is well-known for its ability to
create tools based on research that educators in the field can implement at scale. We strive to balance
the ideal with the practical.
The Dana Center is committed to developing materials that support pedagogical techniques that
engage students actively in tasks that require problem solving and sense making. This is described
more fully in the Curriculum Design Standards2. The Dana Center also integrates evidence-based
practices to support students to develop the skills, attitudes and mindsets necessary to be independent
learners. Our goal is to develop products and services that will have a positive impact on large numbers
of students. As we say here at the Center, “We don’t do anything small.”
The primary responsibility of the curriculum specialist is to oversee the development of curricular
materials for the NMP mathematics courses3. The curriculum will be developed in an online platform
that allows for interactive components. The curriculum specialist must be able to design and develop
materials that can be used in a wide variety of settings, with diverse student populations and faculty
with a wide range of experience and content and pedagogical knowledge. Challenging features must
be supported through resources for the faculty and students. The curriculum specialist will also work
collaboratively with team members to support the overall project. These activities include development
and delivery of training for faculty, contributing to presentations and publications related to the work,
and outreach to external partners, 4-year colleges and funders.
Priorities:
• Collaborate with faculty and experts in the field to develop learning outcomes and the course outline;
• Recruit, train and oversee authors and reviewers;
• Author and review materials as needed;
• Work with the publisher to design the online elements of the curriculum;
• Edit materials to create a coherent and consistent curriculum;
• Collect student and faculty feedback and data;
• Use feedback and data to inform revision and improvement of materials
1
http://www.utdanacenter.org/higher-education/new-mathways-project/
2
http://www.utdanacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/NMP_curriculum_design_standards_Sept2013.pdf
3
http://www.utdanacenter.org/higher-education/new-mathways-project/new-mathways-project-curricular-materials/
Ideal Candidate Profile
You are attracted to this work because of a strong belief in the ability of all students to learn
mathematics and a commitment to promoting equity and access to education for all students. You
understand the needs of both the students and the faculty who will use the materials. Your experience
includes work with diverse student populations in mathematics courses ranging from developmental
mathematics to Calculus. You combine knowledge about current research and trends in the field with
practical experience. This includes an understanding of curriculum design and pedagogy supported by
strong mathematics content knowledge. You are able to collaborate with others, build consensus and
get work done on short timelines.
page 3
Please see the qualifications section on the back page.
Preferred qualifications
• Ph.D. in Mathematics Education, Mathematics, or Education with mathematics emphasis.
• More than 8 years of combined experience in community college teaching and teaching mathematics in grades 8-16, managing educational projects, and/or working with PK-14 teachers.
• Proven successful experience in faculty leadership including developing and facilitating professional learning opportunities.
• Demonstrated broad knowledge of Texas and national math standards and college-readiness standards.
• Experience working across levels and/or communities, including such experience as working
with higher education faculty and/or school administrators to build mathematics programs
PK-16 or working in business/education coalitions or collaborative endeavors.
Applicants selected for interviews will be asked to submit work samples demonstrating curriculum development skills.
For inquiries
danajobs@austin.utexas.edu
To Apply
http://www.utexas.edu/jobs
posting number: 13-11-11-01-0442
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The University of Texas at Austin is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age,
citizenship status, Vietnam era or special disabled veteran’s status, or sexual orientation. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability accommodations will be provided, as needed.
utdanacenter.org
Required qualifications
• Master's degree in Mathematics Education, Mathematics, or Education with mathematics emphasis or related STEM field.
• Six years of combined experience in classroom teaching in grades 9-14, curriculum
development, and/or supervising or providing technical assistance and support for mathematics teachers or faculty.
• Knowledge of developmental mathematics students and mathematics content.
• Demonstrated experience in curriculum development.
• Demonstrated management and organizational skills, written and oral communication skills.
Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.