Humanities Coach Job Category: BTU Type: Full time Positions available: 2 Salary: BTU plus 10% (201 work days) Education: Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees Languages: English; additional languages, especially proficiency in Spanish and Haitian Creole helpful Last day to apply: July 15, 2008 Start Date: August 15, 2008 The Boston Public Schools has recently opened and developed small high schools with a curricular platform that features integrated Humanities courses in place of traditional coursework in English Language Arts and History. In each of the last three years, BPS Humanities schools have received substantial support with respect to the purchasing of new resources, instructional and leadership coaching, curriculum writing and documentation, and a wide array of professional development offerings provided by our partner organizations and our own staff. The role of the Humanities Coach will be to develop a co-taught model Humanities classroom and to assist the other Humanities team members in the ongoing curriculum, professional, and program development in Humanities in our small high schools. The Coach will work directly with the Program Director for Humanities, the other Coaches, Humanities teachers and school leaders in the new small schools, and representatives from our partner organizations and will be supervised by the Program Director for Humanities. Primary Responsibilities Establish a co-taught model Humanities classroom: o Plan and implement lessons for one Humanities class with a full-time Humanities teacher o Meet regularly with the co-teacher to reflect on and refine practice in order to improve outcomes for students o Open classroom to regular visits by other Humanities teachers and school leaders from a variety of schools o Document and refine co-taught curriculum and student work for sharing and publication Support Humanities teachers in two small high schools by: o Assisting with the development of curriculum units, lesson plans, and authentic assessments o Modeling best teaching practices in teachers’ classrooms o Finding and recommending classroom materials o Observing teachers’ practice and providing feedback in the spirit of a “critical friend” o Facilitating and co-planning weekly team meetings after school o Participating in summer planning for the coming school year in each school o Communicating regularly by phone and e-mail with teachers in assigned schools o Participating in the archiving (electronic and paper) of teacher and student work at each school o Helping Humanities teachers develop useful habits, systems, practices, and dispositions Support headmasters and other school leaders involved in Humanities development in small high schools by: o Keeping school leaders informed of teachers’ progress and challenges, as well as the progress and challenges of the school’s Humanities team o Coordinating services with other coaches and support staff, including literacy and history coaches, writing coaches from WriteBoston, Facing History and Ourselves, etc. o Recommending resources and professional development activities for teachers o Participating in the analysis of student achievement data in Humanities over the course of the year and in solutions-based planning and action that results from this analysis Support the development of the Humanities knowledge and resource base of the Boston Public Schools by: o Carefully reflecting on and documenting coaching and teaching work and sharing that documentation with the Program Director for Humanities on a biweekly basis o Contributing substantially to the development and revision of model units of study that will be made available electronically to teachers across the district. Attending and occasionally facilitating monthly meetings of the Team. o Preparing and facilitating workshops for Humanities teachers after school and at the Humanities Summer Institute, both individually and in conjunction with community partners involved in Humanities professional development o Attending regular meetings with the other Humanities Coaches and the Program Director for Humanities. Providing critical friendship to members of this group and keeping the Program Director for Humanities informed of progress and challenges at the school level. Additional Responsibilities Coordinating Humanities materials requests from assigned schools and conveying this information to the Program Director for Humanities Attending professional development workshops and institutes that increase capacity and content knowledge Maintaining accurate records of teacher attendance at afterschool meetings and workshops. Submitting those records a timely way to the Program Director for Humanities so that teachers can be paid agreed-upon stipends Occasionally participating in conversations with BPS Central Office staff to review Humanities development progress Occasionally representing the Boston Public Schools in conversations with others involved in Humanities development nationally Qualifications: Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees Five years’ minimum effective interdisciplinary instruction, preferably in an urban small school setting, including a demonstrated grasp of o various historical eras o literary genres and eras o writing instruction o authentic assessment o interdisciplinary pedagogy o differentiated instruction o instructional technologies o infusion of art and music o adolescent literacy strategies Understanding of and experience with organizational development Facility with MS Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, as well as e-mail, internet, and electronic resources Ability to write clearly, succinctly, and accurately Ability to research and complete data analysis Excellent verbal communication skills Excellent group facilitation skills Excellent organizational skills, including regular and prompt follow-through Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a fast-paced, dynamic team Excellent interpersonal skills, including: o good judgment and discretion in sensitive situations o the ability to convey critical feedback constructively o tolerance and respect in a workplace that is racially, linguistically, ethnically, and sexually diverse o good conflict management skills, especially the capacity to anticipate, prevent, and deescalate conflict o Flexibility and an openness to new learning o Good humor and grace under pressure