Instructional Coach(s), Building 21 Network

Posted by Building 21 on August 17, 2015

Title: Building 21 Network Instructional Coach(s)
Reports To: Chief Instructional Designer
Collaborates With: Allentown and Philadelphia School Principals

Mission: The mission of Building 21 is to empower networks of learners to connect with their passions and build agency to impact their world.

About Building 21:
Building 21 currently partners with the School District of Philadelphia and the Allentown School District to open, oversee and support non-selective, personalized, competency-based high schools. Ferguson, located in North Philadelphia, will include two-hundred and eighty-five (285) first and second year students (9th and 10th graders) and fifteen (15) teachers for the 2015-2016 academic year. Allentown will open with 150 first year students (9th graders) and eleven (11) teachers. Building 21 is looking for experienced instructional leaders to support teachers in Philadelphia and Allentown. Part-time and full-time candidates will be considered and are eligible to apply.
Building 21 is a new secondary model that seeks to facilitate an authentic learning experience that will address the unique social and academic needs of all learners. Building 21 school leaders and faculty carefully construct a robust network of online, offline, individual, small group, large group, skills-based, and applied learning opportunities to more effectively serve students of all types. Most importantly, the Building 21 model will develop teachers and students as expert designers of learning. Students will co-construct their own pathways to graduation through scaffolded choices about how, what and where they learn. Building 21 schools are 1:1 schools with five instructional building blocks:

• Creation of Personalized Learning Pathways
• Passion-based learning
• Problem/project-based learning
• Competency-based instruction and assessment
• Relationship at the foundation

Job Summary:

Instructional coaches will report to the Chief Instructional Designer at the Building 21 Network level and collaborate with school leaders in Allentown and Philadelphia. The overarching goal for the instructional coaches is to support Building 21 faculty to become master teachers in the Building 21 model as defined by the Building 21 Teacher Competencies and to support principals to become expert instructional coaches for teachers as defined by the Principal Competencies. Building 21 Instructional Coaches will:

• Support teachers in design of project-based studios that included a focused, real-world problem frame and culminate in an an authentic exhibition of learning to an authentic audience
• Support teachers in utilizing Building 21 competencies and learning continua (http://competencytoolkit.org) for design of student projects and assessment of student work
• Identify personalized goals for each teacher
• Observe teachers to provide feedback and support on individual goals and overall instruction
• Model lessons when appropriate
• Develop and support school year and summer professional development
• Support principals to become expert instructional coaches for teachers
• Model the philosophy and vision of Building 21
• Provide organized, individual and/or group learning opportunities for teachers as needed.

Instructional coaches will be part of the Building 21 Network team and inform the ongoing iteration of the instructional model for current and future schools.

Qualifications:
All candidates will undergo a rigorous interview process intended to demonstrate alignment to Building 21’s mission, vision and core values.

Minimum qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 8 years of teaching
• Master’s degree preferred
• Prior coaching or teacher leader experience
• Experience with inquiry/project/problem-based learning
• Experience in a secondary urban educational setting
• Facility with integration of technology in an instructional setting

Demonstrated ability to:

• Effectively coach teachers to achieve their individual goals and to improve their instructional practice.
• Be flexible and open-minded with respect to different learning styles of different teachers and school leaders.
• Effectively design, assess and iterate to improve instruction and learning outcomes for students.
• Create personal goals as a coach and then create a plan to measure the progress towards those goals.

Certificates/Licenses:
Secondary certifications in one or more of the following: English, Math, Sciences, Social Studies.

Compensation and Benefits: The Instructional Coach will be an employee of New Venture Fund, Building 21’s non-profit incubator. Salary and benefits will be negotiated based on part-time/full-time status and commensurate with experience.

Applications:

Please submit cover letter and resume at: http://www.b-21.org/now-hiring/
Questions can be emailed to Laura Shubilla at laura@b-21.org