Program Specialist, Charter Schools Office

Posted by School District of Philadelphia on August 22, 2016

Job Summary
The Program Specialist will assist the Charter Schools Office in ongoing, active engagement with and oversight of the 83 charter schools currently operating in the School District of Philadelphia. This engagement will involve collection and evaluation of charter school documents and records, regular school visits and attendance at Board meetings, assessing and following up with schools on conditions and interventions, and supporting dynamic authorizing functions including monitoring, turnaround, and renewal.

Essential Functions

• Evaluates adherence to specific terms and conditions outlined in charter agreements and laws and policies applicable to charter schools as part of annual evaluations, renewal reviews and ongoing monitoring.
• Organizes and conducts informal and formal school visits as part of comprehensive renewal evaluations and during the charter term as needed.
• Attends charter school Board meetings, convenings, and other events.
• Documents and monitors findings and follow-up from school visits and Board meetings.
• Engages charter schools regarding key findings from school visits and attendance at Board meetings.
• Develops, monitors and assesses charter school progress in meeting renewal conditions and any required intervention conditions, engaging schools on outcomes as needed.
• Analyzes and reports on schools’ progress in meeting accountability standards.
• Develops recommendations on charter school outcomes and compliance.
• Support implementation of an intervention system including notices of concern, probationary status, etc.
• Helps develop and disseminate best practices to educate internal and external stakeholders.
• Participates in efforts to promote equity and transparency in charter school operations.
• Support development of school profiles and other information sources to increase the public’s awareness and knowledge of charter school options.
• Support authorizing functions, including annual monitoring, turnaround, renewal, and charter modification.
• Performs other responsibilities within charter monitoring and oversight as required.

Minimum Requirements

Each applicant must have:

• Bachelor’s degree program at an accredited college or university.
• Academic background in the fields of education, public policy, sociology, and/or economics preferred.
• Four years of full-time, paid, professional experience, which has included at least two years of experience working in or with schools and comfort with data analysis and interpretation.
• Experience with school operations and/or a nonprofit Board of Trustees preferred.
  OR
• Any equivalent combination of training and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Talent.
• All work experience related to the position must be included on the resume.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Demonstrated knowledge of:

• Factors that contribute to successful schools and learning environments.
• Different instructional methodologies and factors that drive successful student outcomes.
• Recent empirical research in educational reform.
• School procedures and operations.
• Challenges that arise in a large urban school district.
• Microsoft Office products, including demonstrated prior professional use of Microsoft Excel.
• Familiarity with statistical software packages (STATA, R, SPSS, SAS) preferred.

Demonstrated ability to:

• Assess school quality and performance through various types of evaluations, including academic data, school and classroom observations, and document and policy review.
• Exercise sound judgment and discretion in applying and interpreting policies and procedures.
• Analyze complex problems and create viable solutions.
• Analyze and interpret data related to academic and organizational metrics.
• Make cogent decisions and recommendations.
• Prepare and present written and oral reports.
• Efficiently manage and prioritize multiple responsibilities with concurrent timelines.
• Work with families, students, coworkers, school leaders and staff, and the public from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Operate effectively within a fast-paced and team-oriented environment.
• Communicate and display data sets through multiple avenues and formats

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