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Director, Continuous Improvement


Location: New York City, NY or Remote

Full-time

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

EL Education is redefining student achievement in diverse communities across the country, ensuring that all students master rigorous content, develop positive character, and produce high-quality work. We create great public schools where they are needed most, inspiring teachers and students to achieve more than they thought possible.

EL Education’s portfolio of instructional materials and coaching services draws on decades of deep partnership with schools and districts in our national school network—those implementing our school model—and in our family of literacy partners—those implementing our Language Arts curriculum.

Based on our founding principles of meaningful work, character, and respect for teachers, EL Education’s offerings transform teaching and learning to promote habits of scholarship and character that lead to high student achievement. In addition to success on standardized tests, EL Education students demonstrate critical thinking, intellectual courage, and emotional resilience; they possess the passion and the capacity to contribute to a better world.

EL Education, a 501c(3) nonprofit, was founded in 1992 by Outward Bound USA in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

For more information, visit ELeducation.org [1]

ABOUT THE POSITION

Throughout its 25-year history, EL Education has been committed to learning from research and on-the -ground experience. More recently we have engaged in multiple continuous improvement projects based on the principles of Continuous Improvement and data-informed short cycles. Now, as we launch our new strategic plan, “Advancing Equity in K-12 Education,” Continuous Improvement for Equity is at the center of the theory of action for achieving equitable, excellent outcomes for all students.

This position provides the opportunity to apply emerging systematic and powerful approaches to solving problems of practice. The Director of Continuous Improvement will also have responsibility for supporting EL Education’s character research agenda, including guiding research projects with internal and external partners, developing measures, and designing innovative methods. EL Education’s definition of “character” includes being an effective learner, an ethical person, and contributing to a better world.

The Director of Continuous Improvement is a core member of the Research Team reporting to the Senior Director of Research.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead EL Education’s continuous improvement work with district and school partners:

  • Lead the Continuous Improvement Initiative of EL Education’s Strategic Plan. Facilitate and guide a cross-departmental team to plan, design, and implement strategy over the next four years.
  • Lead a process that results in an organizational definition of continuous improvement for equity, including how EL Education will carry out continuous improvement for equity with partners and for organizational learning.
  • Apply appropriate systematic continuous improvement methods to efforts to inform EL Education supports and services to increase equitable learning environments and impacts for students, teachers, and leaders.
  • Collaborate with Partner Teams and others to develop and implement strategy to embed continuous improvement deeply, authentically, and fully into our work with schools and districts.
  • Strengthen networks through networked improvement communities aligned with EL Education priorities and resources, in collaboration with other departments.
  • Guide, support, and innovate the design of projects across EL Education that embed continuous improvement to iterate strategy and evaluate impact.
  • Identify factors and strategies that accelerate the adoption and promote sustainability of effective instructional practices and interventions, building on past research.

Conduct research projects and develop new or revised systems to support research, evaluation, and improvement, with a focus on character, equity, and instructional rigor:

  • Lead the development and innovation of the measurement of student and teacher outcomes in network schools, especially as related to character, civic education, and high quality student work.
  • Develop strategies, identify measures, and assist in development of infrastructure for assessment of SEL, Character, and other areas of the EL Education model.
  • Support the improvement of school implementation quality and credentialing systems.
  • Plan, develop, and lead research projects to support EL Education schools and districts.

Build capacity, collaboration, and expertise across the organization, partners, and the larger field:

  • Provide consultation about implementation and improvement science and partner on research projects, including leading quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis.
  • Educate EL Education staff on continuous improvement methodologies and their relation to equity (improvement science, human-centered design, etc.) through webinars, presentations at meetings, documentation, and other means.
  • Develop high quality tools to support wider understanding of the implementation of improvement science for EL Education staff (and partners).
  • Document and share EL Education’s experience and results of continuous improvement, character measurement, and other research activities through case studies, research briefs, podcasts, and other communication vehicles.

Provide organizational leadership and management:

  • Supervise consultants as needed to perform research-related tasks and projects, including development of scope, hiring, and oversight.
  • Supervise research team members as team expands.
  • Provide oversight of staff for specific projects and activities (e.g., Manager, Data and Analytics).
  • Manage multiple projects simultaneously, working with project managers and acting as project manager, with clear goals, responsibilities, timelines, touchpoints, and benchmarks.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

A successful candidate will have:

  • Masters or Doctoral degree in Education with substantial academic work and/or experience in a field relevant to continuous improvement.
  • Strong commitment to educational equity and anti-racism.
  • Knowledge of how systemic racism and individual bias impact learning environments and student outcomes, and ways in which continuous improvement methods can be harnessed to reduce inequities.
  • Experience with continuous improvement methodology.
  • Experience in qualitative and/or quantitative research and measurement, including innovative approaches to measuring social-emotional learning, character, and quality student work.
  • Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and consistent focus on quality.
  • Excellent interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills.
  • Strong project management skills.
  • Ability to communicate research methods and results effectively, including skills in communicating implications of the research for specific audiences.

COMPENSATION

We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience and a wide variety of benefits, including paid-time-off, 403b match, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, and more.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.

Please submit your resume and one page cover letter online (link to EL’s Career Page) [2] in MS Word or PDF format. In your cover letter, identify the position you are applying for and how you heard of the job opening and EL Education.

No phone calls please. EL will respond only to finalist candidates.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY AND COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

EL Education seeks individuals of all backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization and want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort. EL Education provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and prohibits discrimination with respect to the hiring or promotion of individuals, conditions of employment, disciplinary and discharge practices, or any other aspect of employment on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or citizenship status, age, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy and parental status, HIV status, gender identity and expression, status with regard to public assistance, status as a veteran, or physical or mental disability or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision. EOE

VEVRAA Federal Contractor


  1. http://eleducation.org/
  2. http://eleducation.org/about/careers

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