Middle School Humanities Academic Director (Immediate)

Middle School Humanities Academic Director, Brooklyn, New York

In-Person Work Required
This is an exempt position and is not eligible for overtime.

WHO WE ARE
Explore Schools is a network of public charter schools providing 1,700 students in Brooklyn with the outstanding education they deserve. Our goal is to provide students with curriculum and instruction that is both standards-aligned and culturally responsive. Our approach is designed to provide the conditions that nurture students as critical thinkers and natural problem-solvers.  As an organization we are committed to engaging in work that disrupts and roots out systems and structures that perpetuate white supremacy. We intentionally seek to build and maintain a diverse and talented team that reflects the backgrounds and experiences of our students and creates an inclusive environment for all employees.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

We believe that all children can learn when immersed in a rich environment full of high expectations, rigorous academics, and caring, committed adults. We believe equity and excellence are not mutually exclusive—we can meet the needs of all students in our schools, while actively engaging parents and driving toward excellent academic results. We believe it is both our privilege and responsibility to help close the opportunity gap in the Brooklyn community.

WHO YOU ARE

Explore Schools seeks an experienced educational leader who demonstrates a drive toward excellence and is passionate about serving all students. The ideal candidate is an outstanding leader and manager of adults, who believes and invests in developing talent, while possessing a strong understanding of academic rigor and effective instruction. Successful Academic Directors creatively and relentlessly implement the right solutions to ensure that all of our students have the tools they need to attend a college preparatory high school and beyond. Additionally, you possess the following qualities: 

• Dedicated to working in communities that have historically been underserved and under-resourced 

• Committed to thoughtfully engaging in identity work necessary to take a culturally responsive approach to pedagogy and relationship-building with students and colleagues 

• Exceptional strategic planning, prioritization, and execution skills 

• Strong communicator and culture and relationship-builder who actively engages and builds partnerships with families, staff, and students 

• Outstanding ELA and Social Studies content knowledge throughout grades 6-8 

• Demonstrated experience using data to set goals, measure success and achieve exceptional results with students 

• 4+ years of teaching experience, with experience coaching and/or managing adults required 

• Bachelor’s degree required 

• A master’s degree and administrative certification preferred 

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Middle School Academic Directors are directly responsible for the coaching, growth, and evaluation of the teachers they supervise. Working closely and reporting to the school Principal, you will be expected to manage the following daily:

Leadership & Talent Management 

• Manages & supervises approximately 12 teachers across content areas, including regular coaching cycles, setting and reflecting on termly teacher development goals, the teacher evaluation, and, when necessary, the performance improvement process 

• Coaches teachers through observation, feedback, co-teaching, real-time coaching, and lesson planning review 

• Collaborates with the leadership team to identify academic priorities, set measurable goals to achieve priorities, and monitor progress towards goals 

• Plans and leads PLCs, grade level, and/or content teams focused on intellectual preparation of standards-aligned content, reviewing student work and data to inform teaching, and identifying instruction, culture, and operations needs 

• Collaborates with ESI and cross-network colleagues to lead programmatic and curricular implementation at your school and to support network-wide professional development days 

• Participates in the recruitment, selection and retention of staff 

• Consistently models Explore’s operating values in both written and verbal interactions with all members of our community 

• Actively engages in identity work and necessary conversations to dismantle white supremacy culture

Instructional Delivery and Student Support 

• Leads instructional initiatives as designated by the Principal by providing academic support to students and small groups, including direct instruction as needed 

• Collaborates with the culture team to provide support and training to teachers around behavioral systems and culturally-relevant practices and with special populations leader to ensure all support services, related services and intervention needs of students are being met, including, but not limited to family communication, MTSS/RTI coordination and teacher oversight 

• Oversees teacher-family connections, ensuring that direct reports are communicating, and being responsive to, families around academic and behavioral priorities 

• Analyze school-wide and grade level data regularly in order to design responsive student interventions 

• Plans and leads instructional, non-classroom, initiatives such as family events/meetings, tutoring, after-school clubs and field trips 

Additional Responsibilities: 

• Assist with non-instructional supervision of students, such as arrival/dismissal, hallway monitoring, lunch & playground duty, or supervision/planning of extracurricular activities, and in the event of an emergency 

• Contribute to the overall success of the school and the network by welcoming related, different, and new requests; remaining aware of the demands on others; volunteering to help without being asked; keeping track of approaching deadlines and improving processes

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Explore Schools staff members receive a competitive salary, paid time off including network shutdown days, considerable matching of retirement contributions, and more.

• The salary range for incoming Academic Directors is $100,000 - $125,000. This is our good faith range at the time of posting.
• Incoming salaries are determined based on experience and internal equity.
• Because we value staff members staying in their roles over time, we do not currently cap salary ranges and this is the range for incoming staff members only.
• This is base salary and does not include additional compensation opportunities, such as signing bonuses, additional time worked pay, stipends, leadership opportunities, and additional pay for specialized certifications and advanced degrees.

Additionally, you can expect:

• A comprehensive benefits plan, covering up to 95% of the cost for employees and their families. Other benefits include dental and vision plans, employer paid disability and life insurance, parental leave benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time and paid holidays, professional development, continuing education scholarships, referral bonuses, employee assistance program (EAP), childcare assistance, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching, and more!
• Flexible and reflective leadership: dedicated to staff development, team cohesion, and shared responsibility for decision-making, development, and team-wide priorities
• Driven and passionate colleagues who contribute to a professional and collaborative work environment
• Opportunities to sit on various committees and participate in initiatives central to key organizational decisions and strategic planning
• Our school-based staff also receive:
• Professional development: weekly PD, year-round retreats and trainings, and ongoing coaching by professionals
• Continued education support: staff are eligible to receive scholarship funds towards qualifying certification costs or higher education tuition

LOCATION AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Explore Schools is a network of 6 charter schools located in Canarsie, Crown Heights, and Flatbush communities of Brooklyn, NY. Our schools are currently operating fully in-person. For this position:

• In-person work is required
• This is an exempt position and is not eligible for overtime.
• The standard workweek is 45 hours, though at times you may work more.
• This role requires that you be able to stand for at least 5 hours a day, take multiple trips up and down the stairs in a day, and be able to move quickly in an emergency.
• This role also requires that you be able to lift up to 15 pounds.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

As discussed in our Who We Are section, Explore Schools is an equal opportunity employer. It is important to us that all staff members have a place of employment that is free of discrimination of all kinds and where staff can bring their authentic selves to work. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran, or military status. If any employee or applicant believes they have been discriminated against, they should let Tiffany Williams know immediately.