Posted by: Teach Plus
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
I. Overview of Teach Plus
Mission. The mission of Teach Plus is to improve the achievement of urban children by ensuring that a greater proportion of students have access to excellent, experienced teachers. Half of new teachers leave urban classrooms within three years, just as they are beginning to have the strongest impact on student learning. We give effective teachers a reason to stay. www.teachplus.org
Programs. Teach Plus runs three programs designed to place teacher leaders at the center of reform. These programs include: the Teaching Policy Fellows Program, the T+ Network and T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams. Our programs focus on demonstrably effective teachers in the second stage of their careers (in most cases, years 3 through 10) who want to continue classroom teaching, while also expanding their impact as leaders in their schools and in state and district policy.
Impact. Teach Plus has a track record of ensuring that teacher advocacy results in innovation in schools and districts. Our work has led to:
- Improvements to local teachers' contracts,
- New programming to increase high-need students' access to strong teachers,
- Nationally significant, teacher-led reports, and
- Greater media attention to the voice of the incoming generation of teachers.
In our second full school year of operations, we grew from sixteen founding teachers in Boston to a movement of 5,000 reform-minded teachers in six cities. We currently operate in Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Memphis, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
II. Responsibilities of Director of Research & Knowledge
The Director of Research & Knowledge will work closely with senior leaders in the organization, including the Founder & CEO, President, National Director of Programs, National Director of Policy, and National Director of the T3 Initiative. The individual will collaborate with these leaders to shape the knowledge capture and research agenda for Teach Plus. This agenda will focus on building Teach Plus' capacity for analyzing and sharing with the field what we have learned about identifying and training effective teachers and teacher leaders and building a robust, policy-relevant research agenda. Although the exact scope of the longer term research will evolve over time, the medium-term research of the Director of Research & Knowledge will fall into three categories:
- Enhancing our Partnerships with Districts. Work with our district partners to identify data to enhance internal work (such as recruitment and selection) and measure outcomes of teachers.
- Analyzing the Existing Teach Plus Database. Strengthen our research capacity by mining our own data and share findings nationally through presentations and publications.
- Conducting New Research to Advance the Teaching Profession. Expand our ability to collect data on teachers beyond our current work. Develop the research agenda for Teach Plus.
The Director of Research & Knowledge will be responsible for:
- Charting the research agenda for Teach Plus, both research to be used for internal organizational improvement and research to be shared with the larger education reform community;
- Ensuring that our research agenda yields tangible outcomes that are of value to Teach Plus and the future of the teaching profession;
- Establishing strong relationships and effective partnerships between Teach Plus and partner organizations like national consulting firms, universities, and policy think tanks, as well as state education research departments, among others;
- Working closely with members of the senior leadership team to coordinate across programs and program areas to maximize learning and continually sharpen the direction of the organization;
- Building learning connections across sites to support – when appropriate – Teach Plus expanding from a site-based movement of reform-minded teachers to a national movement with clear connections across sites;
- Serving as a research spokesperson for the organization in both national and local venues by attending and presenting at conferences and publishing.
III. Qualifications
In order to be successful in this role, ideal candidates should have:
- 6+ years in the education research field with a significant portion of that experience in education policy;
- Strong quantitative skills and research design skills and experience;
- Knowledge of statistical analysis software such as SPSS and/or SASS;
- Familiarity with key national education research issues relevant to teachers and teacher policy;
- A deep understanding of national debates on education policy, specifically teacher policy;
- Samples of relevant research;
- The ability to translate research findings into layperson language and understanding;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills;
- Strong project management skills and the initiative to complete tasks independently;
- Willingness to contribute as needed to a growing organization;
- A results‐oriented, goal‐driven, collaborative approach to work;
- A passionate commitment to improving public education by retaining and supporting outstanding teachers in urban schools;
- A doctorate or PhD in research or Education Policy.
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Source: http://www.idealist.org/view/job/33dZWPpc98zMD/
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