Educator Community Specialist

Mass Learning Project

Job Description

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: 
Founded in 2023, Mass Learning Project is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives that is working with the 330+ Massachusetts schools implementing Project Lead The Way (PLTW) programs to ensure that teachers and school leaders have the support they need to deliver classroom experiences of exceptional quality. Mass Learning Project aspires to make PLTW teachers the best supported teachers in the state with the hunger and opportunity to continuously improve the applied learning experiences they offer to students. Mass Learning Project offers robust supports to schools and educators, including grant funding in partnership with the One8 Foundation, implementation guidance, professional learning opportunities, and on-the-ground support. 
 
ABOUT THE POSITION:
The Educator Community Specialist for Mass Learning Project will be responsible for working directly with schools implementing Project Lead The Way (PLTW) programs to provide support needed to deliver classroom experiences of exceptional quality. Educator Community Specialists will play a key role in helping to execute on this objective. This role will be based in a home office, spending the majority of the week traveling to different schools. They will report to the Education Community Director of Mass Learning Project.

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

School-based Support:

  • Managing a caseload of schools to ensure utilization of community supports, including monitoring data, driving registration to and participation in community events, and offering professional supports and learning as needed.
  • Spending ~4 days per week in schools throughout the academic year to identify and understand common strengths and challenges experienced by PLTW teachers. 
  • Onboarding new schools to the community.
  • Building deep relationships with target schools to support program quality and identify and codify best practices to share back to the full community, connecting teachers and school leaders across the network to collaborate and learn from each other.
  • Strategically plan and deliver effective in-person and virtual consultative support to administrators and educators, interacting on an ongoing basis to learn their thoughts on areas of greatest potential for augmented teacher support. 
  • Taking the lead of designing and/or facilitating a community of practice (e.g. teacher PLCs, school participation cohorts).
  • Regularly monitoring data to prioritize and plan for proactive outreach to partners not on target for meeting grant objectives.

Ongoing strategic community support:

  • Identifying and disseminating resources and best practices across schools. 
  • Collaborating with the Mass Learning Project team to identify opportunities to strengthen the ecosystem of teacher supports available for PLTW teachers.
  • Playing a key role in the design and execution of new support opportunities.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS:
The Educator Community Specialist must embody a high standard for excellence, rigor, passion, and commitment, while working alongside teachers to provide the support to drive their ongoing success. Qualified candidates will possess: 
 
  • A minimum of 5 years of K-12 STEM teaching and/or leadership experience with a preference for experience teaching PLTW content.
  • Proven ability to deliver high-quality professional development and coaching to adults.
  • The ability to provide insight and support through classroom observations, identify key themes, and translate findings into specific next steps and opportunities for improvement.
  • Strong creative problem-solving abilities to overcome perceived barriers at both interpersonal and organizational levels.
  • Deep experience collaborating across organizational boundaries and with professionals from different backgrounds.
  • The self-motivation, curiosity and creativity needed to work independently and thrive in a start-up organization with an all-hands mentality. 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail.
  • Bachelor’s degree (required); MA preferred.
 
LOCATION:  Massachusetts 
 
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Mass Learning Project is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives and offers a competitive benefits package along with a commitment to your individual growth and development. Target salary for this position is $90,000 to $110,000, commensurate with experience. Please send your resume and a short statement indicating your interest in this position to Christine.schepeler@masslearning.org.