Specialist, Head Start Early Childhood Professional Learning

Position Overview

The Office of Schools is responsible for effective management, operation and achievement of schools and provides leadership to principals, administrators, and teachers to ensure academic excellence for all students.

Divisions/Teams

• Instructional Superintendents : are responsible for managing (1) the leadership of their assigned schools, (2) the performance of their assigned schools, and (3) the operations of their assigned schools. The core focus of the Instructional Superintendents is to ensure that high-quality instruction is delivered in their schools, by continually assessing the quality of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the school level.
• Early Stages: works exclusively with children ages 2 years 8 months through 5 years 10 months and is responsible for meeting the District’s obligation under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (619) to develop a comprehensive child find system to identify and locate all preschool-age children in the District who have a disability. The core aspects of this work include: (1) a public awareness campaign, (2) citywide developmental screening initiatives, (3) a referral and intake system, (4) the special education evaluation/eligibility process, (5) the transition process from Part C Early Intervention and (6) interagency partnerships with government and nonprofit agencies, (7) data management to determine which children have been identified and are receiving services.
• Early Childhood Education (ECE): works to support the provision of high-quality early education services that prepare children for kindergarten entry and later school success. Approximately 6,000 children ages three to five attend early childhood classrooms in 78 elementary schools across the district, including several schools that offer Head Start programming.

The Specialist, Head Start Early Childhood Professional Learning has a unique opportunity to shape the content, ongoing development, and implementation of LEAP, a school-based model for professional development. The Specialist supports the design and implementation of the professional development experiences for teachers and school leaders to support best practices in early childhood education and is responsible for leading early childhood collaborative learning teams at select schools. The LEAP model for all Early Childhood Education teachers focuses on the creation of ECE content-specific learning communities that engage in cycles of planning, content knowledge development, formative observations, and child work evidence analysis – all tied to the ECE curriculum implemented at the school. The Specialist will be assigned to select schools and will function as the ECE LEAP leader in those schools, supporting all PK teachers, including early childhood generalists and early childhood special educators, within those schools.

This position is a safety-sensitive position. As a result, throughout employment this position will be subject to the Employee Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy.

The Specialist, Head Start Early Childhood Professional Learning will report to the Manager, Head Start Education and Disabilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Leads weekly cycles of planning, content knowledge development, formative observations, and child and teacher evidence analysis tied to the DCPS-ECE content, curriculum, and LEAP framework.

• Works collaboratively with teachers to consistently analyze teacher practice through ongoing classroom observations, data analysis, and examination of children’s work.

• Provides clear and direct feedback to teachers based on analysis of practice.

• Develops teachers’ capacity to collect and analyze multiple sources of data to improve child learning.

• Develops a trusting, confidential, and reflective professional partnership with teachers, administrators, and other school-based staff.

• Models research-based instructional approaches.

• Utilizes an assessment process to facilitate a team’s growth and development, analyzing their practice and reviewing student work to inform instruction and provision of challenging and engaging materials.

• Helps teachers see themselves as researchers in the classroom needing to be constantly curious about their students’ development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and three to five years of related work experience.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Head Start Early Learning and Outcomes Framework.
• Two to three years of experience supervising, mentoring, or coaching early childhood educators preferred.
• Understanding of current adult learning theory and experience facilitating group professional development training.
• Pre-K CLASS training and certification preferred.
• Experience working in an urban school setting.
• Understanding of institutional racism and impacts on underserved families in Washington DC.
• Experience working with low-income, culturally and linguistically diverse families.
• Demonstrates a high level of proficiency with data collection, analysis, and presentations.
• Advanced computer skills including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, internet, email.
• Commitment to developing and maintaining relationships with a wide variety of school-based and central-office stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational skills, strategic planning skills, and oral and written communication skills.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST : We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE : We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY : We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE : We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK : We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY : We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.