Location: Superintendent's Office

Human Resources
School Inquiry Facilitator

To improve the quality of instruction in the Boston public schools, the Boston Plan for Excellence (BPE), a private non-profit organization, is seeking to hire two experienced facilitators to work with principals and school-based teams of practitioners to implement the work of Accelerating Improvement through Inquiry (AI2). AI2 is a structured, scaffolded approach to systematically accelerate student learning with the ultimate focus of increasing the BPS graduation rate and ensuring that schools are on track for meeting their yearly targets.  Inquiry Facilitators will be BPE employees that work with and report to BPS Assistant Chief Academic Officer.  The Assistant Chief Academic Officer will work in conjunction with the Academic Superintendents to determine the full scope of the facilitators duties and responsibilities for supporting the acceleration of achievement at the schools participating in this initiative.  All final evaluations and performance reviews for the facilitators will be completed jointly by the Assistant Chief Academic Officer and the Academic Superintendents.

Responsibilities

Inquiry Facilitators will support schools AI2 inquiry teams (principal + teachers) to examine and improve instructional practices, decision-making systems, and school policies to improve outcomes for struggling students. Additionally, Inquiry Facilitators will work with principals and the Instructional Leadership Teams (ILT) to engage content area, grade-level teams, and other staff in iterative data-driven cycles of inquiry in which they examine student-level performance, assessment, and other data to identify those who are not on track toward promotion and graduation, develop an hypothesis about why these students are off track, implement changes in classroom and school practices to address students academic and non-academic needs, and assess and collect evidence of the effect of these actions. Specifically, Inquiry Facilitators will support teams in:

o Maintaining a focus on the goals of accelerating student learning and improving the rates of attendance, promotion, and graduation;
o Analyzing student academic and non-academic data and their school systems to design high-leverage interventions;
o Utilize district targets to ascertain progress towards specific benchmarks;
o Building teacher-leaders capacity to conduct and lead inquiry, supporting their development of instructional, inquiry, and leadership skills;
o Designing assessment and data tools to evaluate the effect of teams
 interventions;
o Working with the principal, Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), and others to use existing structures and resources and effective collaborative work practices to ensure coherent implementation of the school's academic vision;
o Examining and adjusting current school practices and policies to complement and support student outcomes;
o Matching resources to teachers and teams professional development needs.

 With other inquiry facilitators, co-construct program curriculum and co-instruct monthly cross-school seminars and annual intensives:
o Providing regular on-site support to individuals and ILTs;
o Ensuring the effective use of action-research as a learning method;
o Ensuring that all assignments, activities, and readings are aligned with and designed to maintain a focus on achieving student outcomes and results

 Provide communication and coordination support to the AI2 initiative *
o Participate in on-going facilitator professional development and targeted skills training;
o Facilitate ongoing communication at BPS and BPE regarding AI2;
o Communicate with BPE staff to keep them informed;
o Coordinate Central Office staff and consultants support to schools;
o Document work and draft reports and proposals to program funders
* With the support of a program associate

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and experience:

 Instructional- or change-coaching experience (preferably at the secondary school level) and ability to facilitate adult learning, make classroom observations, listen, question and act upon teachable moments;
 At least three to five years teaching experience (preferably at the secondary school level); knowledge of curriculum and assessment, effective instructional practices, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and action-research methods;
 Experience as a building administrator with the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with principals, teachers, Central Office staff, and colleagues;
 The ability to write clearly, succinctly and accurately;
 Excellent organizational, analytical, time-management, and presentation skills;
 Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
 Orientation toward results, systems thinking, job-embedded learning, and collaborative, creative problem solving;
 A willingness and desire to work as a member of a team;
 Familiarity with the BPS reform efforts.

BPE Department: School Support Programs
BPS Supervisor: Assistant Chief Academic Officer
Direct Reports: None

At BPE, we strive to maintain an inclusive and diverse work environment, and our team is made stronger by the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives within our staff.

This job description is intended to be general and will evolve over time. The description is subject to periodic updating. At management's discretion, the employee may be assigned different or additional duties from time to time.