Professional Learning Specialist

School District of Philadelphia•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The School District of Philadelphia is committed to having schools staffed with great teachers and principals. Professional Learning Specialists are responsible for supporting the continuous development of teachers, principals, and support staff. Professional Learning Specialists design, align, and facilitate, professional learning opportunities for educators throughout the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). Work involves formulating and implementing plans to meet the short-term and long-term needs of the District’s teaching and administrative staff. Work additionally involves determining training and personnel development needs on a learning network, school and individual level. Professional Learning Specialists are tasked with providing high-quality professional growth opportunities that will enhance educators’ leadership, cultural competency, organizational, communication, problem-solving, and outcomes-oriented skills. Their work also involves supporting the District’s curriculum, assessment, and instructional goals. Supports the District, network, and schools in delivering a seamless system of comprehensive support in alignment with the District’s Equity-based Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Model. Works to ensure equitable services to students and expands existing support structure for delivery of all levels of MTSS implementation within schools by collaborating with school administrators, teachers, and support staff to ensure that MTSS is effectively integrated to address the academic, behavioral, and social-motional needs of all students.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in education, curriculum and instruction, reading specialist, administration or a related field.
Five years of full-time, paid, professional teaching experience, which has included working with evidence-based interventions, developing and implementing professional development, and serving as a staff development leader, supervisor, data analyst or principal.
Possession of a valid Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Administrative certificate for K-12 or Elementary and Secondary Principal.
Demonstrated knowledge of: the principles, practices and techniques of pedagogy, academic and behavioral trends ad best practices.
Demonstrated knowledge of: the principles, practices, and techniques of working with children in need of MTSS.
Demonstrated knowledge of: strategies, techniques, and practices used when working with ‘at-risk’ student populations and students in need of enrichment.
Demonstrated knowledge of: the methods and techniques used in effective program planning, design, and administration.
Demonstrated knowledge of: the current educational issues that directly impact the implementation of MTSS.
Demonstrated knowledge of: MTSS processes, interventions, components, protocols, and state mandates/initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to: demonstrate understanding the core curriculum as it relates to academic or behavioral strategies and interventions.
Demonstrated ability to: learn policies and procedures related to student discipline and attendance and its impact on academic learning and progress.
Demonstrated ability to: interpret policies and apply them to individual circumstances and situations appropriately.
Demonstrated ability to: exercise discretion and tact in dealing with sensitive situations.
Demonstrated ability to: maintain necessary records and files, compile information, and prepare reports.
Demonstrated ability to: process multiple tasks simultaneously, adhere to timelines, and bring MTSS cases/intervention plans to completion within a timely manner.
Demonstrated ability to: assess the effectiveness of programmatic activities and make recommendations for modifications as needed.
Demonstrated ability to: plan, develop, and implement professional development workshops on academic interventions.
Demonstrated ability to: evaluate effectiveness of professional development and implement changes as needed.
Demonstrated ability to: conduct research and analyze data to inform district, network, and school supports.
Demonstrated ability to: gather, track, and use data to drive decision-making and create detailed reports.
Demonstrated ability to: maintain records and prepare reports.
Demonstrated ability to: develop and facilitate presentations.
Demonstrated ability to: use a computer/laptop for daily work functions.
Demonstrated ability to: understand and follow oral or written directions.
Demonstrated ability to: communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
Demonstrated ability to: effectively use Google Drive including documents, sheets, slides, and forms to develop and share content and presentations.
Demonstrated ability to: collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to: establish and maintain effective working relationships.

Responsibilities

Designs and facilitates professional learning and development sessions and courses on a variety of topics to support the designated programmatic framework.
Conducts professional learning and development sessions by learning network, grade band, and school type to bolster educator effectiveness and student progress.
Research new trends in education in an effort to keep staff aligned with the Pedagogical shifts and SDP instructional practices.
Thoughtfully creates customized professional learning modules for educators.
Support District initiatives.
Leads content programming, logistics, and communication for large-scale District-wide professional learning programming.
Coaches leadership teams, teacher leaders, and teachers in the implementation of professional learning.
Develops plans for measuring the impact of professional learning; creates tools for collecting data; analyzes that data to make in-year and end of year programmatic decisions.
Hires and develops part-time employees who support facilitation and logistics in District-wide programming.
Utilizes extensive knowledge of the MTSS process, content-based instructional supports and evidence-based instructional strategies, and the District’s expectations and frameworks related to learning outcomes in day-to-day functions.
Coaches school-level teams and provides support for effective team functioning.
Maintains communication from the central office to networks and schools and connects the team to necessary resources for successful implementation of MTSS.
Conducts school visits and consistently monitors MTSS implementation, intervention data, and instructional programs to ensure timely, appropriate support across all tiers.
Makes data-driven recommendations and monitors school-based MTSS team meetings to support effective interventions.
Monitors MTSS programming to ensure students receive timely and appropriate support in Tiers 1, 2, & 3.
Ensures that the tiered supports comply with the District’s framework, policies, procedures, and mandated guidelines.
Develops, designs, and delivers professional development on MTSS and procedures for central and academic division offices, principals, leadership teams, and school staff.
Assesses individual school MTSS team functionality and makes recommendations for improvement.
Monitors the meetings of the school-based MTSS teams; supports the teams by offering tools to assist in such areas as strategic interventions, development of student plans, and progress monitoring; ensures the teams are utilizing the data for informed decision-making.
Assists in developing and implementing the school-specific MTSS plan at targeted sites; assists in establishing staff buy-in and databased decision-making.
Coordinates data and analyzes reports, ensures the dissemination of program outcomes and effects; implements and supports the use of data-based decision-making, and provides technical assistance and facilitation of data management systems.
Prepares a variety of reports and documentation on MTSS initiatives and supports the central office MTSS leadership team in developing a plan of action related to the data.
Acts as a liaison between schools, and learning networks, and collaborates with applicable central office staff to ensure consistent communication and fidelity of the SDP Equity-based MTSS Framework, including facilitating the flow of information, sharing best practices, and addressing challenges in implementation; helps bridge gaps between all stakeholders, ensuring that MTSS resources, training, and data are effectively shared and utilized across all levels of the district.
May participate in the review and/or preparation of grant proposals, reports, and other required documentation as needed.
May develop and participate in the RFP/RFQ and Action Item process as related to MTSS.