Associate Director, Strategic Data and Impact, Districts

 POSITION: Associate Director, Strategic Data and Impact, Districts

LOCATION: Remote location, estimated travel 30% on average

ABOUT EL Education

EL Education is a national nonprofit focused on making lasting change in our K-12 public schools. We partner with schools and districts in urban and rural communities across America to provide a transformative educational experience—steeped in challenge, leadership, and contribution—that prepares students from every background for success in college, careers, and life. Our unique approach of joining character to scholarship, inspiring students to work together to make positive change, has yielded groundbreaking results. Our approach centers on an expanded view of student success—one that integrates growth in the mastery of knowledge and skills, character, and high-quality student work, and is informed by the latest science of how students learn and develop. It is the foundation of our highly rated K-8 Language Arts Curriculum and school design model, both of which have proven through rigorous external research to significantly improve teacher practice and student outcomes.

EL Education has developed a four-year strategic plan, Advancing Equity in K-12 Education, to guide our work over the next four years. We are setting our sights on disrupting education inequities by realizing the full potential of our approach across school systems. We aim to reach 2.5M students by 2025.

EL Education was born out of a collaboration between The Harvard Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound nearly thirty years ago: founded as a break-the-mold model of school design with character and academics at the pinnacle. Our mission is to create classrooms where teachers can fulfill their highest aspirations and students achieve more than they think possible, becoming active contributors to building a better world.

ABOUT THE POSITION

    The Associate Director of Strategic Data and Impact, Districts will help leaders use data-informed improvement strategies to make a dramatic impact on outcomes for thousands of historically underserved students across the country using the EL Education K-8 ELA Curriculum. 

This is an exciting opportunity for a candidate who wants to bridge research with practice, is deeply committed to centering equity in research, has expertise with literacy assessments, possesses an ability to thrive in an environment of creative, innovative adaptation, and has a desire to make a significant contribution to one of the leading K-12 organizations in the U.S.

The Associate Director of Strategic Data and Impact, Districts will report to the Director of Strategic Data and Impact, Districts. 

RESPONSIBILITIES    

As Associate Director of Strategic Data and Impact, Districts, you will:

• Lead measurement and data work with district level partners
• Lead the use of innovative measures of EL Education’s Three Dimensions of Student Achievement (Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character, and High-Quality Work) with our district partners. This includes investigating implementation and scaling of curriculum, lab schools, and network improvement communities across diverse district and network partnerships.
• Contribute to the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data sources to understand student performance and help various stakeholders (EL collaborators, school leaders, district leaders) take action to meet students’ needs and improve outcomes. This includes creating short reports and presentations, attending collaborative meetings, and leading internal and external professional development sessions.
• Support the use of Walkthrough observation tools in the EL Education Dimensions data platform with district partners by helping them calibrate and analyze data to measure implementation in EL Education’s Three Dimensions of Student Achievement (Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character, and High-Quality Work) 
• Support practitioners such as district and school leaders in collecting and analyzing student data to develop and enact progress monitoring plans and engaging in continuous improvement practices to improve student achievement and teacher’s instructional practice.
• Provide thought leadership in systems level measurement and impact evidence
• Contribute to the development of measurement tools for tracking progress towards equitable outcomes on EL Education’s Three Dimensions of Student Achievement -- Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character, and High-Quality Work in the context of implementation of the EL Education ELA Curriculum. 
• Support the development of materials and publications that summarize the research base and the theoretical basis for EL Education approaches to literacy instruction and student learning and contribute to efficacy research efforts that build the evidence base for the EL Education K-8 Language Arts curriculum. 
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, working with project managers and acting as project manager, with clear goals, responsibilities, timelines, touchpoints, and benchmarks

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS 

This position requires a Master’s Degree in Literacy, Evaluation, Learning Science, or a related field, with at least 3 years experience working with district-level data related to literacy assessment. Familiarity with Google applications is a plus. The candidate should possess effective interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, and have a deep interest in educational issues, social justice, and equity. Demonstrated ability to collaborate and work successfully with diverse teams necessary.

As a successful candidate, you will have:

• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, including an appreciation for our organization’s aim to empower all students with access to educational opportunity
• 3+ years experience working with district-level data related to literacy assessment and instruction with a background in technical aspects of measurement and use for improvement and goal-setting.
• Strong knowledge regarding literacy achievement and measurement, including detailed knowledge of existing assessments commonly used by school districts. Understanding of strengths and weaknesses of existing achievement measures as well as analysis approaches to understanding growth and mastery.
• Demonstrated experience organizing and facilitating professional development sessions focused on data as well as data collection, analysis, and debrief sessions with district leaders. 
• Familiarity with current academic literacy research on literacy assessment and instruction and a background or demonstrated interest in innovative measurement approaches for non-cognitive skills including social-emotional learning, character, and high quality student work. 
• Excellent collaboration and organizational skills with sharp attention to detail.
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and track work to completion.
• Familiarity with classroom observations, development of walkthrough tools and surveys, and analysis of these data to inform implementation.
• Strong knowledge of Excel or other programs for analysis of data.

TRAVEL

Estimated travel: The Associate Director, Strategic Data and Impact will travel around 30%.  Examples of travel may include: in-person meetings with school/ district partners, delivery of professional development, internal team meetings, organization wide events, and internal leadership meetings with colleagues

COMPENSATION

The salary for this position is $100,000 - 110,000, and we offer a wide variety of benefits, including paid-time-off, 403b match, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, and more.

HOW TO APPLY

The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2023. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. 

Please submit your resume and one-page cover letter in MS Word or PDF format by applying on our website. In your cover letter, identify the position you are applying for and how you heard of the job opening and EL Education.

No phone calls please. EL Education will respond only to finalist candidates.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY AND COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

Candidates of color are encouraged to apply. EL Education is committed to equity across the organization: in services to our partners, in our workforce composition and practices, and in our organizational culture. EL Education provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and prohibits discrimination with respect to the hiring or promotion of individuals, conditions of employment, disciplinary and discharge practices, or any other aspect of employment on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, disability, or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision.  EOE 

 VEVRAA Federal Contractor