Director of Programs

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy’s mission is to improve public education through well-informed decision-making based on deep knowledge and evidence of effective policymaking and practice. As Massachusetts’ preeminent voice in public education reform, we create open spaces for educators and policymakers to consider evidence, discuss cutting-edge issues, and develop new approaches to advance student learning. Through our staunch commitment to independent, non-partisan research and constructive conversations, we work to promote an education system that provides every child with the opportunity to be successful in school and in life.

Position Overview                                                                                    

The Director of Programs will oversee multiple projects in the Rennie Center’s practice portfolio, in which we partner with practitioners to build their capacity to make sustainable improvement within schools and districts. We currently run multiple networks (see below) where we work alongside participants to support data-driven decision-making, provide planning tools, and facilitate continuous improvement. We are seeking an experienced leader to oversee this work and ensure alignment across projects, while also working directly with school and district staff to provide coaching and implementation assistance.

Our current engagements with practitioners include the following:

• Teacher Leader Network for School Improvement: In partnership with Teach Plus, we are helping build the capacity of teacher leaders to incorporate continuous improvement within their schools in order to boost ELA and math achievement for 8th graders in a cohort of Chicago schools.
• Systemic Student Support (S3) Academy: Co-led with Boston College’s Center for Optimized Student Support, this network aims to help schools design and build systems to provide students with the in-school and out-of-school services they need to thrive.
• Excellence through Social-Emotional Learning (exSEL) Network: Co-led with Transforming Education, this network aims to help districts develop plans for integrating social-emotional learning within schools and classrooms.
• Curriculum Ratings by Teachers (CURATE): We partner with the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to convene panels of educators to review evidence on curriculum quality and provide guidance to schools and districts as they select core curricular materials.

Beyond these networks, we are also working closely with several other districts on discrete projects, including a partnership with Boston Public Schools to spread transformative social-emotional learning practices at the district level and within a sub-group of schools.

Essential Functions      

Develop Practice Portfolio

• Support the general growth and development of the Rennie Center’s practice-based portfolio by developing relevant tools and resources and assisting with the design and implementation of future projects
• Build and maintain ongoing relationships with practitioners in the field to ensure that we’re able to seek out and take advantage of opportunities to partner and grow our portfolio
• Serve as a liaison with the broader capacity-building/continuous improvement field
• Ensure that work is aligned across multiple projects and with other ongoing research and policy initiatives of the Rennie Center
• Support strategic planning efforts within the Rennie Center

Provide Direct Network Support

• Participate in regular meetings with school and district staff to facilitate conversations about the progress of improvement efforts
• Assist with data collection and reporting to monitor the progress of improvement strategies
• Develop coaching materials and tools to grow knowledge of effective processes and practices among school and network staff
• Document the results of improvement processes and specific interventions
• Carry out other responsibilities as needed associated with ongoing networks and related projects

Qualifications

• Self-starter able to work in a fast-paced environment and complete projects independently
• Must be very comfortable with, and able to thrive in, an environment where change and ambiguity are expected
• Deep commitment to equity and promoting access to opportunity for historically marginalized communities
• Demonstrated experience designing and executing complex projects
• Ability to plan and prioritize goals to guarantee that deadlines are met
• Superb communication skills, both verbal and written
• Experience engaging and interacting with key stakeholders, particularly educators and other members of a school community
• Master’s degree and at least 5 years of experience or 8+ years of experience in relevant field
• Willingness to travel up to 4 days per month to meet with Chicago-based staff (when public health conditions allow safe travel and in-person engagement)
• Preferred:
• Educator experience (coaching or teaching)
• Understanding of and experience applying principles of continuous improvement