K-12 Education Specialist

About the role

The K-12 Education Specialist designs, implements, and evaluates dynamic, standards-aligned learning experiences that engage K–12 students, educators, and multigeneration community audiences with the Library’s programs, exhibits, and resources.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and oversee the full portfolio of K–12 educational experiences—including field trips, guided tours, classroom-based activities, outdoor learning opportunities, and facilitated workshops—ensuring all youth programs are developmentally appropriate, mission-aligned, and operationally effective from concept through delivery.
• Align all youth programs and educator resources with North Dakota K–12 standards, the C3 Framework, and best practices in museum-based, inquiry-driven learning.
• Lead youth and educator engagement strategy, building and sustaining relationships with schools and community partners to grow K–12 audiences.
• Collaborate with historians, educators, curriculum developers, and internal teams to develop accurate, pedagogically effective educational content and experiences connected to Library’s mission and values.
• Collect and analyze program data and participant feedback to evaluate effectiveness, refine curricula, and improve the overall learning experience.
• Contribute to departmental and cross-museum initiatives by mentoring student educators, collaborating on outreach and communications, and representing the Library at education and museum conferences.
• Plan and deliver professional development for educators (workshops, webinars, and classroom-aligned resources) that supports effective use of Library materials in instruction.
• Support multigenerational and family learning initiatives that encourage shared discovery, accessibility, and repeat visitation.
• Coordinate program logistics, including scheduling, site visits, materials preparation, accessibility needs, and on-site event support.
• Manage ordering, inventory, and organization of educational supplies and learning materials to ensure readiness for high-volume programming.
• Implement repeatable program logistics that support efficient scheduling, smooth on-site experiences, and reliable capacity for high-volume school visits.
• Sustain well-organized learning materials and accurate inventory levels that minimize last-minute purchasing and program disruptions.
• Use evaluation data to make documented, continuous improvements to program content, facilitation approaches, and educator supports.
• Ensure youth programs reflect inclusive, culturally responsive teaching practices and maintain historical rigor across topics and grade bands.
• Increase the Library’s visibility and credibility with educators through conference participation, partner engagement, and strong cross-departmental collaboration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Education or in a science or humanities discipline (e.g., agriculture, biology, environmental science, geology, history, political science, history, English, or related fields); Master’s degree a plus.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience designing and facilitating standards-aligned education for K–12 audiences in classroom preferred; museum, library, outdoor, or cultural institution settings also accepted.
• Demonstrated experience aligning curriculum, tours, or instructional resources to state or national academic standards (e.g., North Dakota Standards, C3 Framework, NGSS, Common Core).
• Strong working knowledge of inquiry-based learning strategies, object-based interpretation, and developmentally appropriate instructional practices across grade bands.
• Experience leading student groups in structured learning environments and managing program logistics for high-volume youth engagement preferred.
• Experience developing educator-facing resources, lesson plans, or professional development workshops a plus.
• Familiarity with digital learning platforms or virtual instruction tools strongly preferred.
• Current or prior teaching licensure (any state) a plus.