NP Baltimore - Director of Academics

About the Role

The Children’s Guild is seeking an experienced Director of Academics to establish a culture consistent with the tenets of Transformation Education (TranZed). This role ensures a learning environment that prepares students for post-graduation and life by fostering critical thinking, independence, creative problem-solving, self-discipline, and a commitment to serving a cause larger than oneself.

The Director of Academics leads the academic programming for the school, assisting the principal in planning, development, and implementation of the TranZed school program while ensuring alignment with MSDE benchmarks and outcomes. This position collaborates with the principal on curriculum development, staff development, evaluation, program documentation, IEP development, and other administrative responsibilities.

The Children's Guild Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming how America educates and cares for its children through education, behavioral health, national training, and consultation services. Affiliates include public charter and contract schools, special education schools, preschools, apprenticeships, therapeutic group homes, treatment foster care, and behavior health services.

Responsibilities

• Assist teachers with implementing Transformation Education approaches to learning.
• Participate in the development of compelling topics and learning targets aligned with the core curriculum.
• Support organizational structures and intervention levels for tiered instruction.
• Lead curriculum development projects and design internal writing benchmarks for assessing student writing.
• Monitor instruction through daily learning walks and observations.
• Coach and model student assessment protocols and direct instruction techniques.
• Assist in data analysis of summative and formative assessments.
• Supervise teachers and teacher assistants, providing feedback for professional growth and instructional delivery.
• Assist the principal with data collection of student achievement and monitor the accountability plan.
• Assist teachers in developing high-quality, project-based learning investigations aligned with standards.
• Motivate teachers to develop content knowledge and instructional practices through modeling in staff meetings and professional development sessions.
• Design an effective professional learning community and organize the staff development schedule.
• Link the physical environment to the desired learning experience to meet the brain’s need for contrast, challenge, and variety.
• Organize professional development days and schedules.

Cultural Awareness Expectations

• Honor the diversity of the community by being respectful and accepting of everyone’s personal identity.
• Empower employees to share their identities and learn from one another to foster a safe, tolerant, and diverse community.
• Contribute to a space where individuals can grow, learn, share, and embrace differences in a respectful environment.
• Build an empathetic, supportive, and equitable environment for students, families, and colleagues.
• Value diverse talents, perspectives, identities, and experiences to inspire innovation, respect, and growth.
• Attract and sustain a diverse workforce by recruiting, hiring, developing, and retaining employees who align with the mission of The Children’s Guild.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervise the IEP Coordinator, CIAC Coordinator, teachers, and teacher assistants.
• Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws, including interviewing, hiring, training, planning, assigning work, appraising performance, addressing complaints, and resolving problems.

Key Result Areas

Professional Development

• Develop the professional development calendar aligned with school improvement plans, instructional needs, and the organization’s mission.
• Present professional development trainings on educational topics during in-service days, orientation, and organizational gatherings.
• Assist and train instructional staff in developing lesson plans, IEPs, report cards, instructional strategies, assessment tools, data interpretation, instructional technology, and behavior management strategies.
• Conduct ongoing coaching and mentoring with educational staff, including Instructional Coaches, Teachers, Teaching Assistants, and therapeutic behavioral aides.
• Demonstrate self-directed learning through attendance at conferences, seminars, workshops, and continuing education aligned with the organization’s mission.

Instructional Leadership

• Provide instructional staff with resources and professional development needed for growth.
• Ensure all teachers implement lesson plans and project-based learning aligned with Maryland state standards, providing assistance as needed.
• Conduct formal observations of teachers quarterly and provide feedback through informal walkthroughs.
• Develop, implement, and monitor Professional Learning Communities.
• Conduct walk-throughs to assess program needs, staff training needs, and evaluate progress, providing feedback in collaboration with the principal.
• Train classroom teams in the Team Primacy process, participate in meetings to provide support, and audit proper deployment.
• Develop and maintain the instructional inventory to ensure adequate materials and curricula for all grade and functional levels.

Communication

• Communicate effectively with students, parents, and staff through email, phone calls, flyers, and in-person meetings.
• Participate in and lead weekly team meetings focused on school-based instructional practices.
• Communicate with staff when instructional requirements are not met.
• Provide timely reports on student achievement and instructional programming as requested.
• Provide feedback for staff improvement in alignment with the organization’s progressive disciplinary process.

School Improvement

• Ensure Continuous Quality Improvement reports are accurate and submitted quarterly to the Vice President of Special Education and Related Services.
• Maintain and audit a related service tracking system monthly, including clinical and educational services as stipulated on the IEP.
• Implement a tracking system for recording IEP reviews.
• Review and distribute report cards quarterly.
• Assess ongoing training needs using various tools.
• Ensure the school environment reflects The Children’s Guild’s philosophy, values, and culture.
• Identify College of Transformation courses for staff on their Individual Growth Plan.
• Discuss and approve discharges with the Managing Director of Autism Services or designee.
• Ensure services, educational testing, and behavior assessments are carried out in a timely and effective manner, using data to improve instruction.
• Ensure all educational IEP services are implemented according to IEP specifications.

Qualifications

• A Master’s Degree with emphasis on supervision, educational administration, special education, elementary or secondary school curriculum, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of five years of classroom teaching experience and successful completion of classroom observations.
• Experience working with non-verbal students diagnosed with ASD and students diagnosed with ASD in a life skills-based program.
• Understanding of and appreciation for Transformation Education approaches to learning.
• Hold or be eligible for a Maryland teaching certification and MSDE APC Teaching Certificate.
• Certified or eligible for certification in crisis management.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Frequently required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, and talk or hear.
• Frequently lift and/or move more than 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities include the ability to adjust focus.

All employees are expected to demonstrate awareness of, respect for, and attention to the diversity of individuals with whom they interact, reflected in attitudes, organizational structure, policies, and services.