Posted: August 14, 2011

Effectiveness Coach–teachNOLA/Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program
New Orleans, LA

The New Teacher Project (TNTP) strives to end the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom. A national nonprofit organization founded by teachers, TNTP is driven by the knowledge that effective teachers have a greater impact on student achievement than any other school factor. In response, TNTP develops customized programs and policy interventions that enable education leaders to find, develop and keep great teachers. Since its inception in 1997, TNTP has recruited or trained approximately 43,000 teachers and worked with more than 200 districts in 31 states – benefiting an estimated 7 million students. Meanwhile, TNTP's acclaimed studies of the policies and practices that affect the quality of the teacher workforce — most recently including The Widget Effect (2009) and Teacher Evaluation 2.0 (2010) — have influenced federal education policy and inspired reform efforts across the country. TNTP is active in more than 25 cities, including 10 of the nation's 15 largest.

We are currently seeking an Effectiveness Coach for our teachNOLA/Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program. The Effectiveness Coach will be a TNTP employee based in New Orleans, LA. This position is available September 2011.

New Teacher Effectiveness

TNTP’s New Teacher Effectiveness Group is responsible for recruiting great teachers to teach in high-need schools and subject areas, and for preparing those teachers to be immediately effective in the classroom. TNTP’s Teaching Fellows programs streamline the path to teaching for accomplished career changers and recent graduates. In 2011, TNTP will recruit, select and provide training to outstanding teachers in more than 20 cities and 18 states.

In 9 of those states and the District of Columbia, TNTP is also approved to recommend teachers for certification through our rigorous, relevant preparation model, which has been shown to produce highly effective teachers. Building on this strong track record, TNTP is pioneering an evaluation program to recommend certification only for teachers who demonstrate their ability to advance student learning.
The Program

teachNOLA is a cooperative partnership between New Schools for New Orleans, the Recovery School District and The New Teacher Project to bolster the strength of the teaching force in New Orleans. teachNOLA’s highly selective Teaching Fellows program is an alternate route program that recruits, selects and trains committed individuals without a traditional background in education to teach in New Orleans public schools. In addition to its Teaching Fellows program, teachNOLA also recruits certified teachers on behalf of the city’s public schools via its Master Teacher Corps program. Please visit our website for additional information about the program at www.teachNOLA.org
In 2001, at the request of the Louisiana Department of Education, The New Teacher Project launched the Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program (LPTP) as the first non-university certification provider in Louisiana. The goal of the program is to provide rigorous, relevant training to new teachers, which maximizes their impact on student achievement in high-need schools. The program, now in its tenth year of operation, has been extremely successful, certifying over 1,000 new teachers in 10 districts in the Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas, including the Recover School District (RSD) and New Orleans charter schools. Participants are recruited and selected by program partners – Teach For America, Teach Baton Rouge, and teachNOLA. Following a rigorous summer training institute, participants teach full-time with a Practitioner License while participating in LPTP’s Teaching for Results certification seminar series.

Teaching for Results develops a teacher’s knowledge and ability to teach specific content while supporting a standards-based planning approach as a means to significantly raise student achievement levels within city schools. The seminars prepare new teachers to raise student achievement by helping them become effective at understanding the content their students must master, delivering focused instruction, and using assessment tools and data to set goals, inform instruction and gauge student progress so all students meet or exceed grade-level standards.

Role and Responsibilities

The Effectiveness Coach is responsible for providing high quality and relevant feedback to Fellows during
pre-service training and the school year, the creation/distribution of resources to Fellows, and the recruitment, selection and management of New Teacher Observation Specialists (NTOS).
The Effectiveness Coach reports to the Training and Resource Manager. Specifically, the Effectiveness Coach will:
Manage the recruitment, selection and training of New Teacher Observation Specialists
• Create and lead the implementation of a recruitment strategy for the successful hiring of effective NTOS
• Manage the selection process for the NTOS team
• Plan, coordinate and facilitate NTOS Training
• Facilitate regular meetings with the NTOS team, providing critical feedback on performance and development

Manage school year classroom observations of Fellows and identify sources of support and professional development
• During the school year, with support from the Training and Resource Manager, conduct classroom observations of Fellows and identify sources of support and professional development
• Manage a team of NTOS who are responsible for observing Fellows and providing ongoing feedback and resources
• Ensure NTOS team provides Fellows with accurate and reliable ratings
• Assess NTOS performance in order to continually improve interventions and Fellow performance
• Manage collection, tracking, and analysis of Fellows performance data and trends and communicate with school leaders and other stakeholders as necessary
• Identify development areas for struggling Fellows and develop targeted improvement plans
• Plan and execute professional development workshops for Fellows throughout the school year, based on needs identified during observations
• Interface with the Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program to discuss Fellow performance in both the classroom and Teaching for Results Seminars

Assist in the execution of a high quality pre-service summer training Institute
• Serve as Assistant Institute Director
• Coordinate with school partners to secure space and additional resources to support summer training
• Oversee the planning and implementation of the Practice Teaching (PT) component of Institute, including securing curricular materials and serving as the primary point of contact between the program and summer school staff
• Collect, track, and analyze Fellow PT (Practice Teaching) performance data and trends at Institute
• Oversee Fellow performance management and evaluation system
• Ensure students participating in our school program during Institute achieve rigorous academic goals
• Facilitate workshops and meetings as necessary
• Manage part-time staff involved in the tracking and analysis of Fellow performance data at Institute
Provide key program support including:
• Build and implement effective communication with active Fellows
• Act as the main program contact person for Fellow concerns and questions
• Promote connectivity among Fellows
• As needed, assist with trainings, classroom observations, and other high volume tasks

Qualifications

We seek detail-oriented, independent self-starters who believe deeply in our organization's mission and who display a record of achievement in challenging situations. Successful candidates will also demonstrate:

• Support of alternative routes to teacher certification and an interest in working with new teachers
• Strong education background and instructional skill set with at least two years K-12 teaching experience, preferably in high-need schools or with high-need populations
• Track record of raising student achievement
• Experience working with New Orleans public schools (preferred)
• Experience working with under-performing schools (preferred)
• Familiarity with Louisiana curriculum standards and teaching standards (preferred)
• Previous experience developing and leading teacher professional development (preferred)
• The ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment
• The ability to critically assess challenges and identify effective solutions
• A record of setting and achieving ambitious goals
• A commitment to producing consistently high quality, detailed work
• Excellent oral communication and writing skills
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Flexibility and comfort with ambiguity
• Capacity to work independently and manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously
• The ability to work effectively with others at all levels of an organization and to consistently display a high level of professionalism in all interactions
• Data analysis and computer skills, specifically Microsoft Office suite
• A willingness to work non-standard hours and occasional weekends

Compensation

The annual salary for this position is $60,000, or commensurate with experience in a similar position with the potential for a performance based bonus.

TNTP offers a motivated team of dynamic colleagues, a collegial atmosphere that values professional development and valuable feedback, a comprehensive benefits plan effective on the first day of employment – including low cost medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, a 403(b) plan with matching, potential opportunities for performance based bonuses – as well as the chance to impact the direction of a growing, mission-driven company that is committed to the success of our nation’s children. For more information on TNTP’s competitive benefits package, please visit http://tntp.org/join/our-benefits/

To Apply
Please submit your resume and tailored cover letter here:
http://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=THENEWTEACHERPROJECT&cws=1&rid=954

We review applications on a rolling basis – so it is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible. We will not consider applications without a cover letter tailored to this position, which can be addressed to Human Resources. Please note that an offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of a background check. The New Teacher Project is committed to fostering and capitalizing on the diversity of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and seek individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply to this position. If you would like to learn more about our mission, please visit our web site at www.tntp.org.