Professional Learning Specialist (Leadership Development)

Title: Professional Learning Specialist (Leadership Development)

The School District of Philadelphia is committed to becoming the fastest improving District in  the country and transforming the educational opportunities it offers to our city’s more than  194,000 students. The District seeks leaders who have a passion for working with schools and  communities who are committed to ensuring all students achieve. Serving a population as  diverse as ours requires creativity, commitment and vision. Will you join us? 

Job Summary 

The School District of Philadelphia is committed to having schools staffed with great teachers  and principals. Professional Learning Specialists are responsible for supporting the continuous  development of teachers, principals, and support staff. Professional Learning Specialists  design, align, and facilitate, professional learning opportunities for educators throughout the  School District of Philadelphia (SDP). Work involves formulating and implementing plans to  meet the short-term and long-term needs of the District’s teaching and administrative staff.  Work additionally involves determining training and personnel development needs on a learning  network, school and individual level. Professional Learning Specialists are tasked with  providing high-quality professional growth opportunities that will enhance educators’ leadership,  cultural competency, organizational, communication, problem-solving, and outcomes-oriented  skills. Their work also involves supporting the District’s curriculum, assessment, and  instructional goals. Supports the District, network, and schools in delivering a seamless system  of comprehensive support in alignment with the District’s Equity-based Multi-Tiered Systems of  Support (MTSS) Model. Works to ensure equitable services to students and expands existing  support structure for delivery of all levels of MTSS implementation within schools by  collaborating with school administrators, teachers, and support staff to ensure that MTSS is  effectively integrated to address the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of all  students. 

All Specialties 

Essential Functions 

• Designs and facilitates professional learning and development sessions and  courses on a variety of topics to support the designated programmatic framework.

• Conducts professional learning and development sessions by learning network,  grade band, and school type to bolster educator effectiveness and student  progress. 

• Research new trends in education in an effort to keep staff aligned with the  Pedagogical shifts and SDP instructional practices. 

• Thoughtfully creates customized professional learning modules for educators.

• Support District initiatives. 

• Leads content programming, logistics, and communication for large-scale District wide professional learning programming. 

• Coaches leadership teams, teacher leaders, and teachers in the implementation of  professional learning. 

• Develops plans for measuring the impact of professional learning; creates tools for collecting data; analyzes that data to make in-year and end of year programmatic  decisions. 

• Hires and develops part-time employees who support facilitation and logistics in  District-wide programming. 

 Leadership Development Specialty 

• Partners with the Office of Academic Supports, Assistant Superintendents, network Professional Learning Specialists, and other administrators to ensure the intentional, proactive, and responsive design of professional learning opportunities. 

• Leads content programming, logistics, and communication for large-scale District-wide professional learning initiatives and programming, specifically around Common Planning Time and equity-centered leadership development. 

• Develops plans for measuring the impact of professional learning initiatives and  programming for both network and district-wide professional learning; creates tools for collecting data; analyzes that data to make in-year and end-of-year programmatic decisions. 

• Works with external partners, including University leadership preparation programs, to  design and deliver professional development sessions to support instructional leadership. 

• Documents the training modules, supports, resources, and exemplars to aid in replication  and sustaining future instructional and equity-centered leadership development.

Minimum Requirements 

• Master’s degree program from an accredited college or university in education, teacher  leadership, administration or a related field. 

• Five years of full-time, paid, professional teaching experience which have included leading  and designing professional learning for adults.

Certificates/Licenses 

• Possession of a valid Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Administrative certificate for K-12 or  Elementary and Secondary Principal. 

The candidate must ensure that all of their relevant work experience is reflected on their resume prior to the submission of their application for District employment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Demonstrated knowledge of: 

o the Pennsylvania Core Standards, National Standards, National Association for the Education of Young Children Standards, and Next Generation Science  Standards. 

o adult learning theories, techniques, and coaching/mentoring models.

o group processes, effective oral and written communications, adherence to  deadlines and action plans, and organizational planning. 

o solid teaching and learning methods, principles and practices. 

o exemplary performance evaluations from rating officers. 

o asynchronous learning and various on-line platforms preferred. 

• Demonstrated ability to: 

o inform and design the scope and sequence of professional learning for educators. 

o align educational and training initiatives with the District’s mission and action plan. 

o analyze issues, shift priorities, and cope with ambiguity in a fast-paced 

o environment. 

o be open and direct without being intimidating. 

o support adult learning and professional development strategies. 

o plan, organize, and direct professional learning targets. 

o be punctual and follow through in work related projects and responsibility.

o work collaboratively. 

o communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. 

o establish and maintain effective working relationships. 

Disclaimer 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being  performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an  exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. 

Nondiscrimination 

The School District of Philadelphia provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, age, creed, religion, sex, sexual  orientation, ancestry, national origin, disability, pregnancy, marital status, gender identity, or  genetic information. Please refer to Board Policy 348 for further information regarding the  District's commitment to Nondiscrimination in Employment Practices.