About Achievement First:
Achievement First, a non-profit 501(c)3 charter school management organization, will operate 30 public charter schools in Brooklyn, Connecticut and Rhode Island for the 2015-16 school year. The mission of Achievement First is to close the achievement gap and deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all children, regardless of race or economic status. Achievement First currently educates more than 9,500 students in historically underserved neighborhoods, with over 90% of our students identifying as Black and Latino. With its college-preparatory focus, the Achievement First approach is attaining breakthrough academic gains throughout the network. Beyond our students and schools, Achievement First is an engaged and prominent partner in the larger conversation about how to improve public education and student achievement in our country.
About Our Greenfield Project
For 15 years Achievement First has built and operated great schools that prepare students for success in college and life. We now face a unique moment in time to imagine the schools of the future. With the north star of the Common Core and the availability of new technologies, as well as deeper insights into the science of learning and habits of success, we are redesigning school from the ground up. In 2015, Achievement First will open two new innovative schools that we are calling Greenfield schools. Our Greenfield schools will deliver four outcomes:
Accelerated Academics: Our students need to be among the best in the world
Habits of Success: Our students will truly thrive when they also develop the habits, mindsets and life skills that promote productive and joyful lives
Excellence in Enrichment: Our students need a taste of the joy that comes from passionately excellence outside of traditional academics
Student, Family and Staff Motivation: Our students, staff and families will exhibit an unstoppable level of shared commitment and drive
The Greenfield model will set an exceptionally high bar for academics, habits of success and enrichment. Supporting students in achieving excellence is an Awesomely Powerful Community, where students feel a deep sense of belonging that will make them feel supported, challenged and responsible for the success of others. Staff and families will feel personally invested in the success of the school and will see the critical role they play in students’ achievement. Students will feel ownership over their own learning and agency over their lives, building intrinsic motivation. Students will have individualized learning paths tailored to meet their needs, making learning more efficient and students more motivated.
Our Greenfield model embodies our best thinking about the school of future. We’re looking for team members who want to help us deliver accelerated outcomes for students and build a school model that looks like no other. Our work to date has resulted in the opening of two Greenfield schools in the fall of 2015 (one elementary school starting with K and one middle school starting with grade 5 and 6) in New Haven, CT. We plan continue this work during 2015-16 by extending our design work to build to a full K-8 continuum.
Summary
The Associate Director will be responsible for the launch and implementation of elementary level expedition experiences. Working closely with the “Greenfield” team and the Executive Director of Expeditions they will work to co-design and develop the initial set of expeditions. Expeditions are generally 2 week opportunities that happen every 8 weeks of instruction for students to extend and apply knowledge and skills, expand student’s repertoire of word and world knowledge and gain access to robust set of life applications.
Responsibilities of this role include but are not limited to:
The Associate Director is responsible for designing the Expeditions curriculum for grades K-4, beginning with Kindergarten at Elm City College Prep Elementary. In order to design with fidelity, the Associate Director will develop the long-term strategy around the design, execution and scaling of expeditions of the Greenfield Model to the rest of the network at the elementary (K-4) level. Expeditions are generally two-week opportunities that happen every eight weeks of instruction for students to extend and apply knowledge and skills, expand their repertoire of word and world knowledge and gain access to a diverse set of life experiences.
The Associate Director leads the Expeditions effort in these key areas:
Create a challenging, rigorous, inspiring and wide-ranging Expeditions curriculum that offers multiple access points for students
Design at a high level and plan the details of high-quality expeditions for elementary-age students
Design and facilitate internally- and externally-facing trainings for AF staff and partner organizations to ensure highest level of quality in execution
Oversee execution of expeditions by AF and partner staff
Source, recruit, and manage relationships with external businesses and nonprofit organizations that offer learning opportunities for Achievement First students
To meet these goals, the Associate Director partners with key network support staff to coordinate the activities of the Expeditions at Greenfield and also works closely with the Academic and Enrichment teams at each school site to research, develop and implement a world-class Expeditions curriculum. The Associate Director should also enjoy building community partnerships for the AF network to provide real-life experiences for students.
Educational Background and Work Experience
5+ years of relevant work experience
Strong written, oral and communication skills
Experience in building networks and relationships with multiple organizations.
Strong elementary design and curriculum development experience.
Strong people management skills including experience in coaching and training adults.
Strong project management skills (including budgeting, project planning and execution).
Enjoys working with a diverse group of individuals and youth.
Experience working with Senior Leaders of an organization preferred.
Experience in instructional project based learning and expeditionary learning preferred.
Experience as an educator preferred.
Bachelor’s degree from a competitive College or University required.
Master’s in Education and/or related field preferred
How to apply
Email a cover letter and resume to Greenfield@achievementfirst.org AND NetworkSupportRecruit@achievementfirst.org.