Executive Director of Professional Learning and Development

JOB DESCRIPTION
Director of Professional Learning and Development

Location:
Elaine Fulton Hale Professional Development Center

Additional Information 

Job Title: Coordinator/Director of Professional Learning and Development

Credentials: Valid Oklahoma Teaching Certificate; Secondary/Elementary School  Administrative Certificate

Education: Master's degree in Education Administration required

Training or experience required: At least three years of teaching experience and experience as a successful school administrator

Reports to: Cabinet-level leadership (Assoc. Supt. and/or Exec. Director)

Contract: TBD

Salary Schedule: Off Scale

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Scope of Responsibility  

The coordinator or director of professional learning and development will be responsible for professional learning district-wide along with overseeing state testing and creating partnerships/initiatives to support and develop all staff in an effort to ensure all students reach their full potential.  This includes growth and development of all current and future school leaders in the District.  The position will be responsible for working to establish community education partnerships and will support the district culture of continuous growth, community involvement, and professional excellence.

Essential Job Functions

• Leads the implementation of district professional development goals, philosophy, programs, and policies.

• Works with Innovative Learning Coaches (ILCs) and assists professional learning and achievement personnel

• Responsible for ensuring sites are trained/ready for state testing (in coordination with the District Testing Coordinator and Tech Services Team)

• Oversees District Teacher of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year process as well as all other district-wide professional/staff recognitions.

• Coordinates Norman Public Schools Celebration of Excellence

• Oversees the District Staff Development Committee

• Coordinates New Teacher Induction and Retention as well as Back-to-School Convocation

• Coordinates Get FIT Professional Development Conference

• Oversees Extending Professional and Community Learning Projects and Engagement

• Serves as liaison and coordinator for research and development in the areas of professional learning and employee engagement, which may include research proposals, professional journals, action research labs, and other research-based outreach, accolades or archives

• Assists curriculum coordinators, student support specialists and administrators with the development and delivery of research-based, relevant professional learning and the establishment and success of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

• Collaborates with student services, curriculum coordinators, technology support specialists, special and student support services, as well as other relevant district leaders and staff, to ensure professional learning and growth goals are coordinated, strategic, and identifiable in district decisions that impact staff and students.

Job Functions as Related to NPS Strategic Plan Projects:

• Creating a culture of care where individual needs are acknowledged and met

Implements a program to ensure all staff and stakeholders needs are met to the best of the district’s ability and that professional learning and development are care-focused. This includes:

• Assisting with the definition of what a Culture of Care means both internally and externally

• Empowers others to resolve problems and “make it right” for staff, students, and parents.

• Interprets rules, procedures, and policies to assist all who choose Norman Public Schools as their place of employment or their choice in public school education.

• Reduces "red tape" and barriers that frustrate and replace with responsive decision-making models and trainings for all

• Coaches employees that a Culture of Care doesn’t mean that any one person is “always” right but we have to work together to find the best outcome/solution.

• Coaches team members to achieve highest levels of care and responsiveness across the district

• Responds to stakeholders (when they are wrong, during conflict, emotionally charged moments, etc.)

• Creates professional norms and standards for Culture of Care in collaboration with staff, students, parents, and community partners.

• Recognizes outstanding examples of a Culture of Care

• Provides PD and continuing education to all certified and support staff

• Defines and implements a consistent protocol to ensure students and families feel immediately welcome in schools and district buildings

• Supporting achievement through innovative instructional strategies

• Continues to provide professional development and create an implementation model for trauma-Informed teaching practices

• Ensures digital citizenship professional development is timely, meaningful and updated annually

• Establishes and/or reinforce student- and learning-centered classrooms and culture at all school sites through professional learning and teacher support structures

• Provides ongoing professional development opportunities related to student engagement and high-yield teaching/learning strategies.

• Increases professional growth in areas such as Canvas, Seesaw and other innovative teaching/learning platforms

• Researches and provides professional learning opportunities aligned with the district’s strategic plan goals and with teachers/staff needs as collected by various avenues of needs-assessment throughout the school year

• Increasing community partnerships in strategic areas

• Develops and implements community education programs that establish mutually beneficial partnerships between the broader community and NPS.

• Create formal channels for community members and industry partners to consistently provide insight and feedback on local educational practices and opportunities as they relate to post-K12 potential or experiences.

• Ensures that teaching practices are informed by research-based strategies and ongoing professional learning as well as by community and industry partners/collaborations

• Ensures that the relevancy in the work is evaluated in order to create more opportunities for educators and students to meet their full potential. 

• Strengthen partnerships with higher education institutions, professional organizations, and philanthropic organizations in an effort to provide resources and support for faculty, staff, and students

• Recruit and retain a world-class workforce

• Works with the district Recruitment Cadre on recruitment, retention and hiring initiatives and professional development for both the cadre and hiring managers district-wide

• Researches and develops micro-credentialing program for faculty/staff

• Creates a tiered-system of career development where master teachers are encouraged to stay in their roles as master educators and/or teacher coaches and trainers in NPS

• Establishes internal leadership development/pipeline opportunities

• Establishes and oversees graduate degree programs to develop quality of life incentives for advancement through graduate degrees.

• Seeks and identifies funding for degree and advanced degree opportunities for faculty/staff, tuition waivers, etc.

• Ensures that alternatively certified educators receive the appropriate staff development and/or coursework in order to be successful and highly-qualified in a PK-12 classroom

• Provides support for National Board Certification

• Directs the Norman Leadership Academy and other pipeline committees/academies to include

• Teacher leadership development

• Aspiring principals program

• Practicing principal cadres

• Oversees and continuously improves the relevancy, support, and professional growth opportunities introduced through new teacher induction (short and long-term)

• Long-term induction to support retention of world class workforce with NPS values.

• Establish relevant support structures and/or resources to assist young professionals in their role(s).

Additional Job Functions

• Interacts effectively with various partners including higher education institutions, professional organizations, philanthropic institutions, and the broader community.

• Contact with Others: An incumbent in this position has regular contact with persons outside the district which requires tact and diplomacy and independent judgment such as problem-solving; making formal presentations; interpreting policies and procedures based on experience; providing counseling, negotiations, or mediation techniques as appropriate.

• Participates in professional organizations at all levels (local, state, and national)

• Presents sessions at professional meetings both within and outside the district

• Presents the results of action or scientific-research

• Manages human resources and maintains productive relationships with staff.

• Maintains an environment free of discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace; encourage an environment of equal opportunity for all.

• Health and Safety in the Workplace: Promote health and safety and eliminate unsafe and unhealthful working conditions; communicate with and properly train staff to follow safety procedures; manage lost time due to worker accidents and injuries.

• Training/Employee Development: Assist in the training of all staff in the technical and procedural aspects of their jobs; 

• Motivate staff to participate in reviewing areas of responsibility to look for ways to improve performance; Encourage initiative and creativity without risk; 

• Assist with the development staff morale to reinforce successful performance; Provide opportunities for selected professional development experiences with staff that are geared toward excellence in education.

• Other Personnel Activities: Assist in new employee orientation; hiring; performance appraisal; intervention and referral; problem resolution; an implementation of other personnel policies.

• Provide leadership for innovations and problem resolution.

• Implement projects that resolve special problems.

• Plan carefully the goals, objectives and evaluation of new projects and procedures and evaluate the effectiveness of those projects.

• Provide an environment that anticipates problems, celebrates collaboration, involves staff in problem resolution, and encourages increased productivity in service aspects of public education

• Effectively look at necessary facts (costs, customer needs, policies, potential outcomes, etc.) before making important decisions. Involve the necessary parties who need to support the decision in the problem identification and resolution.

• Provide clear and consistent written and oral directions.

• Demonstrate fiscal responsibility, efficient and effective utilization of resources, and the proper accountability of revenues and expenditures.

• Effectively maintain the plant with the resources available.

• Managing Information: Provides clear and concise staff reports; communicates professionally before the public, staff, and fellow employees; basis program evaluation and professional learning effectiveness on data used to monitor implementation and outcomes.

• Automates procedures that assist in decision making; listens and responds to ideas and suggestions of co-workers and subordinates; keeps his/her supervisor informed of critical concerns.

• Planning and Organizing: Conducts short and long range planning; anticipates needs of internal and external stakeholders due to changes in growth, demographics, revenue, and technological environments; evaluate and amend previous year's forecasting as changes occur; participate with team members both within the District and the community to set and attain District goals and objectives; responds quickly to new issues and challenges.

• Teamwork: Works with co-workers, subordinates, other administrators, and community leaders to provide service to the public; shares information, resources, and expertise to assist team members to accomplish organization/District objectives or goals; encourages cooperation among departments/divisions to solve problems.

• Positive Leadership: Exercises administrative discretion fairly showing due respect, concern, and warmth for others an understanding of individual problems of both students and adults; shows support and enthusiasm for the school full consideration to majority and minority opinions.

• Attend and contribute to professional meetings.

• Perform other duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• An employee in this position must be able to communicate clearly both orally and in writing. 

• Must possess the ability to utilize and promote the use of participatory management techniques. 

• Must possess personal characteristics including, but not limited to, poise, perspective, integrity, flexibility, sound judgment, and the professionalism necessary for success as an administrator in the Norman Public Schools District. 

• Must work collaboratively with students, parents, administrators, and staff. 

• Must be able to handle conflict and utilize problem solving strategies. 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to fifty (50) pounds.. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

An incumbent to this position must understand that a disabling condition or developed disabling condition at some time in the future should be reported to the immediate supervisor to determine whether a reasonable accommodation can be provided so that I may perform the essential duties of my position.