Director of Early Literacy

About Mastery:

We believe educational inequity is the most pressing social problem facing our country and the civil rights issue of our day. Mastery exists to help solve this problem. Our ultimate goal is to create a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence. We are organized around one driving mission: All students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams. To fulfill this mission, we attend to the whole child - academically and emotionally - matching high expectations for students with high levels of support.

Mastery Charter Schools is a nonprofit network of more than 24 schools serving over 14,500 students in Philadelphia and Camden. We are the largest turnaround school operator in the nation and have been lauded by President Obama and the US Department of Education for our ability to dramatically boost academic achievement in historically low-performing schools.

We know neighborhood schools matter, all students deserve access to a great education, and the people in our buildings can grow and develop sustainably to make the biggest impact possible in this work.

Mastery's Equity Vision:

We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to achieving our mission.

We strive to be an anti-racist school district that eliminates the inequities in academic achievement that limit our students' choices; that cultivates classrooms where every student is affirmed, supported, and held to high expectations; and that nurtures a diverse organization where students, staff, and families are valued, respected, and included.

Position Summary:

The Director of Early Literacy ensures that Mastery Charter students in Kindergarten through Second grade, across all schools, produce breakthrough results in literacy as measured by the MAP Reading Fluency assessment. The Director is responsible for all students having access to effective literacy curriculum, instruction, and needs-based reading intervention. The Director supports and develops school leaders through professional development and coaching, and manages the execution of a network strategy for K-2 Literacy achievement for their region of schools. The Director reports directly to DCAO -Humanities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Sets the organizational vision (A Common Foundation) of K-2 literacy instruction, incorporating lessons learned from experts in the field, peer organizations, and internal pilots.
• Drives network-wide strategy for intervention and progress monitoring to support all students' success in grade-level reading and writing outcomes and reduce the proportion of students identified for special education.
• Coaches, develops and implements professional development for Mastery leaders (Assistant Principals of Instruction, Principals, and Teacher Leaders).
• Monitors implementation of K-2 literacy programming and responds to campus-based and network-wide data.
• Collaborates with other members of the Early Literacy Team and Academic Team toward a unified vision of academic rigor, instructional excellence, and student success.
• Collaborates with other members of the Early Literacy to ensure a highly engaged and high-functioning team poised to meet goals

Qualifications:

• Be a results-oriented individual - a flexible thinker willing to do "whatever it takes."
• Have a deep belief in the Mastery Charter School's mission and values.
• Possess a ferocious desire to provide our students with a world-class education.
• Value and integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into all facets of the work.
• Be familiar with Common Core shifts and standards and possess exceptional Early Literacy content knowledge.
• Have strong experience analyzing and interpreting instructional data.
• Have strong communication and interpersonal skills - exceptionally high emotional intelligence.
• Be detail-oriented and highly organized with strong analytical writing skills.
• Have experienced a high level of measurable success working with urban youth.
• Have zest and a sense of humor and operates as a team player.
• Thrives in a high-accountability, fast-paced environment.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Early Literacy or a related field
• Master's degree preferred
• 5+ years of successful teaching required
• Prior management experience required

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required such as traveling to network campuses and maneuvering in office space-reaching file cabinets, filing, faxing, coping, typing, mailing, and making phone calls; Must be able to sit for up to four (4) hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard and mouse and typing.

Other Requirements:

• Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle for travel when necessary.

Mastery's Benefits Package:

We offer a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth. Some of our most popular benefits include our 403(b) retirement plan for PA employees (with a 5% match from Mastery), enrollment in the State of New Jersey Pension Plan for NJ employees, a robust Employee Assistance Program, mental health and counseling programs, an annual Professional Development Fund, and discounts and perks at a myriad of retailers, travel organizations, insurance providers, and so much more, as well as a Benefits VIP Helpdesk to help you navigate various benefits-related topics!

Please go here to see all of our Benefits offerings!

Mastery's Annual Calendar:

As you plan to make Mastery your new work home, please feel free to review our PA Academic Calendar for SY 22/23 and our NJ Academic Calendar for SY 22/23. We like to think our calendar is a benefit of working here too!

Mastery Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience.

UPDATE AS OF January 2023 - Please review Mastery's Health and Safety Plans here to learn about our approach to vaccination and testing as well as our response to COVID-19. For ongoing positions, Mastery roles are designated as in-person, with regular on-site responsibilities, unless otherwise noted. As such, Employees must be able to support Mastery Schools' academic plan and business strategies on-site - at a Mastery campus - as required.

Exceptions to this requirement will be considered on an individualized basis.