Excel Academy Charter Schools is a network of tuition-free, public charter schools serving the Massachusetts communities of East Boston and Chelsea. It was founded to address the severe academic underperformance and low college matriculation rates of the student populations in these neighborhoods. Our founders envisioned a free, public school alternative where all students would be held to the highest academic and behavioral expectations, and college would become a reality. As a true public school, Excel is defined not by whom we exclude but by whom we include in our community. We are proud of the fact that we serve many students with special needs.

The network's first school opened in fall 2003 in East Boston and now serves 224 students, grades 5 through 8. Excel Academy Chelsea, the 2nd school in our network, opened in fall 2011. Our third school, Excel Academy Orient Heights, opened in August of 2012. And our first high school, Excel Academy Charter High School, opened in fall 2015. Excel now educates 1100+ students in grades 5-11. At full scale in 2019, Excel will enroll a total of 1,350 students in grades 5-12.

Duties & Responsibilities

The Network Social Studies Department Head provides leadership for supporting collaboration and program quality within the Social Studies Department. Specific duties include:

Support consistency and quality of Social Studies teaching and learning across the Network.

• Lead the Social Studies Department in developing and executing Excel's philosophy, approach and rationale to Social Studies instruction.
• Oversee the development of a high-quality Social Studies curriculum.
• Create and execute a plan for onboarding new staff members to the Social Studies Department including, but not limited to, using New Staff Orientation to introduce new staff members to the philosophy, approach, and norms of the Social Studies Department.
• Collaborate with the network's school leaders and core content department heads to ensure the Social Studies program is best positioned for achieving Excel's mission.
• Support the Social Studies Grade Level Content (GLC) Chair and Teams in aligning curriculum across the Network.
• Provide high quality feedback on key curriculum documents including Scope and Sequence, Unit plans, and unit assessments.

Facilitate purposeful collaboration among Social Studies teachers across the network.

• Oversee the effective use of Department meeting time.
• Develop and execute systems and structures for sharing curricular resources across the Network.
• Develop and execute systems and structures for using meeting time to push continual improvement of Excel's Social Studies approach and program.
• Develop and prepare purposeful agendas for Department meeting time.
• Facilitate meetings to ensure focus on intended outcomes, effective use of time and active participation and engagement.
• Document notes and actions items from Department meetings and distribute them to teammates and school-level leadership in a timely fashion.
• Develop and uphold structures for ensuring follow through on action items and next steps.
• Ensure that the Social Studies Department professional culture aligns with Excel's Staff Norms.

Support the professional development of the Social Studies Department.

• In collaboration with the Network's instructional leaders, identify the professional development goal(s) of the Social Studies Department.
• Identify, facilitate, and organize professional development opportunities for members of the Social Studies Department that support the attainment of the Department's PD goals.
• Manage the Social Studies Associate Teacher.
• Observe each Social Studies teacher in the network and offer instructional feedback at least 1x/quarter.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree is required; a Master's is degree is preferred;
• A minimum of three years' teaching experience in an urban public school or charter school setting is required;
• Measurable evidence of driving student achievement gains;
• Experience coaching and/or supporting teachers in a mentor or supervisory role is preferred, but not required;
• The ability to speak Spanish preferred but not required;
• An unwavering commitment to and belief in the mission of Excel Academy Charter Schools, including Excel's values and educational model;
• A commitment to working with underserved, urban youth;
• The ability to focus and thrive in a fast paced, entrepreneurial environment;
• The ability to work effectively in a team environment and the willingness and desire to support others in doing their best work; and
• An entrepreneurial spirit that reflects an openness to change, a willingness to problem-solve, and an interest in developing new ideas & programs.

Compensation
Excel provides a competitive compensation package that includes benefits and is commensurate with experience.

Excel Academy Charter Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity , disability, age, ancestry, athletic performance, special need, proficiency in the English language or a foreign language or prior academic achievement.

Organization: Excel Academy Charter Schools
Job Title : Middle School Network Social Studies Department Head
Campus/Location : (TBD)