Overview of Summer Empowerment Academy

SEZP's mission to dramatically improve educational opportunity for Springfield students is marked by our Empowerment Academy programming. Empowerment Academies are an initiative to extend targeted, small-group literacy support to middle and high school students throughout the summer. This extended learning time was shown to be an effective support for improvement of student performance through a randomized trial study completed in 2016.

During Summer Empowerment Academy, a select number of students across SEZP will work to improve literacy skills in small groups of 10 - 12 led by Massachusetts' best educators. The small group size and high-quality instruction will allow students to receive academic support tailored to their specific needs. It will also enable teachers to more effectively build strong relationships with students and accelerate student growth. Students will be selected based on academic need, attendance, and conduct.

Summer Empowerment Academy teachers will be selected from a highly competitive group of educators across Western Massachusetts. All Massachusetts educators with certification are encouraged to apply, although preference will be given to Springfield Public Schools teachers.

Academic Coordinator - Empowerment Academy Overview

The Summer Empowerment Academy needs strong leaders to oversee a four-week vision for rigorous, academic support. Throughout the academy, it will be each coordinator's responsibility to diligently monitor student progress and oversee the implementation of a variety of classroom strategies to increase student academic performance. This role requires coordinators to lead professional development and ensure the implementation of that content throughout all weeks of instruction. The focus of the PD will be: intervention content, protocol and techniques, lesson plan development support, teacher collaboration, lesson plan work time, and strategies for creating a positive learning environment for students. As an academy leader, you are encouraged to try new strategies to strengthen academic success.

Academic Coordinator Responsibilities

With support and guidance from SEZP, leaders are expected to:

Oversee daily implementation of classroom interventions

Measure and monitor student progress toward their personalized goals throughout the academy

Ensure teachers are adjusting instruction according to formative student data from informal/formal assessments

Supervise the academy for approximately 6 hours per day

Try new strategies and methods of leadership support to drive results

Professional Development

Facilitate professional development sessions (up to 20 hours) and support the completion of any necessary prep and planning work by teachers

Support & regularly communicate with academy teachers before, during, and after the academy

Integrate strategies for building a positive, high-quality, and rigorous Summer Empowerment Academy culture

Operations & Logistics

Become highly familiar with all academy related student data, before, during, and after the academy

Attend each Summer Empowerment Academy day

Ensure teachers are preparing small-group lessons and individual plans for each Summer Empowerment Academy day of instruction

Participate in raffle and gift card distribution as directed by academy leaders

Manage and delegate any and all other tasks necessary for operational excellence

Academic Coordinator Requirements

Experience leading educators in intervention work and/or literacy instruction

Experience with Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), independent reading journals/logs/conferences, vocabulary intervention, fluency support, and/or phonics instruction preferred

Familiarity with using data to inform intervention and/or instruction

Willingness to learn or further knowledge of evidence-based literacy intervention tools and techniques

Belief that all students can grow academically when provided with the opportunity to engage with high-quality teaching practices and materials

Confidence as a problem solver who works to overcome challenges

Demonstrated success in building relationships with students and teachers

Benefits

Selection as a Summer Empowerment Academy coordinator recognizes an individual for his/her outstanding instructional leadership and commitment to urban education. The Summer Empowerment Academy experience will also give educators the opportunity to grow their expertise in intervention strategies that can carry over during the regular school year in a highly supportive learning environment. In addition, coordinators will receive:

$8,750 stipend

Support and coaching from SEZP team members

Academic Coordinator Academy Schedule

Coordinators will be on site daily in the academy from July 8, 2019 - August 2, 2019 for approximately 6 hours each day in accordance with systems outlined by SEZP team members. Daily schedule details will be provided during academy leader orientation.

Curriculum, Materials and Support

Summer Empowerment Academy leaders will establish content, parameters, and expectations for intervention curriculum. Coordinators will ensure teachers are provided with ample resources for preparation of lessons, tasks, and assessments. Coordinators will entrust teachers with the flexibility to use these resources to adjust curriculum to best meet the needs of each student in their Summer Empowerment Academy classes. Academy leaders will also provide curricular support as needed onsite at the academy.

Academy leaders will order all necessary classroom and curricular materials for Summer Empowerment Academy teachers in accordance with all reasonable teacher requests. SEZP staff is committed to providing strong support for leaders and teachers so that student learning and achievement are maximized.

Application Process

The application is now open, and will close on Friday, March 29, 2019. Early applications are strongly encouraged.

You will need to submit the following materials with your application:

Resume

Cover letter describing why you want to work for the Empowerment Academy and what you hope to accomplish in this role



Primary Location: Empowerment Zone
Salary Range: $8,750.00 / Per Year
Shift Type: Additional Pay

Job Contact Information:

Name: Kelley Gangi
Title: Chief of Instructional Improvement
Phone:
Email: sezp@springfieldempowerment.org