Thursday, June 6, 2013

Program Officer for Teaching Development, Knowles Science Teaching Foundation, NJ

The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) a private, operating foundation, established in 1999 and funded by an endowment from C. Harry and Janet H. Knowles, continues to grow and is seeking a Program Officer for Teacher Development to work as part of a team developing, implementing and refining the KSTF Teaching Fellowship Program.

KSTF seeks to strengthen the teaching profession and increase the US education systems capacity to continually improve STEM education by creating a networked community of teachers who mentor and sustain new teachers, set and meet high standards for student learning, and create and uphold benchmarks of teacher professionalism grounded in a deep and nuanced understanding of the work of teaching. Rather than waiting for leaders to emerge from within the educational system, KSTF identifies and selects beginning teachers who show the potential to develop into master teachers and teacher leaders. Furthermore, KSTF seeks to understand and provide the kinds of sustained support, professional development, and learning opportunities these promising individuals need to reach their potential as teachers and leaders. KSTF supports new science, math and biology high school teachers with a 5-year fellowship that provides these young teachers with professional development and financial support. After the five-year program, a KSTF Teaching Fellow becomes a Senior Fellow where they continue to participate in our professional community.

KSTF Teacher Developers are committed to the belief that teaching is a critically important, complex, intellectually challenging profession that demands the best efforts of our nation's finest. Teacher Developers have experience teaching at the high school level, knowledge and experience in teacher mentoring and development, and substantial knowledge of their subject matter. Three teams, each led by a Senior Program Officer for Teacher Development, work together to design, implement, refine and study the KSTF Teaching Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program offers support and professional development for 165 of the nation's best new high school science and math teachers for five years. Teacher Developers work at the center of a broader national learning community that includes Teaching Fellows and KSTF Staff as well as expert teachers and teacher educators, researchers and evaluators.

Our immediate need is for a Teacher Developer with a mathematics education background who will join a team supporting fellows during their third and fourth years of the fellowship, focusing on developing exemplary teaching practices and an inquiry stance towards teaching and leadership capacity. Although preference will be given to applicants with a background in mathematics education, we will consider highly-qualified applicants who have background in any STEM field. The position requires in-person and online mentoring of fellows and working collaboratively with experts in various aspects of science and/or mathematics education to implement and evaluate a five-year comprehensive and cohesive professional development experience for fellows. Teacher Developers are expected to contribute to KSTF efforts to synthesize and use existing research, as well as contribute to the research on teacher development, teacher leadership and the effective teaching and learning of math and science at the high school level aligned with KSTFs goals. The Teacher Developer will be a crucial contributor to the success of the KSTF Teaching Fellowship and must be committed to continually developing his or her own professional knowledge and skills.

The ideal candidate for this position has a combination of the following strengths and abilities:

High school teaching experience in science or mathematics, preference for mathematics (REQUIRED)
 Experience mentoring beginning high school teachers, educating pre-service teachers and/or developing and providing professional development to high school teachers (REQUIRED)
 Experience teaching innovative, problem solving and inquiry-based approaches in science or mathematics and coaching or mentoring other teachers in those methods
 Working knowledge of and capacity to produce educational research relevant to the development and support of new teachers
 Deep and extensive content knowledge in science and/or mathematics
 A passion for science and mathematics education and a desire to work on its improvement
 Experience and expertise in designing, facilitating, implementing, evaluating and refining innovative programs, courses or professional development workshops
 An advanced degree in science or mathematics education or a related field (or anticipating such), doctorate preferred

Position is full-time, on-site in NJ and will report to a Senior Program Officer for Teacher Development. Some (10 - 15%) travel is required. Salary based on education and experience and is highly competitive with K-12 administrative and/or university academic positions. Search will remain open until position is filled.

Interested applicants should review the KSTF website (www.kstf.org) and send a letter of interest and a resume or CV to:
careers@kstf.org or 856-608-0008 (fax).