World Language Manager

Chicago Public Schools • Full-time • Chicago, IL, US • $87k - $115.50k / year • 1w ago

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Multicultural and Multilingual Education (OMME) exists to guide CPS in providing a high-quality education for all language learners that is attentive to a culturally and linguistically diverse community of students, families, and educators. OMME aims to achieve its mission through strategic planning, collaborative partnerships, professional development, and the production of tools and resources to improve instruction.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of World Language Education, the World Language Manager leads a dynamic team responsible for driving the success of our World Language initiatives. The manager will play a pivotal role in leading the World Language Instructional team, supporting world language teachers, and designing professional learning opportunities for teachers and network staff. This office will regularly collaborate with other offices to co-create professional learning opportunities that align content to best practices as regards language acquisition.

The World Language Manager will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

Design and implement a comprehensive portfolio of professional learning opportunities for teachers and network staff, in alignment with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.
Lead the creation and implementation of professional learning of curriculum-specific professionals that supports the implementation of best practices in world language instruction for teachers, schools, and the Network Supports team.Develop comprehensive world language training to support teachers in learning the best language acquisition strategies.
Create Skyline decks to facilitate effective teacher usage and engagement with the materials.
Design and deliver professional learning sessions focused on world language learners, making these sessions universally available on the intranet or Safe Schools platform.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to ensure professional learning alignment.
Co-create professional learning across other offices, departments, and teams.
Participate in cross-office team meetings and collaborations to ensure world language presence and voice is included in district instructional decisions.
Provide feedback, alignment, and advocacy for high-leverage teaching materials and practices.
Supervise, develop, and manage the performance of the World Language team
Organize and facilitate processes for creating, preparing, and delivering presentations at events like Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) , New Teacher Orientation, and Resident Teacher sessions.
Conduct site visits, coaching, and advising sessions with teachers and administrators.
Other duties and work streams as assigned.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the World Language Manager must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

Master Degree in Education required
Valid Professional Educator License issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) with a world language and/or bilingual or ESL endorsement required
Administrative endorsement preferred Doctoral Degree in Education with a study focus on bilingualism or second language acquisition preferred

Experience Required:

Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience, including the following, is required:
Minimum of five (5) years of classroom teaching experience in world language and/or bilingual or ESL programs
Minimum of three (3) years of teacher leadership experience, such as leading school teams in the development of curriculum and assessments, analyzing student performance data, etc.
Minimum of three (3) years working with adult learners, including creating, organizing, and facilitating professional learning experiences to meet the needs of participants.
Minimum of two (2) years of district-level experience supporting world language programs (E.g., content or program specialist), providing professional coaching and/or managing others
Bilingual/Multilingual preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Expertise in supporting and leading project management systems and structures
Expertise in planning, designing, facilitating, and evaluating professional learning
Deep knowledge/understanding of World Language and/or bilingual or ESL teaching and learning instructional best practices
Strong leadership and team building skills, e.g. ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success
Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish and articulate a vision and goals, set high standards, and effectively guide individuals and teams in the realization of expectations set
Excellent leadership development and instructional leadership skills; capable of coaching specialists toward excellence, building capacity of content area teams and developing meaningful and high-impact professional communities for teachers and school leaders
Exceptional organizational skills; ability to effectively manage several work streams simultaneously
Capable of building and sustaining positive, productive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable collaborating and communicating across a diverse range of audiences, including network teams, principals, teachers, and support staff
Commitment to CPS Instructional Core Vision, and ensuring that all students have access to grade-level, standards-aligned learning opportunities
Ability to build consensus and leverage expertise with educators across the district
Excellent technology skills (Google Suite)

Other Requirements:

Access to reliable transportation is required
Travel to schools and other locations throughout the district is required

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.