Posted: September 08, 2010

Talent Management Coach – Louisiana Foundations Team
Greater New Orleans

The New Teacher Project (TNTP) helps school districts and states fulfill the promise of public education by ensuring that all students—especially those from high-need communities—get excellent teachers. A national nonprofit organization founded by teachers, TNTP is driven by the knowledge that although great teachers are the best solution to educational inequality, the nation’s education systems do not sufficiently prioritize the goal of effective teachers for all. In response, TNTP develops customized programs and policy interventions that enable education leaders to find, develop and keep great teachers and achieve reforms that promote effective teaching in every classroom. Since its inception in 1997, TNTP has recruited or trained approximately 37,000 teachers—mainly through its highly selective Teaching Fellows™ programs—benefiting an estimated 5.9 million students. TNTP has also released a series of acclaimed studies of the policies and practices that affect the quality of the nation’s teacher workforce, most recently including The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness (2009). Today TNTP is active in more than 40 cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, New York, and Oakland, among others. For more information, please visit www.tntp.org.

We are currently seeking a full-time Talent Management Coach to implement a talent management system focused on teacher effectiveness. This position reports to a Senior Site Manager and will work from a school district central office or from a home office in the Greater New Orleans area. The Talent Management Coach will be required to travel 4-5 days a week to New Orleans area schools. This position is available immediately. We are seeking candidates who are either available to start immediately in a full time position, or who are available to start part time, transitioning into a full-time role by January 2011. Candidates should indicate their timeline and availability in their cover letter.

The Program

Recently, TNTP has published a third national report, The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness. The Widget Effect describes how our public education system treats teachers as interchangeable parts, not individual professionals. Though it is widely accepted that a teacher’s effectiveness matters more than any other school factor in student success or failure, our school systems operate in a policy framework that assumes all teachers are the same. As a result, excellence goes unrecognized, development is neglected and poor performance goes unaddressed. Instructional effectiveness almost never factors into critical decisions such as which teachers are hired, developed or retained. This pervasive indifference to performance disrespects teachers and gambles with the lives of students. TNTP believes that until we make a teacher’s effectiveness matter, our schools will never be able to realize sustainable improvement or close the achievement gap that has long disadvantaged poor and minority students. (For the full reports, see www.tntp.org.) Our work has been acknowledged by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and has influenced the administration’s new, ground-breaking reform programs, the Race to the Top Fund and Investing in Innovation Fund.

TNTP has partnered with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) to design and develop a comprehensive teacher talent management system with a focus on teacher effectiveness. In particular, TNTP will provide on-the-ground support to schools in one or more partner districts to help them manage the talent of their teachers, by assisting in the diagnosis of the teacher’s current level of performance and needs for development.

Role and Responsibilities

This position offers the successful candidate the opportunity to assume a role in supporting school leaders in evaluating and developing effective teachers in New Orleans area public schools. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Work with principals, Assistant Principals, and Master Teachers to improve use of evaluation tools and systems
• Track and provide logistical support to ensure that school leaders follow observation and evaluation processes
• Create and/or help school leaders use materials, agendas, and talking points to guide performance conversations with teachers
• Provide written and verbal guidance to principals on using data to assess teacher effectiveness
• Create and/or help school leaders use tools to diagnose teacher needs and choose appropriate interventions
• Track teacher development needs and the delivery of interventions to establish school and project level patterns

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who believe deeply in our organization's mission, who thrive in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment, and who demonstrate a record of achievement. This position will also require frequent travel within Greater New Orleans.

• Significant prior experience with improving teacher performance as a school administrator required
• Prior experience with teacher evaluation required
• Track record of developing teachers to produce greater gains in student achievement
• Strong education background and instructional skill set, preferably in high-need schools or with high-need populations
• Excellent analytical skills, including experience working with qualitative and quantitative teacher performance data
• Outstanding critical thinking skills
• Excellent project management and organizational skills
• Extraordinary attention to detail
• Superior adult facilitation skills
• Excellent oral communication and writing skills
• The ability to work independently and manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills
• The ability to critically assess challenges and identify effective solutions
• The ability to work effectively with others at all levels of an organization and to consistently display a high level of professionalism in all interactions
• Flexibility and comfort with ambiguity
• Familiarity with Louisiana curriculum standards (preferred)
• Comfort working with computers and strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite
• Willingness to work non-standard hours and occasional weekends

Compensation

The annual salary for this position is $100,000 or commensurate with experience in a similar position. We also offer a motivated team of colleagues, a collegial atmosphere that values professional development, a comprehensive benefits plan effective on the first day of employment – including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, and a 403(b) plan with matching – as well as the opportunity to impact the direction of a growing, mission-driven company that is committed to the success of our nation’s children.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and tailored cover letter online at http://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=THENEWTEACHERPROJECT&cws=1&rid=642

We review applications on a rolling basis – so it is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible. We will not consider applications without a cover letter tailored to this position, which can be addressed to the Human Capital Team. The New Teacher Project is committed to fostering and capitalizing on the diversity of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and seek individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply to this position. If you would like to learn more about our mission, please visit our web site at www.tntp.org.