Founded in 1647, Boston Public Schools (BPS) is the oldest public school district in the country. With approximately 48,000 students from over 138 different countries, and a budget of approximately $1 billion, BPS is the largest school district in Massachusetts and is one of the most diverse as well. BPS has been recognized as one of the top urban school districts in the United States; in 2006, it was awarded the Broad Prize for Urban Education as the most improved urban school district in the nation. 

 

For over thirty years, BPS has developed a network of Alternative Education Schools and Programs to help prepare students for future success by providing a supportive, non-traditional yet academically challenging school environment for these students. It is important to note that our Alternative Education Schools/ Programs are designed to respond to students who are not succeeding in the traditional school environment, who are at-risk of school failure and/or who may have already dropped out of the traditional high school. The Alternative Education landscape in BPS consists of twelve (12) schools and programs located throughout the city including two ( 2) programs in Adult Education. 

 

DEFINITION:. The Assistant Director of Educational Options will assist with the planning, organizing, coordinating, supervising and building the overall capacity of the Alternative Education Schools/Programs including Adult Education within the Boston Public Schools. 

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include but not limited the following. Additional duties may be assigned. 

 

Direct Support and Technical Assistance to all Alternative Education Schools/ Programs and Adult Education 

• Support School Leaders and Program Director of Alternative Education Schools and Programs, including Adult Education in the development and implementation of overall program policies, procedures and academic priorities 
• Provide leadership and support to all Alternative education schools and programs to responsibly meet the needs of all students, building functional, productive, and innovative learning approaches to the reengagement of students within all Alternative Education Schools/ Programs,Including Adult Education; 
• Ensure students who are at risk of school failure have the opportunity to meet graduation requirements, plan for, participate, and execute post-secondary experiences:
• Provide direct support and technical assistance to all School Leaders and Program Directors at Alternative Schools and Program: Including Adult Education: Executive Coaching; Instructional Support, Operations 
• Develop and implement comprehensive recruitment and marketing tools for Educational Options 
• Ensure that student support teams of Alternative Education and Adult Education have familiarity with a variety of age appropriate guidance, counseling and behavior management strategies that reflect current research on best practices and understanding of human growth and development patterns and learning theory; 
• Create rigorous, equity-focused, College and Career Life Readiness-partner facing content and learning for understanding/negotiating school based services in alternative school and adult education communities 
• Propose and/or design innovative alternative education programming and/or changes to existing alternative education programming to better align with student and district needs 

District-wide & School Level Implementation: 

• Lead the collaboration with appropriate central office staff and building administrators to develop, implement, assess, and evaluate student services to support students in accessing alternative education programs to support attainment of a high school diploma; 
• Provide administrative and educational leadership in directing, developing, improving and maintaining school services for all of the Alternative Education Schools and Programs; 
• Ensure information equity and design channels to inform and promote secondary school pathways to families and school communities, increasing student retention during transition periods. 
• Increase internal knowledge and coherence across the district regarding the referral, intake and placement of students into alternative education. 

Curriculum & Professional Development 

• Ensure that all students in alternative education and Adult Education have equitable access to innovative approaches to teaching and learning that meet their individual needs. 
• Leverage culturally & linguistically sustaining practices and adapt primary advising systems to support Multilingual Learners and students with disabilities have equitable access to alternative schools and programs including Adult Education 
• Plan, organize and conduct training, inservice and staff development activities; coordinate curriculum and instruction projects; 
• Collaborate with the Specialized Services and School Counseling leadership to integrate the district’s advising approach into the Massachusetts updated Individualized Education Program (IEP) process, particularly transition planning. 
• Ensure that the instructional practices engage the learner in tasks that require analytical and critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, that they address each student's needs, interests and skill levels, that they encourage the student to define individual goals and accept responsibility for learning, and that they provide a variety of methods for the student to independently demonstrate performance and achievement; 
• Implement research based practices, skills, and strategies for supporting the emotional well-being of students as it relates to fostering student success in an Alternative Academic setting.
• Competency-Based Learning/ Project-Based Learning and Flip Classroom Models
• Remain current in the research that supports curriculum development, instructional program

design and delivery, and assessment in literacy and humanities. 

Key Stakeholder Coordination 

• Serve as the liaison with local philanthropy for private funding opportunities to increase the capacity needed to phase in district-wide best practices in alternative education 
• Collaborate with the BPS Postsecondary team to expand college and career partner resources across all 14 Alternative Ed schools and diploma-granting programs. 

Grant & Financial Management: 

• In conjunction with the Director of Educational Options, develop, maintain, monitor and administer program budget(s), contracts and agreements; direct the forecasting of funding needs for staffing, instructional supplies and equipment; monitor and approve expenditures; 
• Monitor stipend work carried out by teachers, and other school-based teams. 

Supervision & Monitoring 

• Select, train, supervise and evaluate staff relative to program objectives; observe and document performance; design data-based improvement process; 
• Supervise dependent and independent contractors and consultants, providing capacity and support to specific target schools. 
• Analyze existing alternative education programs and offerings to determine alignment with student & District needs 
• Monitor program activities; prepare and present a variety of reports, records and statistical data regarding activities, attendance, physical maintenance, instructional needs and services; monitor compliance of pupil services with federal and state guidelines; 
• Prepare, negotiate, and administer annual contracts and amendments of partner resources; 
• Submit and track business contracts, MOUs, and MOAs to the Business Office and the BPS Legal Office; 
• Identify, and apply for federal and state grants that present viable funding opportunities to sustain the implementation of best practices for alternative education schools and programs 
• Support and monitor Alternative Education compliance with English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, and Code of Conduct placements. 
• Monitor Alternative Education student completion of MyCAP activities and develop improvement plans for low completion activities 
• Provide analysis and disseminate annual data on the Alternative Education schools and programs for district leadership and DESE. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master’s Degree in Education or Leadership required 
• Ten (10) or more years of comprehensive and directly related progressive experience beyond experience required to obtain an appropriate credential including administrative and supervisory responsibility. 
• Culturally competent and multilingual. Experience working in urban high schools and/or working in an alternative education setting. 
• Ability to work with a diverse academic, socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, and educational backgrounds of district students; 
• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected.
• Strong knowledge of school improvement strategies. 
• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development. 
• Strong ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; 
• Demonstrated experience with project management, including meeting tight deadlines to successfully achieve goals 
• Knowledge of and experience with the teaching and learning process. 
• Knowledge of and experience in the development and maintenance of a positive school climate. 
• Knowledge and experience in the supervision and evaluation of professional and non-certified staff. 
• Strong analytical, problem solving skills and excellent writing skills. 
• Ability to coordinate and manage multiple projects simultaneously. 
• Skilled in using data-driven decision-making practices. 
• Able to work independently, employing impeccable judgment, discretion, and integrity. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Google applications 
• City of Boston Residency requirement 

TERMS: Managerial Tier, 12-month position.

 

Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohc (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation. Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step. 

 

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.