Director of History & Ethnic Studies (K-12)

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4800 students of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery support and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools strategic plan Moving Forward Together builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach how we work together and how we support students well-being.

Many successes contributed to Holyokes return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:

• The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
• Meaningful applied learning opportunities for high school students including theme-based academies career vocational technical education programming work-based learning and advanced coursework
• A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring contributing to more students reading at grade level
• A thriving dual language English/Spanish program where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual biliterate and bicultural

• More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us our recent accomplishments and our commitment to equity.

-

PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12. grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que en conjunto educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento apoyo y pertenencia.

El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke Avanzando Juntos se basa en nuestras fortalezas previas y al mismo tiempo sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje estudiantil a través de una nueva perspectiva sobre cómo enseñamos cómo trabajamos en colaboración y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes.

Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial. Entre estos logros se encuentran:

• La tasa de graduación más alta registrada del 77.1 % lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
• Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria que incluyen academias temáticas programas de educación técnica y vocacional aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
• Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
• Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo la biliteracidad y la biculturalidad.

• Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.

Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad nuestros logros recientes y nuestro compromiso con la equidad.

Director of History and Ethnic Studies (K-12) Overview

Reporting to the Executive Director of Academics and serving as an integral member of the District Central Office Leadership Team the Director of History and Ethnic Studies is responsible for leading the development implementation and continuous improvement of the districts History and Social Science program for grades K12 with a particular focus on the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks including the Ethnic Studies Standards and Practices.

This is an ideal position for an instructional leader with deep content knowledge in history civics and ethnic studies and experience coaching educators to deliver culturally responsive inquiry-based instruction. The Director will support instructional leaders and educators across the district to ensure that all students engage in rigorous inclusive and meaningful learning experiences that reflect diverse histories identities and perspectives in alignment with the districts strategic priorities and turnaround plan.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities Aligned to our Strategic Priorities:

Instructional Leadership

• Sustain high expectations for all students and strengthen the consistency and rigor of classroom instruction by overseeing the implementation of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks including Ethnic Studies across grades K12.
• Lead the development implementation and refinement of district-wide history and ethnic studies curricula instructional resources and assessments aligned to state standards.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director of Academics and the Teaching and Learning team to design and deliver high-quality professional development for principals assistant principals department heads and teacher leaders.
• Provide embedded professional learning for educators through classroom modeling co-teaching lesson design and curriculum planning.
• Support secondary department heads and school leaders in strengthening history civics and ethnic studies instruction at the middle and high school levels.
• Work with the Data Strategist to analyze student achievement and instructional data at the district school classroom and student levels to inform curriculum decisions and professional learning.
• Support the implementation of a data-informed system of assessment and progress monitoring using multiple measures to evaluate student learning and instructional effectiveness.
• Stay current on research and best practices in history education ethnic studies culturally responsive pedagogy and civic education and apply this learning to district initiatives.
• Ensure professional learning is sustained coherent and aligned to district priorities and school-based needs.

Management and Operations

• Support principals in the recruitment screening and hiring of effective history and ethnic studies educators.
• Develop manage and monitor the History and Ethnic Studies budget within the Teaching and Learning Team.
• Oversee the selection adoption and implementation of curriculum materials and instructional resources aligned to district goals and state standards.

Professional Culture

• Collaborate with the Director of English Language Learners to design inclusive instructional approaches and pathways that support multilingual learners in history and ethnic studies classrooms.
• Partner with the Pupil Services team to ensure high-quality accessible instruction for students with disabilities.
• Serve as a thought partner to school leaders on curriculum planning resource allocation and instructional improvement
• Contribute actively to a collaborative reflective and equity-centered professional culture across the district.

Family and Community Engagement

• Collaborate with the Family and Community Engagement team to ensure clear accurate and inclusive communication with families regarding history and ethnic studies curriculum instruction and assessment.
• Support partnerships with families and community organizations to enrich curriculum and learning experiences.

Eligibility and Qualifications

Experience skills traits and beliefs:

• Strong knowledge of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks including Ethnic Studies standards and demonstrated success improving student outcomes in an urban or diverse school setting.
• Deep understanding of culturally responsive teaching inquiry-based instruction and the role of history and ethnic studies in advancing equity and civic engagement.
• Experience coaching supervising or leading high-performing instructional teams at the department school or district level.
• Demonstrated ability to design curriculum align instruction to standards and use data to drive continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to manage complex initiatives and lead through change.
• A bold innovative and engaging leader with a track record of inspiring educators and building strong instructional cultures.
• Excellent managerial and coaching skills with success leading teams toward ambitious goals.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage and motivate diverse stakeholders.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and a collaborative leadership style.
• A deep commitment to educational equity and an unwavering belief in the potential of all students.
• An advanced degree in education history social studies ethnic studies or a related field is required.
• Massachusetts Supervisor/Director license required.

Compensation

Salary and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Required Experience:

Director