Director of Pathways and Licensure

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.

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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.

Position Summary

The Director of Pathways and Licensure leads Holyoke Public Schools efforts to build a sustainable diverse and highly qualified educator workforce. This position is responsible for designing and managing teacher pathway programs and overseeing all aspects of educator licensure and pathway development for paraprofessionals and other aspiring teachers. The Director works in close partnership with Human Resources the Director of Recruitment central office leadership and higher education partners to grow the districts internal talent pipeline and reduce reliance on emergency waivers.

Teacher Pathways & Apprenticeship Programs

• Lead the implementation management and continuous improvement of the districts DESE Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP) including coordination with higher education partners.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with universities community colleges and workforce agencies to create formal pathways into teaching for paraprofessionals and other district staff.
• Design recruitment and selection processes for apprenticeship and pathway program cohorts with a focus on bilingual candidates and candidates for Special Education roles.
• Oversee program participants progress through licensure milestones academic requirements and on-the-job learning components.
• Manage grant-funded pathway initiatives including compliance reporting budget tracking and communication with state agencies such as DESE and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD).

Licensure & Waiver Management

• Collaborate with Human Resources to maintain a comprehensive up-to-date database of educator licensure statuses across the district identifying staff on waivers provisional licenses or approaching licensure deadlines.
• Monitor regulatory changes to Massachusetts educator licensure requirements and update district practices accordingly.

Recruitment & Workforce Strategy

• Partner with the Director of Recruitment on strategies to attract bilingual educators Special Education teachers and other hard-to-fill roles.
• Collaborate with the district translation department to develop and distribute bilingual (English/Spanish) communications materials and resources in support of pathway and licensure programs.
• Analyze workforce data to identify emerging staffing gaps and inform proactive pipeline development.

Program Administration & Collaboration

• Serve as a core member of the districts RTAP planning committee alongside HR Special Education building principals and community partners.
• Prepare and submit grant applications interim reports and final reports related to pathway and licensure funding opportunities.
• Maintain accurate records timelines and program documentation in compliance with state and federal requirements.
• Present program updates and data to district leadership the School Committee and external stakeholders as needed.

Required

• Bachelors degree in Education Human Resources Public Administration or a related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in education human resources workforce development or a related field.
• Knowledge of Massachusetts educator licensure requirements DESE regulations and waiver processes.
• Demonstrated experience managing programs grants or initiatives with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong organizational data management and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

Preferred

• Masters degree in Education Education Policy Public Administration or related field.
• Experience working in an urban or high-need school district.
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish.
• Familiarity with registered apprenticeship programs
• Experience with Special Education staffing paraprofessional development or alternative licensure pathways.
• Experience with grant writing and management.

This is a full-time twelve-month administrative position. The Director of Pathways and Licensure is based at the Holyoke Public Schools Central Office and may be required to travel to school buildings higher education partners and off-site events. Some evening or weekend hours may be required for recruitment events program activities or grant-related deadlines.

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications in accordance with the HPS administrative salary schedule. Holyoke Public Schools offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance life insurance retirement through the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System (MTRS) or the City Retirement System and professional development opportunities.

Required Experience:

Director