Delaware Teacher Leader Job Description, Instructional

Strategy Lead
Title:

Instructional Strategy Lead, Teacher Leader

Reports to:

School Administrator

Duration of Role:

SY 2016-2017

Closing Date for Application:

May 25, 2016

The 2016-2017 Delaware Teacher Leader Pilot introduces five newly-designed teacher leader
roles with diverse responsibilities into a group of schools across the state. The pilot will serve
as an opportunity for teacher leaders to extend their reach outside of their classroom and for
the state to learn from the experiences of pilot leaders and schools to inform a potential fullscale implementation in the future. In order to provide a world class education for
Delawares students, we must support, develop, and draw upon the expertise of Delawares
most talented educators, making Delawares schools great places to both teach and learn.
Instructional Strategy Leads will work collaboratively with school leadership to integrate
research-based instructional strategies into classroom practice. Strong candidates for this
position should have strong research, communication, and project management skills. The
teacher leader pilot and this position are contingent upon FY17 budget approval.
Position Overview:
Instructional Strategy Leads will introduce research-based instructional strategies into
schools to help educators meet their development needs and to help schools meet their
academic goals. These teacher leaders will collaborate with school leadership to identify
areas of need and agree on research priorities. They will then research instructional strategy
best practices in those areas, and lead efforts to integrate the most promising strategies into
classrooms.
This position will require at least 25% of time, and up to 50%, spent outside of core
instructional responsibilities. School administrators will ensure that teacher leaders are
provided release time during the school day to complete their responsibilities.
Major Responsibilities:
Identify research-based instructional strategies aligned to school needs, and lead
implementation efforts to integrate them into classroom practice.

Collaborate with the school leadership team to identify areas of need for the school
and align on priorities for research.
Conduct ongoing research on instructional strategy and classroom best practices.
Provide information and resources on findings to other interested educators.
Lead school initiatives to implement promising strategies, including:

Helping secure necessary resources

Supporting recruitment of staff to support implementation

Developing metrics for success

Providing ongoing support for educators implementing new strategies in their

classrooms
Tracking and reporting impact of initiatives

Participate actively in the pilot cohort to inform future implementation of teacher leader
roles across Delaware.

Attend a summer cohort-wide planning session with a school leader to set goals,
obtain resources and support, and develop a school-implementation plan
Participate in quarterly cohort meetings to promote collaboration among pilot
schools, reflect on implementation, and engage in professional learning.
Offer feedback around successes, challenges, and how teacher leadership can benefit
educators and students.
Set ambitious goals for performance in the leadership role and collect evidence of
progress towards meeting them.

Essential Qualifications and Skills:

Minimum Qualifications:
5 years of experience as an educator,
2 years of experience as an educator in the LEA hiring for the role, and
2 years of Effective or Highly Effective ratings in components I, II, III and IV of DPAS
II (or an LEAs equivalent measure).
Skills:

Excellent research skills, including an ability to analyze school needs and identify
research-based instructional strategies
Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to influence team members without
formal authority
Strong project management skills, including project planning, resource procurement,
and progress monitoring
Superior ability to reflect on instructional and leadership practices and refine
practices

Salary: $5,000 stipend annually in addition to the current salary of selected candidates;
$6,000 if your school has been classified as high-need by the state.
To Apply: Complete the application provided and return to your administrator by May 25th.
Two letters of recommendation are also required. Letters of recommendation should provide
evidence of strengths you would bring to the role and can come from any two of the
following: Peers, administrators, parents, and/or students. Additional selection activities will
be determined by a school-based committee of educators, administrators, and LEA
representatives.