Lower School Instructional Coach (2024-2025)

About the School

Georgetown Day School opened its doors in 1945 as the first integrated school in a segregated city. Governed by a Board of Trustees elected by the parent body and administered by an appointed Head of School, it was founded by seven families who wanted to create a school committed not only to academic excellence and educational innovation but also to a value system emphasizing appreciation and respect for others. Believing that diversity was the ground out of which all deep and rich learning occurs, they established a school where all children would be welcome, celebrated, and challenged to be their best selves.

Today, the School's philosophy, programs, and position in the national educational landscape strongly reflect its roots. Having grown from 12 children in 1945 to 1075 students in PK-12 today, GDS is recognized as one of Washington, D.C.’s and the nation’s most dynamic educational institutions.

Since the school’s founding, GDS has called eight different locations home. In the fall of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools were all joined on one extraordinary campus.

About the Position

Georgetown Day School Instructional Coaches ignite, nurture, and inspire the passions of veteran and novice teachers in their continual growth journey as skilled teaching professionals. In partnership with the Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, the Assistant Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Lower School leadership, the Instructional Coach is responsible for developing teacher capacity as culturally and historically responsive, anti-racist, student-centered, data-informed, and self-reflective instructors. In this non-supervisory role, the coach will work collaboratively with educators in our lower school learning community and with coaches in our middle and high school learning communities for the 2024-2025 school year.

Location: On campus

Start Date: August 19, 2024

Type of Opportunity: Full-time, salaried, exempt with benefits.

You will work with key leadership to:

• Provide coaching direction. Buttress the skills of committed, talented teachers in translating the school’s core values of equity, justice, and inclusion into research-based, culturally relevant pedagogy in everyday practice. Support the expansion, refinement, and addition of research-based effective practices in their teaching toolboxes through regular 1:1 or team coaching.

• Partner with purpose. Actively participate in the instructional coaching model to support the development of pre-K-4th-grade faculty through reflective practices in service to delivering optimal learning experiences for our diverse student population.

• Cultivate a culture of inquiry. Through trusting and inclusive relationships, help develop a culture of collaborative inquiry where teachers, regardless of years of experience, continually challenge themselves and each other to improve their craft and impact student learning.

• Participate as an active member of the community. Fully participate in the life of a school that is committed to developing change agents for a more just and equitable world.

This role is a fit if you:

• possess depth and breadth of understanding of how to support teachers in drawing on the science of learning, identifying high-impact effective instructional practices, and engaging in culturally and historically relevant pedagogy.

• demonstrated experience successfully coaching teachers to reflect, evolve, and refine their crafts in ways that make a difference in student learning and ultimately build their confidence as educators.

• are a bridge-builder and connector (between and among diverse individuals)

• delight in working with adults and children and understand how they learn best

• possess depth and breadth of understanding about high-impact practices and culturally and historically relevant pedagogy

• relish in learning and growing professionally

• have a strong desire to work in service of a mission-driven institution

• have experience supporting teachers with curriculum alignment and standards-based reporting

• have experience with structured literacy approach, Responsive Classroom, multisensory math instruction, and teaching neurodivergent students.

Your team

• You report to the Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning

• You work collaboratively with a team of instructional coaches and the Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning

• You work closely with grade-level leads and the learning specialist team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field is required.

• Master's Degree preferred

• Three years or more of teaching experience preferred

Americans with Disability Specifications

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three references using our online application system through ADP/Workforce Now: http://www.gds.org/Recruiting. To find out more about the school, candidates should visit our website at www.gds.org.

As an inclusive school devoted to preparing our students to live, work, and lead in an increasingly globalized and multicultural society, GDS is particularly interested in professionals with demonstrated interest and experience in working in such a school setting and is driven by the core charge of working to enhance and bring joy to every student’s individual learning experience in equitable and meaningful ways.