Program Director, World Languages [BASAS 9A] (SY25-26) (Boston)

Reports to: Executive Director of Global Learning & Cultural Understanding, Office of Teaching & Learning

OBJECTIVE:

The Office of Teaching & Learning ensures that all educators have access to the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to provide every BPS student with a high-quality, culturally and linguistically sustaining, and well-rounded education that prepares them to actively and responsibly read, write, reason, communicate, create, and compute effectively in a global society. Within the Office of Teaching & Learning, the Department of Global Learning provides oversight, instructional guidance, and support for International Travel, Global Understanding programming, and World Languages courses.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

World Languages is one of the five core disciplines and is an essential part of all students’ education. The Boston Public School’s focus is to deepen students’ cross-cultural competency, preparing them for the 21st-century global society. BPS believes that all students should benefit from being multilingual and multicultural.

The Program Directors of World Languages will implement a standards-based instructional curriculum framework and professional development plan for the district’s world languages teachers. The Program Directors will ensure that the world languages program is a planned, articulated curricula that helps students develop skills in three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Presentational, Interpretive); build insight into the target culture and that of students’ own; develop positive attitudes towards people of diverse backgrounds; and create a willingness to take risks in their endeavors in learning a new language.

The Program Directors of World Languages will collaborate internally within the department and work closely with schools to implement standards-based language programs, providing professional development. They will identify community partners to enhance individual schools’ language programs and seek various funding opportunities to support language and cultural study opportunities for both teachers and students, both within and outside the United States.

The Program Directors are expected to have expertise in the content of World Languages, including the 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Curriculum Frameworks and the ACTFL National Standards for World Languages. The Program Directors should be prepared to collaborate meaningfully with colleagues in central office departments, school and network administrators, teachers and teacher leaders, families, and outside Consulates and partners to enhance teaching and learning for all students in all schools.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Implement a standards-based K-12 world languages program for the district
• Identify high-quality instructional materials and plan for the implementation and creation of standards-aligned thematic units of instruction across all languages offered from Level One to Level Four.
• Collaborate with teacher leaders to develop and deliver world language curriculum and resources.
• Analyze the current language offerings to make appropriate program and policy recommendations for the district.
• Work with school leadership to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of programs and curricula.
• Identify best practices, teacher leaders, and suggest necessary changes to build a stronger world languages program for the district.
• Develop and lead a year-long plan for professional development in alignment with the 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Curriculum Frameworks.
• Develop and manage resources that support and enhance world languages learning.
• Develop a budget to support professional development and other world language-related activities.
• Seek and collaborate with universities, foreign government representatives, and community agencies.
• Identify, communicate, and implement a plan of continued professional growth and development for world languages teachers.
• Lead the ongoing development, implementation, and evaluation of year-round, city-wide, and school-based workshops, courses, institutes, and other professional development opportunities, including the Teacher Summer Institute.
• Identify and support world language teacher leaders, coaches, and mentors in their professional development efforts.
• Seek and secure funding opportunities to support the mission and strategic objectives of the world languages programs.
• Sustain and expand the existing community support for individual schools, teachers, and students.
• Represent the BPS world languages program at district, local, and national meetings and conferences.
• Assist school-based supervisors with establishing effective world languages performance evaluation processes and support.s
• Assist school leaders in the hiring of qualified world languages teachers
• Implement the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy
• Lead data-driven research into MA State Seal of Biliteracy results and share with individual schools and the district leadership team
• Implement the new 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Framework Implementation provided by DESE
• Work with DESE and the surrounding districts on the proposed Heritage Languages Framework
• Attend all World Languages Leadership Network sessions provided by DESE
• Provide coaching/support to world languages teachers in the district
• Present at World Languages conferences such as ACTFL, NECTFL, and MAFLA
• Perform other related duties as requested by the Executive Director of Global Learning.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in world languages or a related field of study.
• 5+ years teaching world languages with 2 plus years administrative experience, preferably in an urban environment similar to Boston
• Professional License Certification in the teaching of world languages
• Minimum Advanced, Low level of language proficiency in a language other than English
• Knowledge of ACTFL Standards, 2021 Massachusetts World Languages Curriculum Frameworks
• Strong organizational and management skills with demonstrated experience in leadership, team building, and supervision
• Demonstrated success working with teachers and/or administrators in a leadership and professional development capacity
• Demonstrated success collaborating with community agencies on the implementation of programs and professional development
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both in writing and orally, including documentation, recordkeeping, and correspondence
• Ability to work independently, multi-task, and prioritize work, and meet multiple deadlines
• Ability to work as part of a team and motivate others to meet goals

Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within a large urban school district
• Experience in developing, implementing, and/or evaluating standards-based world languages program/curriculum
• Experience working with developing integrated performance-based assessments and thematic curriculum units of instruction
• Experience providing professional development for adult learners
• Knowledge or experience with grant writing/management
• Experience implementing the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy
• Fluent in one of BPS's official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Somali

TERMS : BASAS 9A

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