THE NUEVA SCHOOL

DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING SEARCH

Full Position Description through Carney Sandoe & Associates

To Apply

Candidates need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular posiiton;
• A current resume;
• A statement of educational and leadership philosophy and practice of no more than two pages;
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission to:
  • Karen Whitaker, Senior Consultant, karen.whitaker@carneysandoe.com
  • Deb Welch, Senior Consultant, deb.welch@carneysandoe.com

Overview

Since its founding in 1967, Nueva has been a leader in the field of gifted education. Located on two campuses in the Bay Area - grades PK-8 on the Hillsborough campus and 9-12 on the San Mateo campus – Nueva offers its 967 students a dynamic educational experience grounded in a caring and compassionate community.

Trust, curiosity, creativity, and student agency are among Nueva’s foundational values, creating an environment where exceptional students and teachers can take risks and immerse themselves in the joy of learning. Faculty, staff, students, parents, and school leaders describe Nueva as a com-munity that invites each person to be the most creative version of themselves. Intellectual freedom and the heady buzz of an independently created curriculum ignite a learning environment that celebrates intense curiosity and playful exploration. Nueva respects the minds of children and allows inquisitive kids to still be kids.

Nueva seeks a Director of Teaching and Learning to further its learn by doing, learn by caring ethos.

The Position

The Director of Teaching and Learning will oversee all aspects of the PreK-12 curriculum, instruction, assessment, differentiated student support and professional learning. Whether working closely with division heads and other school leaders or collaborating with other faculty and staff on various working groups, the Director will be an advocate for excellence and coherence in the learning experience of all students. Advancing Nueva as a center for action research and innovation, the Director will ensure integration of research-based best practices. The Director will report directly to the Head of School and collaborate with others to deliver the school’s mission and commitment to an inclusive program that honors each learner’s identity. page 4

Opportunities and Challenges

Balance creativity and innovation with consistency and accountability

Nueva is a dynamic learning environment that supports risk-taking and innovation. In the spirit of meeting the intellectual and social emotional needs of students, Nueva says “Yes” to exploration and iteration. As the school has grown in size and complexity, it needs clearer articulation of the many facets of its curricula program across all the grades. The Director of Teaching and Learning will lead a collaborative process of identifying desired learning outcomes, assessment practices, and vertical and horizontal articulation, and will help faculty grapple with questions about measuring student growth in hard-to-measure categories like collaboration and creativity. Systems and structures such as common collaboration time and clearer decision-making protocols must support faculty without hindering their ability to meet the needs of Nueva students. In leading this work, the Director will skillfully balance systems thinking with the kind of intellectual flexibility Nueva values.

Support and enhance schoolwide professional capacity

Grounded in their commitment to their students’ journeys of intellectual discovery, Nueva teachers also want to grow and evolve. The Director of Teaching and Learning will support the faculty in making full use of their talents. The Director will facilitate the design and implementation of systems and processes to connect faculty and staff with high quality professional development by designing in-house learning opportunities and connecting the Nueva community with conferences, workshops, classes, and other resources. The Director will also oversee onboarding and mentoring of new teachers. Furthermore, this position would help shape hiring practices for faculty positions and with efforts to strengthen teacher retention.page 5

The Director will collaboratively capture and share effective habits, dispositions, and practices from experienced Nueva teachers who have honed their skills in pedagogical design at Nueva. The Director of Teaching and Learning will help teachers tackle other pedagogical questions like how best to reach a wide range of gifted learners or how to structure tiers of learning support. When new hires with deep content knowledge or wisdom from industry join Nueva, how does the school help them become the best teacher possible?

Establish teaching and learning priorities informed by the strategic plan

Characterized by a predilection for change and dynamism, Nueva faculty and staff energetically pursue their passions, sometimes to the point of burnout. One teacher commented, “We are makers of our own demise when we insist on iterating all the time. We need a middle ground between standardization and creativity.” The Director of Teaching and Learning, in partnership with the Head of School and senior leadership, will prioritize initiatives to sustain curricular momentum and faculty vitality. The newly adopted Strategic Framework will inform these priorities.

Advance Nueva’s role in gifted education

For over fifty years, Nueva has set the standard for educating gifted learners. With the support of talented teachers, an interdisciplinary and project-based curriculum, and a kind community that is constantly striving towards a Beloved Community, each student embraces a personalized approach to exploring talents and passions. Each year, Nueva hosts a variety of outreach programs for the educational community such as the Innovative Learning Conference, the Design Thinking Institute, and the Equity & Inclusion Institute. Such programs provide a valuable opportunity to share practices. In addition, as part of its commitment to the school’s Missions 2, Nueva partners with mission-aligned organizations to expand its impact in education overall. The Director of Teaching and Learning will have the opportunity to advance these programs and expand Nueva’s reach in areas of research and innovation, further advancing the school’s commitment to support gifted learners and their teachers everywhere.

Partner with the leadership team

Members of the Nueva leadership team support each other as thought partners, mentors, sounding boards, and collaborators. The Director of Teaching and Learning will be expected to hold the teaching and learning lens for this team while being comfortable asking questions, seeking support, and responding with grace and equanimity to the long-term and day-to-day challenges of leading a school. page 6

Qualifications and Personal Attributes

• Successful candidates will have background and skills that include the following:
• The ideal candidate will have experience as a senior leader in a PreK-12 school, significant teaching experience, and an advanced degree or certification in curriculum and instruction.
• Strong candidates will also demonstrate:
• Deep knowledge of and the ability to execute programs that embed design thinking, project-based learning, inquiry, and social-emotional learning;
• An open and collaborative leadership style that genuinely invites and respects the perspectives and talents of others and fosters a culture of sharing and trust;
• Experience leading diverse communities, skill in building inclusive communities, and the ability to respectfully navigate diverse cultural and social situations;
• Experience in supporting and developing the growth and evolution of faculty;
• The ability to articulate curricular and pedagogical vision and the tactical skills necessary to deftly build and manage the systems and processes;
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills;
• The ability to give adults concrete feedback to support professional development and programmatic excellence;
• The ability to be highly organized, yet also flexible and adaptable;
• A growth mindset, a good sense of humor, and a joyous spirit;
• A high tolerance for ambiguity in a world that loves to sort students.

Compensation

The full-time equivalent salary range for this position is $145,000 - $225,000. The starting salary is based upon, but not limited to, several factors that include type and years of experience, education level, and expertise.

We offer a full benefits package that includes fully paid medical, dental, vision, life insurance for employees, employer contribution toward dependent insurance premium, a generous match on our 403(b) retirement plan, long-term and short-term disability insurance, flexible spending account, and free lunch. Eligibility rules must be met.

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