Project Director - Policy & Research Team

TNTP

Location: Flexible location
Description

We are currently seeking a Project Director to develop and implement strategies to remove district and state-level barriers to staffing reform in our partner districts and states. This position may be based in the central TNTP office in New York City or from a home office and will require up to 35% travel.

TNTP Policy and Research

TNTP has worked with urban school districts on their human capital challenges since its inception. From that experience, TNTP analyzed how a web of policy and process barriers prevented urban school districts from hiring the best new teacher applicants by delaying hiring until well into the summer and early fall. TNTP shared this research in its first national report titled, Missed Opportunities: How We Keep High-Quality Teachers Out of Urban Classrooms, which was published in 2003. In its recently published report, Unintended Consequences: The Case for Reforming the Staffing Rules in Urban Teachers Union Contracts, TNTP analyzed the impact of collectively-bargained teacher staffing rules on urban schools. The report detailed four principal effects of these rules: 1) urban schools are forced to hire large numbers of teachers they do not want and who may not be a good fit for the job and their school; 2) poor performers are passed around from school to school instead of being terminated; 3) new teacher applicants, including the best, are lost to late hiring; and 4) novice teachers are treated as expendable regardless of their contribution to their school. (For the full report, see www.tntp.org.) Additionally, TNTP played an instrumental role in passage of state legislation in California requiring reform of teachers union collective bargaining agreements.

Since the publication of Unintended Consequences, TNTP has begun to advance the report’s recommendations through a multi-tiered district, state and national initiative. As part of this effort, TNTP is working to ensure that states and districts support – rather than undermine – teacher quality at the local level. Our experience and research has suggested to us that certain types of collective bargaining provisions and state laws can erect considerable barriers to effective school staffing. Removing these barriers depends upon providing a fact-based, non-ideological case to leaders and lawmakers.

The Project Director will report to the Partner for the Policy and Research business line. This position offers the successful candidate the opportunity to have a profound impact on the direction of major educational reforms.

Role and Responsibilities

The Project Director will be responsible for partnering with states and/or districts to build the case for common sense district and state reforms. Specifically, he or she will:

• Manage the process of gathering data and advocating for reforms in several districts and/or states
• Create high quality, data-driven reports demonstrating the impact of collective bargaining agreement provisions and/or state laws and policies
• Work with the VP, Policy & Research and the Partner, Policy & Research to persuade district leaders and, where applicable, state partners to allow TNTP to gather data in the state and/or district(s)
• Manage high level client relationships with officials from state departments of education and senior district leaders
• Participate in presentation of TNTP’s research to clients, funders, media, unions, elected officials, and other stakeholders
• Serve as a point of contact for funders of our policy work
• Build investment among partner clients for collective bargaining reforms and/or state legislation that will address existing policy barriers
• Develop educational outreach offerings for district stakeholders, legislative staff, elected officials, and advocacy groups
• Supervise TNTP staff assisting with implementation at individual sites

Qualifications

We are seeking a highly achievement-oriented self-starter with a passion for our mission. The successful candidate will be driven by a vision of reform that positions schools, particularly those serving the highest-need students, to support student achievement. This individual will be capable of translating that vision into practical steps and, ultimately, into reform. To achieve this, the successful candidate will have the following minimum qualifications:

• Excellent analytical skills, including experience working with qualitative and quantitative data
• Excellent project management skills, including experience managing multiple large projects at a time
• Significant prior experience with client management, preferably experience working closely with senior district officials
• Very strong written communication skills
• Very strong public presentation skills, including the ability to provide detailed, data-driven answers to questions posed in public forums
• Strong inter-personal skills and the ability to work with a range of stakeholders and across organizations
• Evidence of a strong commitment to urban education issues
• Evidence of exceptional productivity
• Willingness to travel extensively

Compensation

The annual salary for this position is $80,000 or commensurate with prior experience in a similar position. We also offer a motivated team of colleagues, a comprehensive benefits plan effective on the first day of employment – including medical, dental, vision, disability, generous vacation time and a 403(b) plan – as well as the opportunity to impact the direction of a growing, mission-driven company that is committed to the success of our nation’s children.

Apply online, click here

We review applications on a rolling basis – please apply immediately. We will not consider applications without a detailed cover letter.

The New Teacher Project is an equal opportunity employer.

Job posted on 24th March 2008
Please mention Policy Jobs when applying to this position