Director of Planning and Accountability

About Schenectady City Schools

With a population of nearly 10,000 students, the Schenectady City School District is one of the largest in the Capital Region. With an incredibly diverse population we are committed to ensuring that all children feel valued, are safe and will learn. We place the highest priority on a culture of equity, ensuring that race, economics, and disability are never predictors of student achievement.  Every child in our district counts and will be supported each step of the way, along the path to graduation.

District Director of Planning and Accountability Role

The work of District Director of Planning and Accountability is to apply an equity lens in directing, supervising, and leading all functions of the Office of Planning and Accountability for the Schenectady City School District. The primary role of this office is to ensure significant student achievement gains, close opportunity gaps and eliminate disproportionality at the school level, as measured by disaggregated school improvement data. Another critical function of this role is to accurately analyze performance measures using multiple sources of disaggregated data and linking them to a decolonized curriculum, culturally responsive instruction, and authentic assessments. Student assessment data, along with other data will also be collected in order to create and manage a District level strategic plan that leads to the continuous equitable improvement of all schools using an Anti-racism approach. In addition, the District Director of Planning and Accountability coordinates the research program, which also includes oversight for the Institutional Review Board (IRB). This position reports directly to the Superintendent and is part of the District’s Leadership Team. This position requires a high degree of self-awareness, an anti-racism lens, professionalism and attention to equitable outcomes.

District Director of Planning and Accountability Expectations (The following list is designed to provide a basic overview of the various work associated with this position. However, this position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with this role).  

• Lead all functions of the Office of Planning and Accountability that are under Local Control;
• Serve as Chief Information Officer; Serve as Chief Technology Officer;
• Ensure alignment between the District’s Strategic Plan and the schools comprehensive education plans using an anti-racism and equity lens;
• Lead a rigorous plan for continuous improvement that results in increased student achievement for all student subgroups and closes opportunity gaps;
• Create narrative summaries of analyzed data and develop an executive summary that can be used to report disaggregated findings to the District’s Leadership Team and the Board of Education;
• Assist school leaders in developing comprehensive, measurable goals aligned to the District’s Strategic Plan and then provide guidance to ensure goals are achieved though equitable outcomes;
• Leading the district’s Improvement Science initiative which includes assisting all school leaders in creating and implementing Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles with their staff, designed to increase student achievement, close opportunity gaps and eliminated disproportionality;
• Working with District Leadership and individual school buildings to create anti-racist DCEP and ASCEP Plans;
• Coach principals and teachers on the use of disaggregated data to make informed decisions that drive student achievement for all student subgroups;
• Provide leadership in the areas of school improvement planning, teacher and principal professional development, and evaluation using an anti-racist lens;
• Work with school leaders to monitor school improvement and make adjustments when unusual trends or concerns are identified;
• Conducts analysis of academic initiatives with a focus on improving student achievement and closing opportunity gaps;
• Serve as a member of the District’s Leadership Team and participate in district wide initiatives and plans, such as Anti-racism building leadership teams;
• Provide technical expertise, information, advisement and assistance to the Superintendent regarding assigned functions;
• Using anti-racist lens assist in the formulation and development of policies, procedures, and programs that ensure equity;
• Collaborate with central office staff, building administrators, and department heads to evaluate existing programs, services, and practices, using an anti-racist lens;
• Provide leadership in using disaggregated data to make informed decisions about decolonized curriculum, culturally responsive instruction and equity-based programs, assisting staff in making connections between the disaggregated data and the bigger equity picture;
• Establish clear and consistent two-way communication with parents, families, and community partners to analyze the effectiveness of our schools and resolve concerns;
• Remain informed of current educational trends, practices, and proposed legislation impacting schools and districts, and ensure that information is communicated out to appropriate stakeholder groups;
• Oversee Federal and State Accountability requirements related to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and other reporting requirements;
• Manage the development and oversight of planning initiatives with local and state government;
• Provide leadership and input into the development and maintenance of annual budgets, ensuring funds are distributed equitably;
• Supervise district departments, including but not limited to: Transportation, Central Registration, Technology, and Data;
• Oversight of grant programs;
• Oversight of Staff Trac;
• Serve as Home School Administrator and provide broad oversight for all individualized home instruction plans (IHIPs);
• Curate ongoing relationships with private and parochial schools in the area.
• Serve as Medicaid Compliance Officer for the District;
• Oversight of district grant program from application through implementation phases;
• Oversight of the District’s anti-racist Pre-Kindergarten program;
• Oversight of district equitable assessment program, including the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP);
• Using an anti-racist lens design, implement, and oversee the summer enrichment program each summer;
• Perform related duties as assigned.

District Director of Planning and Accountability Key Qualities

• The ability to lead a large and diverse staff and systems through the process of analyzing and dismantling policies and practices that uphold institutionalized racism;
• The ability to acknowledge and respect diverse perspectives;
• The ability to inspire trust from diverse groups of people;
• Provide leadership and build capacity for cultural awareness;
• The ability to model high standards of integrity and ethical behavior;
• Knowledge of adult learning theory and the ability to provide professional development to diverse stakeholders;
• Working knowledge of English Language Learners;
• Knowledge of learning management systems, StaffTrac, and Transfinder;
• Working knowledge of how to engage in a large, diverse organization;
• Thorough knowledge of organizational development, principles, and practices in formed by diversity and inclusion;
• Thorough knowledge of education research methodology; including research design, program evaluation, and data analysis using an equity lens;
• Thorough knowledge of modern and complex practices associated with district and school accountability;
• Thorough knowledge of School Improvement methods aimed at closing improving achievement for all racial groups, while closing opportunity gaps and eliminating disproportionality;
• Extensive knowledge of current of aligning an anti-racist lens with legislature, literature, trends, methods, and developments in the area of test result evaluation;
• Extensive knowledge of decolonized curriculums and culturally responsive instructional programs, policies, procedures, practices, and system-wide goals related to equity-driven strategic planning.
• The ability to initiate, monitor, and evaluate new or current programs using an anti-racist lens;
• Extensive understanding of the New York State Common Core Learning Standards and ability to apply in a culturally responsive manner;
• Extensive skill in designing inclusive data collection instruments such as surveys;
• Ability to complete a large scale data analysis and compile accurate records that can be used to develop meaningful reports, charts, and graphs that assist in composing a data narrative.
• Extensive knowledge of the rules and regulations regarding the administration of standardized tests and school accountability in New York State.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• The ability to maintain effective working relationships with School Board members, school administrators, teachers, staff, support staff, and the community;
• Extensive knowledge of and successful experience in sound fiscal practices, including budget preparation and the equitable management of district resources;
• Demonstrate leadership presence that gains the confidence of a diverse group of employees;
• Comfortable having difficult conversations regarding race and other identities, pushing a group’s thinking and challenging ideas to enable better decisions;
• Skillfully navigate political structures, relationships, and dynamics to improve results for students;
• Actively listen to others, understand nuance, and effectively interpret motivations/perceptions.  Able to integrate feedback from others to achieve better results;
• Communicates effectively, tailoring messages for the audience, context, and mode of communication.
• Build positive relationships and coalitions. Maintain visibility and work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders at all levels (i.e. district staff, students, families, communities, advocacy groups, etc.);
• Build and lead effective diverse teams to achieve ambitious goals;
• Assess team and individuals’ skills, identifies development needs, and provides feedback and supports to improve practice, build capacity, and maximize talent;
• Promote professional learning and utilize effective adult learning techniques;
• Lead team to collaborate with other departments, teams, and stakeholders.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Minimum:

• Valid NYS Certification for School District Leader (SDL), School District Administrator (SDA), or School Business Leader Certification (SBL)
• Master’s Degree with specialization related to assessment, evaluation, and research or related fields.
• Five or more years of successful administrative experience leading, supervising, and managing comprehensive and assessment evaluation systems preferred.
• Five or more years of experience in curriculum development, assessment, and implementation with significant data analysis and statistical analysis experience preferred.

 Desirable:

• Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Research, Assessment, Measurement, Curriculum Evaluation, or a related field.
• The ability to speak multiple languages.

Those interested in being considered should submit a letter of interest, resume, and recommendation letters to:

https://schenectady.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx