Director of Teaching and Learning Innovation at Children's Day School – San Francisco, California

At Children’s Day School, what you learn and who you become are equally important.

Children’s Day School (CDS) is a welcoming community in the big city, a farm and garden among urban streets, an advocate for change and uplifting progressive values, an independent school with down-to-earth values, and an institution that is always asking how we can do this better.

We strive for balance so students become both academically successful and grounded. They leave CDS confident, with the humility to listen and the resolve to speak up for what they see as right.

CDS is a co-educational preschool through eighth-grade school serving over 450 students in the Mission Dolores neighborhood of San Francisco with two campuses, two sheep, and lovely people.

To learn more about CDS, visit our website at www.cds-sf.org.

Director of Teaching and Learning Innovation

Position Overview

The Director of Teaching and Learning provides strategic leadership to identify curricular and programmatic needs and ensures instructional continuity from Preschool through 8th Grade. This role is responsible for inspiring innovation while managing the implementation, documentation, and review of a school-wide curriculum framework that embodies commitments to inquiry, social justice, and the whole child.

• Reports to: Head of School.
• Status: Full-time, Year-round, Administrative, Exempt.
• Supervises: Digital Innovation and Design Specialist, Math Instructional Coach, and the All-School Librarian
• Collaborates with: Division Directors, Head of School, Student Support Team, Leadership Team, Enrollment Team

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Innovation

• Lead the Learning Team: In collaboration with Division Directors, with oversight of the ECP-8th-grade program.
• Curriculum Framework: Lead the implementation of a school-wide framework aligned with updated competencies and the educator framework.
• Mission Alignment: Ensure all programs further the school’s mission.
• Program Alignment: Oversee programs and support alignment across divisions
• Innovation Research: Actively research emerging educational trends and best practices, and pilot initiatives to keep the program at the forefront of innovation.
• Reporting & Strategy: Prepare annual reports on the state of the curriculum and champion work identified in CAIS self-studies.
• Team Collaboration: Collaborate with the Student Support Team, including learning specialists, counselors, and division leaders, to ensure a cohesive approach to student learning

Instructional Coaching & Faculty Growth

• Modeling Practice: Model high-impact strategies, such as differentiation and backwards design, through workshops and co-teaching.
• Professional Learning Cycle: Lead managers/supervisors in conducting professional goal-setting and reflection with oversight of the portfolio review process for faculty.
• Observation & Feedback: Conduct classroom observations to support teachers in implementing constructivist pedagogy and provide growth-oriented feedback.
• Individualized Coaching: Provide one-on-one coaching focused on instructional strategies, differentiation, inclusive practices, classroom management, and technology integration as needed as part of the learning team.
• Faculty Recruitment: Collaborate with Division Heads to recruit, support, and onboard top faculty aligned with instructional standards.

Curriculum Documentation & Assessment

• Progression & Documentation: Maintain and revise curriculum documents outlining frameworks and learning progression from PS-8.
• Data-Informed Leadership: Lead the analysis of student learning data to evaluate curriculum effectiveness and drive instructional shifts.
• Assessment Alignment: Ensure continuity in assessment, parent reporting, and academic standards across all departments.
• Resource Management: Coordinate the review of curriculum resources and textbooks with department leads and division directors

Community Engagement & Adult Learning

• Professional Development: Manage the PD budget and coordinate speakers and workshops for educator and parent learning. Lead or plan professional development opportunities that align with school-wide goals, specifically for faculty work weeks, annual professional development days, and faculty meetings.
• Community Visibility: Help design and lead parent events to build understanding of the curriculum. Work with the Enrollment Team to highlight the curriculum to prospective families in admissions events and materials
• External Partnerships: Nurture partnerships with outside organizations to support teacher learning and leadership. (Organizations may include: BATTI, Boys and Girls Club, Colleges and Universities, Toddle, Authentic Education, etc.)
• Strategic Networking: Network with curriculum directors and leaders at other schools to share and learn best practices.

Position Requirements

• Education: BS/BA required; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience:
  • Demonstrated experience in PS-8 teaching and curriculum development or oversight.
  • Demonstrated experience in leading departmental work and alignment across grade levels.
  • Demonstrated experience in school change or leading school-wide initiatives that impact multiple stakeholders.
• Skills:
  • Strong acumen in 21st-century learning skills and deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Specific experience and knowledge coaching educators toward the implementation of UBD (understanding by design) curriculum planning, ULD (universal learning design strategies), and competency frameworks in education.
  • Strong understanding of current and emerging technology used professionally and with students.
  • Strong public speaking skills and the ability to make learning visible across multiple age levels and content areas
  • Leadership capabilities and ability to partner and collaborate with the leadership team, faculty, and families to further the school’s mission and programming.
• Physical: Ability to perform essential office functions, including typing and light lifting.