Curriculum Specialist, Adult Education

Briya is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization and the communities we serve. We embrace diversity of experiences, ideas, and individuals, and seek to bring diverse candidates to the table.

To begin your application, please send your resume to info@briya.org

Position Summary

The Curriculum Specialist is a part of the adult education team at Briya Public Charter School — a leading two-generation education program serving immigrant parents and their young children in Washington, DC. Briya is a tier-one public charter school, consistently achieving the highest educational outcomes through its innovative, family-centric programming.

The core adult education program is comprised of three highly integrated areas of study: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), digital literacy, and child development. The curriculum provides tools to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to thrive as parents, employees, and community members. Briya also offers high-quality early education for children 0-5, a high school diploma program (through the National Education Diploma Program) for students in the highest ESOL level, and workforce development programs for adult students with advanced English who wish to pursue career-ready certifications.

Briya has a strategic partnership with Mary’s Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, further strengthening student families with comprehensive medical, dental, and social services.

The curriculum specialist position may include, but is not limited to, the following tasks and responsibilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Curriculum Specialist is responsible for developing, differentiating, and refining the Family Literacy and Family Learning English language curricula. The Curriculum Specialist serves as a source of expertise, leadership, support, and training to the adult education team to effectively promote learner achievement through the utilization and implementation of the curricula.

The Curriculum Specialist will report to the Director of Adult Education. They are primarily responsible for curriculum design, development, and refinement, of both the Family Literacy and the Family Learning curricula. They will collaborate with team members from the adult education, early childhood, and workforce departments to develop the curricula. This individual will be knowledgeable in differentiating input, process, and product for adult learners at varying English language proficiency language levels as well as the principles of adult learning. They will have a high level of knowledge about research-based instructional strategies, second language acquisition, CASAS Competencies and Basic Skills Content Standards, English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, and experience with modeling, coaching, mentoring, and providing professional development. The Curriculum Specialist will have implemented high-quality instruction as a practitioner, have excellent writing skills, be capable of managing multiple tasks, and work well with diverse groups of people.

Essential Functions:

  • Design and write Family Literacy and Family Learning English language development, digital literacy and child development curricula for use with adult immigrants who are parents and at varying English language proficiency levels.
  • Develop curricula that can be directly applied or modified for both in-person and virtual learning.
  • Support Workforce content specialists in ensuring the workforce curriculum is of the highest quality and adheres to standard curricula best practices.
  • Ensure curricula supports the building of students’ leadership, agency, and ownership of their learning and encourages critical analysis of the world.
  • Collaborate with content specialists, including adult education, early childhood, assessment, and student services team members to ensure differentiation of input, process, and product of the curriculum.
  • Identify culturally sustaining texts, materials, and other resources for teacher use.
  • Support adult education director and teachers to ensure curriculum is implemented with fidelity and enables to adults to advance toward their self-determined goals, including facilitating the highest level of adult learner language acquisition.
  • Provide high-quality, ongoing staff development to teachers of adult learners that integrates differentiation strategies and best practices.
  • Analyze, interpret, and utilize data to inform decision-making in adapting curricula and providing professional learning on curricula.
  • Demonstrate excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
  • Perform other duties as required.

Collaboration – Meet formally and informally throughout the week with colleagues to:

  • Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum.
  • Utilize instructor input to help inform the curriculum content.
  • Support teachers as needed for lesson implementation and assessment.

Data and other administrative duties

  • Ensure pre/post assessments adequately measure learner progress through curriculum.
  • Monitor CASAS and other school-wide assessment results to assess curricular choices.

Professional development

  • Annually, with your supervisor, identify and implement curricula goals.
  • Increase adult ESOL, digital literacy, and child development skills and knowledge.
  • Share knowledge with and learn from adult education and early childhood colleagues during PD events, class observations, and reviews of materials (e.g. lesson plans, SMART Notebook files, handouts, Google Classroom).

Other duties as assigned

  • Work with the director of adult education to ensure high-quality instruction throughout the adult education programs.

Qualifications:

The Curriculum Developer must have the following knowledge, skills and/or abilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. 

Education and/or Experience –  

  • Master’s degree in Curriculum Design, TESOL, or related field and 5 years of educational leadership experience in curriculum design and implementation, professional development, and teaching.
  • Demonstrated expertise in curriculum design, curriculum writing, and differentiation for input, process, and product.
  • Knowledge of English language proficiency standards and aligned assessments.
  • Knowledge of instructional frameworks, strategies, and practices to promote language acquisition.
  • Knowledge of the latest research and promising new practices that address the needs of adult learners in a two-gen program.
  • Demonstrated leadership qualities and interpersonal relationship skills are necessary to work effectively with teachers and administrators.
  • Successful teaching experience in a culturally diverse community.
  • Significant cross-cultural experience.
  • Excellent communication skills in English and Spanish (intermediate level or higher) preferred. Amharic, Tigrinya, French, and/or Arabic is an asset.
  • Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, analytical, and organizational skills.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), and Schoology.
  • Proficiency with facilitating Zoom meetings and classes, including sharing screens and utilizing breakout rooms.
  • Comfort with, or ability to learn, SMART Board Technologies, Google Classroom, Google Apps for Education and online learning applications such as Kahoot, Quizlet, EdPuzzle, and Digital Stories.

Competencies:

A successful Lead Teacher will demonstrate, or actively work towards demonstrating, the ten characteristics of an effective Briya adult education teacher:

  • Learner-Centered/Empowering: Facilitate a learner-centered classroom that empowers students.
  • Effective Communicator: Communicate effectively with colleagues, students, and the wider community.
  • Respectful/Trust Builder/Culturally Sustaining Approach: Be respectful and culturally affirming.
  • Engaging/Dynamic: Engage students through dynamic and creative lessons while teaching English as a Second Language/Adult Education classes in a family literacy setting integrating ESOL, computers, child development, and Family Time instruction across components.
  • Patient: Practice active patience in and out of the classroom.
  • Collaborative/Community Builder: Build community in the classroom and collaborate with colleagues to ensure that class components are integrated (ESOL, digital literacy, and child development).
  • Compassionate/Warm/Supportive: Be compassionate and warmly supportive of students and colleagues.
  • Knowledgeable/Lifelong Learner: Be knowledgeable of current best practices and implement in them in the classroom.
  • Disciplined/Self-Motivated: Demonstrate discipline and self-motivation at work.
  • Flexible/Adaptable/Resilient: Be flexible, adaptable, and resilient.

Briya Public Charter School also values and expects the following from its employees: 

  • Professionalism – Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position. Follows established policies and procedures to support the overall function of the organization. 
  • Safety and Security – Observes safety and security procedures, reports potentially unsafe conditions, and uses equipment and materials properly. 
  • Attendance/Punctuality – Is consistently at work and on time, adhering to a schedule pre-determined between the employee and the supervisor. 
  • Dependability – Follows instruction and responds to management direction. Takes responsibility for own actions. 
  • Financial Management – Contributes to the financial health of the school through dedication to student retention, support of new family recruitment, careful budgeting, and cost-conscious expenditures to meet the needs of the school. 
  • Reasoning Ability – Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out moderately complex, multi-step instructions and make appropriate independent decisions as necessary.
  • Physical Demands – Regularly required standing, walking, and sitting, sometimes for many hours at a time; frequently required to reach with hands and arms, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk or hear; must be able to lift objects up to twenty-five (25) pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  • Work Environment – Mostly in a typical office and classroom setting with quiet to moderate noise level.

To begin your application, please send your resume to info@briya.org