M.Ed. Teaching Specialist, Master'S In Bilingual Inclusive Education Residency

REPORTS TO: Director of Teacher Pipeline Programs Overview of BPS's Award of Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant
In October 2023, the BPS's Teacher Pipeline Programs (BPS TPP) was awarded close to $6M by the Teacher Quality Partnerships (TQP) Grants Program. One of the nation's only locally embedded, grow-your-own models of teacher preparation, the BPSTPP is part of the larger strategy of the Recruitment Cultivation and Diversity Programs in the Office of Human Capital to address the demand for highly qualified, equity-minded and racially literate early childhood, elementary and secondary school teachers for Boston's classroom.
The grant is to be spent over the course of five years (FY24-FY28) with the goal of extending the BPS TPP to include a Master's in Bilingual Special Education. In 2008, TQP Programs, part of the U.S. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (US DOE), was authorized by Title-II of the Higher Education Act to support the preparation of profession-ready teachers for high-need schools and high-need subject areas. The purpose of the TQP program is "to ...improve the quality of prospective and new teachers by improving the preparation of prospective teachers...[and to] hold teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) accountable for preparing teachers who meet applicable State certification and licensure requirements; and recruit highly qualified individuals, including minorities and individuals from other occupations, into the teaching force" (US DOE, "About Us," para. 1).
Specifically, BPSTPP was awarded this grant to extend our current teacher pipeline programs to include a Master's in Bilingual Inclusive Education. In partnership with a regionally-accredited institute of higher education, we have developed an M.Ed program that features a core of program of study designed to enhance the content knowledge base and culturally affirming curricular planning and instructional decision-making of teachers, providing concentrations, electives and leadership designed to deepen knowledge of subject matter, history and structure of the discipline, including transdisciplinary, holistic and decolonizing modes of inquiry.
In short, there are three goals of this Master's program:
Develop and sustain an affordable pathway to an advanced degree for BPS teachers of color. Increase the number of BPS teachers who reflect the linguistic, racial, and ethnic diversity of Boston's students through an accessible pathway and supportive programming. Improve the ability and agency of BPS teachers to teach bilingual special education and to center race and racism through culturally affirming pedagogy and practices. Roles & Responsibilities of M.Ed.in Bilingual Inclusive Education Teaching Specialist
The M.Ed. Teaching Specialist will be responsible for the coaching, mentoring and overall advising of a subset of M.Ed. residents. A teaching resident is defined as an educator-in-training, working full time at the elbow of a veteran teacher. Residents are not paraprofessionals, but rather they are students of the teacher of record in the classroom. The roles and responsibilities of the resident increase as the year goes on, including taking on lead teacher responsibilities. Finally, the resident is taking a full load of master's courses during this time period, and is compensated a living wage stipend. In turn, the resident commitments to three years of teaching in the Boston Public Schools.
This specialist position involves having a deep understanding of the coherence between the M.Ed. curriculum and the residency classroom requirements, ensuring that M.Ed. residents are working to enact the culturally affirming pedagogy and practices learned in the curriculum. The M.Ed. Teaching specialist will have deep knowledge of BPS's district-wide curriculum initiatives, ensuring that residents are able to design lessons that are of high-quality, grade-level complexity while also meeting the needs of bilingual, multilingual, multicultural and cognitively diverse students.
In addition to the curricular and instructional support the M.Ed. Teaching Specialist will ensure that M.Ed. residents are completing all state required fieldwork, or the Candidate Assessment Portfolio (CAP) cycle of observations and feedback. This involves regular, frequent, and consistent observation of lessons, with careful and deliberate feedback from the specialist and a mentor teacher.
Finally, the M.Ed. Teaching Specialist will also be responsible for liaising with the MTEL Specialist to ensure that M.Ed. residents are receiving adequate support for preparing and completing all state required examinations. This includes developing and implementing individualized plans for each resident's path to MTEL completion.
The M.Ed. Teaching Specialist will utilize a deep knowledge of teaching, teacher education, and the education landscape to design, develop, and deliver strategic and innovative coaching, mentoring and instruction. As an essential member of the M.Ed. team, the Specialist will work closely with the Co-PIs/ Project Directors to ensure the efficacy of our program and adherence to the U.S. Department of Education.
The Teaching Specialist will be expected to support M.Ed.residents across the district. Assignments will be given by the Director of Teacher Pipeline Programs and may vary depending on the needs of the district and where residents attend school. This could mean travel to more than one school site per day. The Director and the team will endeavor to establish equitable caseloads and location assignments for all M.Ed specialists. Additional Responsibilities Cultivate relationships with M.Ed. residents to offer accessible, affordable, culturally proficient, equitable and mission-aligned curriculum and coaching Adhere to state guidelines for the Candidate Assessment Portfolio (CAP) throughout residency experience Adhere to the U.S. Department of Education stipulations, as outline in the TQP grant, for coaching and advising M.Ed. residents and for working with mentor teachers Build, develop and maintain strong relationships with partner IHE faculty, BPS faculty, and the M.Ed. team to increase visibility and access to high quality teacher preparation programs. This may require flexible work schedules to accommodate meetings with institute of higher education. Work with staff to develop and adhere to coordinated work plans designed to meet department goals and targets. Provide ongoing supervision, coaching, advising and mentoring for M.Ed. residents, including coursework, fieldwork, and MTEL preparation Perform other related duties as assigned by supervisor Required Qualifications Master's Degree + Required License; Either License in moderate Disabilities (K-12) or License in English as a Second Language (K-12). Experience with developing and implementing culturally affirming pedagogy and practices, both at the K-12 level and in teacher preparation programs or in professional learning spaces Broad knowledge of best practices in urban teacher preparation, bilingual education, special education Strong consulting, influence, conflict management, and negotiation skills A valid Massachusetts driver's license and access to personal vehicle Preferred Qualifications: 8+ years of combined classroom teaching and teacher education experience Any combination of two of following: 10+ years experience as a bilingual educator, ESL teacher, teacher of multicultural and multilingual students; 10+ years as a special education teacher; 10+ years as a teacher in an urban school district Development program expertise (assessment strategies, design, curricula, workforce metrics, etc.) Experience implementing development initiatives that have had a clear impact on the performance and effectiveness of an organization Experience designing and/or re-engineering processes to gain maximize cultivation of teachers Bilingual Educator Endorsement (BEE) Fluency in a second language Terms
BTU, Schedule A salary with 5% differential
The work year will be 183 days, including an additional 18 hours per year and an additional 2.5 hours per week, both of which result in the 5% differential.
This vacancy is the result of temporary funding through the Teacher Quality Partnerships (TQP) Grants Program . TQP intends to fund this position for five years (FY24-FY28). The duration of the funding means it is a temporary position. Hired candidates may be excessed or non-renewed from the position at the close of the grant-funded time period.
The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or