Turning the Page (TTP) (www.turningthepage.org), a dynamic non-profit organization that engages public school parents to be more active and effective participants in their children’s education, is seeking a Director of Programs for its new Chicago office. The Director of Programs shall report directly to the TTP President and CEO and shall manage TTP Chicago program staff and AmeriCorps*VISTA members. Through management of staff and AmeriCorps*VISTA members, the Director of Programs will be responsible for ensuring the success of TTP Chicago programs, located in the N. Lawndale community.
Principal Relationships and School Partnership Oversight – Director of Programs shall have responsibility for our initial four school partner principal relationships and for assessing the status of our partnerships. Specifically, Director of Programs shall a) Develop principal and school relationships with each of the school partners to ensure staff and school investment in TTP partnership; b) Communicate regularly and periodically meet with each of our school principal partners, providing updates on successes and challenges in ensuring continued staff buy-in to our partnerships; c) Manage internal process of reviewing end of year status reports created by staff and AmeriCorps*VISTA members; and d) Oversee school partnership renewal application process and in the event that TTP can expand school partnerships, oversee new school partnership process.
School Community Leadership – Turning the Page provides public school parents with leadership development and support and teachers and school staff with professional development on how to more effectively engage parents. The Director of Programs shall manage and collaborate with program staff and AmeriCorps*VISTA members and be responsible for the successful implementation of the following: a) Two six-hour parent leadership development sessions that TTP holds; b) Regular school-based support that TTP provides to parent leaders and to the parent-teacher organizations that they lead; c) Monthly staff development sessions that TTP holds at its school partners and periodic professional development TTP holds for teachers at its partner schools; and d) Evaluation and measurement efforts.
Families Learning Together – Turning the Page’s Community Nights program provides parents with skills and resources to become more effective educators of and advocates for their children. We hold Community Nights at each of our partner schools, combining parent workshops, child mentoring, a family dinner and book distributions. Director of Programs shall manage TTP staff and AmeriCorps*VISTA members to ensure that TTP successfully carries out each of its responsibilities, including: a) Parent recruitment and retention efforts at Turning the Page partner schools; b) Implementation of parent workshop curriculum, including workshop leader selection, training and assessments and author visit planning; c) Implementation of lessons that Turning the Page delivers to students during Community Nights; d) Recruitment, training and management of the Federal-Work Study students and volunteers who deliver lessons to students during Community Nights; e) Fully-staffed Community Nights and well-coordinated dinners and book distributions; f) Evaluation and Assessment of Community Nights program; g) Coordination of summer museum excursions for families; and h) Coordination of any parent workshops that TTP may provide outside of its school partners.
Partnership Development – Director of Programs will, in collaboration with TTP President, develop and strengthen the community partnerships necessary for TTP Chicago to successfully implement its programs. These partnerships will be with universities, museums, local service organizations and complementary non-profit organizations.
Management – Director of Programs will help ensure that TTP successfully manages its staff and AmeriCorps*VISTA program in the following ways: a) Manage one to two partnership coordinators, providing regular feedback and semi-annual reviews. b) Lead, with coordinators, regular VISTA check-ins with TTP’s five VISTA members, organize professional development, conduct performance reviews and maintain administrative files. c) Organize and conduct successful recruitment and training of AmeriCorps*VISTA members; d) Attend (once) required 3-day CNCS VISTA Supervisor training;
Qualifications: Between six and eight years, full-time related experience; Ability to strategically plan; Demonstrated ability and experience managing and supervising programs and staff; Extremely well organized; Demonstrated team player; Knowledge of the public education system and the role of the community and public in improving public schools; Teaching experience is a plus.
How to apply
Please e-mail a resume and short cover letter to Jason King, TTP President, at jking@turningthepage.org. We will be reviewing applications immediately upon receipt and beginning interviews in the next two weeks.