Deputy Chief, Early Childhood Education

Position Overview

The Office of Schools is responsible for effective management, operation and achievement of schools and provides leadership to principals, administrators, and teachers to ensure academic excellence for all students.

Divisions / Teams

Instructional Superintendents : are responsible for managing (1) the leadership of their assigned schools, (2) the performance of their assigned schools, and (3) the operations of their assigned schools.

The core focus of the Instructional Superintendents is to ensure that high-quality instruction is delivered in their schools, by continually assessing the quality of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the school level.

Early Stages : works exclusively with children ages 2 years 8 months through 5 years 10 months and is responsible for meeting the District’s obligation under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (619) to develop a comprehensive child find system to identify and locate all preschool-age children in the District who have a disability.

The core aspects of this work include : (1) a public awareness campaign, (2) citywide developmental screening initiatives, (3) a referral and intake system, (4) the special education evaluation / eligibility process, (5) the transition process from Part C Early Intervention and (6) interagency partnerships with government and nonprofit agencies, (7) data management to determine which children have been identified and are receiving services.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) : works to support the provision of high-quality early education services that prepare children for kindergarten entry and later school success.

Approximately 6,000 children ages three to five attend early childhood classrooms in 78 elementary schools across the district, including several schools that offer Head Start programming.

Works to support the provision of high-quality early education services that prepare children for kindergarten entry and later school success.

Approximately 6,000 children ages three to five attend early childhood classrooms in 78 elementary schools across the district, including several schools that offer Head Start programming.

The Deputy Chief, Early Childhood Education is responsible for all early childhood programs in DCPS, including : Early Childhood programming, Head Start, and Early Stages.

The Deputy Chief, Early Childhood Education will report to the Chief of Schools.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and / or skills required.

Other duties may be assigned.

• Serves as a key member of the Office of Schools management staff and helps drive the formulation and implementation of policies and strategies to meet the vision and goals of the Office and of DCPS.
• Develops clear, specific, and ambitious performance targets; evaluates progress of Office programs and initiatives; holds parties accountable;

and helps adjust strategy and approach accordingly to achieve success.

• Conducts special studies of extremely complex, difficult, controversial or sensitive issues; and recommends and implements changes in program operations, resourcing, and approach to resolve obstacles to success.
• Manages various operations of the Office of Schools, including development and implementation of strategy, policies and initiatives;
• strategic planning and budgeting for personnel, equipment, and space; staff development, work assignment, performance evaluations;

and improvements to IT infrastructure and data tracking / analysis.

Reviews and analyzes key implications on strategy and operations from major legislative policy proposals and internal / external reports and data;

and develops position papers and briefing documents for the Chief.

• Prepares and presents regular updates for senior management team, summarizing progress and key points of projects and initiatives and distilling key lessons that will accelerate the learning curve of DCPS senior leadership.
• Drives innovation and best-practice sharing both within the Office of Schools and between Offices of DCPS through continuous flow of information and creating opportunities for collaboration and idea exchange.
• Collaborates and builds strong working relationships with other DCPS senior managers to develop and implement cross-Office strategies supporting the Chancellor’s long-term vision of reform.
• Attends relevant external meetings and conferences to stay informed about latest research and trends; and represents the perspective and vision of DCPS and presents specific findings and project results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and eight to twelve years of related work experience.
• Master's degree strongly preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Specialized experience in early childhood, including Head Start and special education strongly preferred.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST : We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE : We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY : We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE : We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK : We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY : We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.
30+ days ago