Posted on November 5, 2009

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Planning and Operations Director

School2Home is an innovative statewide program to close both the Achievement Gap and the Digital Divide by integrating the use of computing and broadband technologies into teaching and learning at low-performing middle schools throughout California. It addresses the persistent education challenges that disproportionately impact students from low-income socioeconomic backgrounds and students of color in California. It is designed to support school districts, principals, teachers, parents and community leaders who are committed to improving academic performance for all students and ensuring that they have the essential skills to succeed in a digital workplace and economy.

School2Home is based on extensive research and analysis of successful model programs. It has been developed systemically with the input and guidance of the School2Home Leadership Group comprised of employer, education and community leaders, along with an extensive array of experts who serve on the School2Home Design Teams. The School2Home Strategic Business Plan provides the blueprint for launching, implementing and financing a multi-year initiative planned to ultimately reach all students attending the 500+ low-performing middle schools in California. A copy of the complete business plan is available on the following websites: cetfund.org and childrenspartnership.org. School2Home is a joint project of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and The Children's Partnership.

CETF has committed $1 million to support the launch of School2Home in Los Angeles this fall. Over the next year School2Home will be established as a new 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with continuing leadership from CETF and The Children's Partnership. CETF will serve as the fiscal and administrative agent for the School2Home organization until the non-profit status is obtained. During the fall of 2009, CETF and The Children's Partnership will hire the Executive Director, who will then oversee the hire of the Planning and Operations Director. CETF, The Children's Partnership and the new Executive Director will recruit the School2Home Board of Directors, which will consist of major investors and stakeholders.

School2Home is endorsed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. It is a comprehensive program to assist low-performing California middle schools in implementing cost-effective, technology-based strategies to improve student educational outcomes and digital literacy. These strategies center on providing each student with a computing device to use in the classroom and at home with his or her family, and to leverage the power of broadband to deliver educational resources and strengthen school-to-home connections.

The goals of School2Home are to:

• Increase digital literacy and educational performance among targeted middle school students.
• Improve the 21st Century skills of students so they can contribute to a more competitive workforce upon graduation.
• Strengthen the involvement of parents in the education of their child through the use of home-based digital technologies and, in turn, expand the adoption of broadband technology.

To accomplish these goals, School2Home enables schools to equip each student with a computing device for use at school and at home, and works with teachers and parents to ensure these devices are used to transform the classroom and reinforce learning at home. School2Home serves as a resource for school districts and principals. It provides professional development for teachers to help them maximize their use of digital tools for teaching and facilitating learning by students. And, it provides digital literacy training for parents so they can safely guide the online activities of their child and access valuable online resources. School2Home also ensures all families have Internet access at home by offering affordable broadband to underserved families participating in the parental training. School2Home also encourages strong educational relationships by enabling online learning communities, offering teacher and principal learning academies and providing web-based collaboration tools for students, parents and teachers. It also will harness the technology expertise of the students themselves to help their peers, schools and families adopt digital literacy.

School2Home aims to support both the school and home learning environments in a way never undertaken by a school technology program and on a scale never achieved before in California. By capitalizing on economies of scale and model program components, School2Home can be easily replicated and evaluated to provide the kind of evidence-based education transformation that California needs to close the Achievement Gap and the Digital Divide.

School2Home Implementation

The School2Home Executive Director and the Planning and Operations Director will oversee the launch and implementation of the three-year rollout and phase-in to full program operations. They will work under the direction of California Emerging Technology Fund with input from The Children's Partnership until School2Home is incorporated with an operating Board of Directors. The first year is planned to prototype School2Home, working with participating schools in six regions to tailor the program for success. Staff will use the experience and lessons from the prototyping year to refine and expand the program. These regions are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area, Inland Empire and Sacramento. Beta testing of the key program components (including technology deployment) will be conducted in Los Angeles and in up to two additional regions, depending on the readiness and preferences of school districts. Staff will use the experiences and lessons from the beta testing and the prototyping year to refine the program.

School2Home will work with school districts and the State to seek funds from the U.S. Secretary of Education's Investing in Innovation program to expand into all the identified regions. School2Home also will work with participating schools to help secure funding from other state and federal education technology programs. This will include the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant program. The magnitude of this expansion will be determined by the ability to secure government, philanthropic and corporate resources. The scope of rollout and phase-in program ranges from $8.6 million to $43 million depending on funds raised and the number of schools enrolled in the program.

Quality Performance Requirements for All School2Home Employees

Each CETF and School2Home employee is expected to: report to work regularly and on time; work cooperatively with team members and others; treat others fairly, honestly and with respect; and adhere to the highest possible code of ethics. In addition, each employee is expected to:

• Achieve the highest possible standards for performance and quality of work products, including clarity, coherence and consistency in articulating an overall vision and direction.
• Produce highest-possible quality written documents to ensure maximum effectiveness in communications. Essential aspects of quality written documents include, but are not limited to:
  • Compliance with the CETF writing style guidelines and universally recognized rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling, as well as parallel construction of sentences, paragraphs and documents.
  • Precision and accuracy in presentation of data, statistics and conclusions.
  • Consistency in use of concept descriptions and preferred terminology set forth in base program documents.
  • Consistency and logic in formatting and headings.
  • Accuracy and consistency in details, such as names, abbreviations, dates and numbers.
• Perform efficiently under specified timeframes and with the highest-possible standards for quality work, including managing numerous tasks simultaneously.
• Operate a computer proficiently using Word, PowerPoint and Excel (PC/Windows platform).
• Work collaboratively with other staff members as a team, including providing assistance to others to complete tasks not listed in the specific position description but assigned by the CETF President and CEO.
• Comply with all corporate policies adopted by CETF, including but not limited to: Code of Ethical Conduct; Nondiscrimination Policy; Conflict of Interest Policy; Indemnification Agreement; and Drug-Free Workplace Policy.

School2Home Planning and Operations Director

The Planning and Operations Director will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the School2Home program at participating school sites under the guidance of the Executive Director. In addition, the Planning and Operations Director will be responsible for refining the various School2Home program components, especially during the prototype year. As the program expands, the Planning and Operations Director will oversee Program Managers and, in consultation with school districts, will oversee Technology Coaches. In the design of School2Home, Program Managers will be responsible for 5-8 schools and Technology Coaches will be responsible for 5-8 schools. The Planning and Operations Director will help schools navigate the numerous processes and procedures and access resources required to implement the School2Home program. Specific duties and responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Oversee the recruitment of partner school districts and school sites throughout the California regions identified in the Strategic Business Plan for the prototype year.
• Develop and manage the plan for involvement of school districts and school sites for phase-in to full operations.
• Prepare quarterly detailed implementation plans with explicit deliverables for all program components.
• Lead and manage Program Managers and Technology Coaches to achieve quarterly deliverables.
• Finalize the preparation of the School2Home teacher professional development and parent training materials.
• Develop and supervise the implementation of the work plan for Program Managers and Technology Coaches.
• Provide partner schools and districts with technical assistance to complete the School2Home applications process.
• Assist participating school districts in completing applications for state and federal government funding that will be used to meet their program match requirement for implementing School2Home.
• Assist school districts and schools in developing detailed School2Home implementation and sustainability plans including the following components:
  • Implementation of professional development and parent training.
  • Delineation of the process by which schools and school districts will aggregate technology equipment needs and connect parents to specially priced broadband packages.
  • Involvement of students to provide peer support and school assistance.
• Assist in the management and implementation of all public and private sector grants.
• Recruit, screen and engage vendors or non-profit organizations to deliver services for teacher professional development, parent training and technical assistance to parents.
• Assist the preparation of the plan and convene the School2Home statewide and regional leadership academies for teachers and principals to share lessons learned and best practices.
• Ensure that the School2Home program web portal and website are current and provide relevant content for teachers, parents and students.
• Oversee implementation of the evaluation plan, including gathering and compiling performance data.

The School2Home Planning and Operations Director must be an experienced educational organization manager with the following qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to successfully develop plans for and manage educational improvement programs.
• Experienced in supervising, managing and motivating program operational staff and teams.
• Focused on deliverables and outcomes with ability to manage multiple priority tasks in parallel with tight deadlines.
• Experienced in working with school districts, education agencies and related organizations throughout California.
• Experienced in developing and implementing instructional technology programs to improve academic performance.
• Experienced with parental training and engagement programs to increase academic performance.
• Knowledgeable about education technology trends and potential for integration into instruction and curriculum.
• Proficient literature research, data gathering and analytical skills.
• Skilled at recruiting, hiring, training, supporting and evaluating personnel.
• Exceptional writing skills with the ability to expeditiously move an organization forward with quality work products.
• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to work principally in Los Angeles.

To apply: Please visit http://www.childrenspartnership.org/jobs.

Job Type: Operations
Organization Type: Nonprofit Organizations