Careers

The Institute for Learning (IFL) is looking for a highly qualified candidate to join the Math Team as a Fellow. The IFL is a non-profit education organization that functions as a strategic partner to PreK-12 schools and districts. The IFL is co-located with our parent organization, the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), at the University of Pittsburgh. Most of our partnering districts primarily serve historically and systemically marginalized students: Black, Brown, and Indigenous students, emergent bilingual students, and students who are living in economically disenfranchised communities.

What does the IFL do and believe?

We collaborate with educators and districts. We grow content knowledge. We foster learning opportunities. We believe that educators should have the power and resources to teach. We believe that each and every student is capable of high achievement, and we believe that every student should be engaged in cognitively demanding tasks and learner-centered, talk-based instruction. We believe in equitable and sustainable change, and we build our partnerships on asset-based practices. We learn from students, educators, schools, and communities.

What does a Math Fellow do?

Math fellows work closely with educators in our partnering districts with the goal of improving mathematics instruction and creating more equitable learning opportunities for systemically and historically marginalized students.  

We offer professional learning opportunities for teachers, interventionists, instructional coaches, building-based administrators, and district-based administrators. Professional learning is often tied to our seminal work related to the Principles of Learning, Accountable Talk® practices, and Content Focused-Coaching.

Experienced math fellows are responsible for the following. With support from and in collaboration with experienced math fellows, successful candidates will learn about and refine their practice to do the same.

1. Design, Enact, and Reflect on Professional Learning Experiences for Educators.

Which can include:

• • Designing professional learning for each role group as identified in the district’s learning plan and linked to specifics of the district.
  • Facilitating or co-facilitating the learning experiences for each role group.
  • Reflecting on the facilitation experience and written feedback from participants to identify evidence of participant learning and implications for the next learning.
  • Becoming knowledgeable about each district context including the district math program, student achievement data, district and state standards and assessments, prior history with coaching, etc. to inform a district’s yearly plan.
  • Creating a realistic, multi-year learning plan with measurable outcomes for district role groups (e.g., coaches, principals, central office staff) that meets the IFL contractual obligations for each district to which you are assigned.

2. Develop Tools to Advance the Work of the Team.

Which can include:

• • Contributing to the ongoing development of math instructional materials and formative assessment measures.
  • Contributing to the ongoing development of teacher resources, including online workshops, that support planning for and reflecting on instruction.
  • Organizing, directing, and editing video examples of the work.

3. Work Collaboratively to Advance the Work of the Team.

Which includes:

• • Participating in math team meetings and other meetings alongside other math fellows.
  • Bringing prior knowledge to bear in addressing district and team needs.
  • Collaborating with team members when representing the team on committees in districts.
  • Working collaboratively to solve work-related problems as they arise.
  • Contributing to developing grant proposals.
  • Developing and participating in conference presentations.
  • Participating in writing Bridges newsletter articles and other publications about team/district work.
  • Adhering to workflow timelines in preparing materials for production.

4. Contribute to the Organizational Advancement of the IFL.

Which includes:

• • Participating in regular IFL meetings and All-Fellows meetings.
  • Working collaboratively with IFL colleagues—on the math team and across content teams—to ensure coherence in district work.
  • Participating on IFL committees, as needed.
  • Contributing to the creation of IFL tools/products, as needed.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an educator who loves math and has a passion for teaching and learning. An ideal candidate is someone who is committed to improving the field of education by providing opportunities for teachers to refine their craft in ways that lead to more equitable outcomes for students, especially those who are Black, Brown, Indigenous, emerging bilingual, economically disenfranchised, and/or are identified as needing additional support through MTSS or IEPs.

We are committed to diversifying our team, so preference will be given to competitive candidates of color.

Competitive candidates:

• • have experience teaching math in upper elementary schools and/or middle schools serving marginalized communities;
  • demonstrate knowledge of research-based math education practices, such as the eight effective teaching practices named by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics;
  • demonstrate knowledge of math content and practice/process standards in state and/or Common Core State Standards;
  • demonstrate a commitment to the pursuit of more equitable instructional practices;
  • hold a teaching certification: elementary, middle school mathematics, special education, and/or special populations;
  • hold an advanced degree (M.A., M.S., Ed.D, Ph.D.);
  • self-manage the responsibilities of working remotely; and
  • travel multiple times per month to work with district partners in person and/or participate in IFL convenings (which may include weekend travel).

The salary range is $75,000-$90,000, commensurate with experience.

This position is located at the Institute for Learning (IFL), an outreach of the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh, a multi- disciplinary center for research to advance the science of learning by bringing together leading researchers in the cognitive, social, and educational sciences.

The Executive Assistant will support the Directors of the Institute for Learning at the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh. The candidate will provide administrative support and project assistance to the Executive Director and Director of Operations. The position requires superb attention to detail and organization; responsive, timely, and professional communication; and ability to prioritize and problem-solve around important deadlines. The candidate will also be responsible for IFL office management and general clerical duties. Must be enthusiastic about the fundamental goal of advancing student learning in K-12 public education.

Qualifications/Competencies:

• • Bachelor’s degree and at least one year’s relevant experience required. 3-5 years professional experience preferred. Significant relevant experience may be considered for degree requirements.
  • Advanced knowledge of MS Office 365 and Google Workspace, Shared Drives (Google Drive, Office365 OneDrive), and video conferencing platforms (Zoom, MS Teams).
  •  Excellent written and verbal communication, strong knowledge of calendar management and meeting preparation.
  • Ability to cultivate and sustain relationships with culturally and racially diverse internal and external partners and clients.Responsibilities/Essential Job Functions:
  • Maintain Executive Director’s calendar to coordinate workflow and meetings, including daily tasks and appointments
  • Act as the initial point of contact for all inquiries; manage correspondence and projects; coordinate and schedule meetings; create/gather preparatory materials for meetings
  • Sit in on executive meetings to take minutes and note critical points of discussion and follow-up items; distribute notes to appropriate members
  • Manage video-conferencing meetings
  • Collect and maintain inventory of office equipment and supplies, organize for efficiency, and oversee preparation of professional development shipping materials
  • Perform general clerical duties to include, but not limited to, copying, scanning, mailing, and filing