President, The Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning Position Description 2017
THE ORGANIZATION: The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (WW National Fellowship Foundation), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is reinventing the American school of education for the 21st century. The WW National Fellowship Foundation has established the Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning (WW Academy), a free standing, degree-granting graduate school with its own Board of Directors, faculty and staff. The WW Academy is instituting a competency-based program, which shifts the current focus of education from how long candidates must be taught to what they have learned and can do. It changes the emphasis in education from establishing common time-fixed processes credits that must be accumulated, courses that must be completed and lengths of time students must spend in college classes to achieving common, time-variable outcomes: the skills and knowledge necessary to be a successful teacher or school leader on day one. The WW Academy s competency-based program has three components: 1) a set of outcomes or competencies that all candidates must attain in order to earn a degree; 2) assessment tools designed to determine candidate competencies; and 3) a problem-based, individualized, adaptive curriculum tied to these competencies. Students progress through the curriculum by mastery of the competencies. They graduate when they have mastered all of the competencies. The amount of time required will vary from student to student. Students will experience the challenge-based curriculum in a blended environment including online, face-to-face and clinical education. Building on the best practices of the WW National Fellowship Foundation s ongoing state-based work in teacher and school leader preparation, the WW Academy will join its competency-based approach with intensive, extended clinical experiences in local public schools, as well as mentoring and professional development opportunities for its graduates in their first two years of teaching. Transforming America s Schools of Education The WW Academy aspires to become a model for teacher and school leader preparation programs around the nation and will work with college and university partners to adopt its model as a whole or various components. To facilitate this, programs will be open source; costs, prices, and funding are designed to mirror or be below those of existing teacher and school leader education programs. The WW Academy is intended to serve as a demonstration or resource center, where: practitioners can see the ideas they talk about in action and incorporate them into their programs without cost beyond implementation and operation; and policymakers can find proof of concept for the ideas, programs, and tools to drive innovation in both K-12 and higher education. THE OPPORTUNITY: The President will serve as chief executive and leader of this ground-breaking initiative, with responsibilities traditionally assigned to college Presidents as well as those associated with leading a start-up and a think tank. S/he will join as the WW Academy evolves from planning to a free-standing graduate school, with faculty and staff, and a $2M+ operating budget. A pilot class of Design Fellows has launched and the WW Academy s independent Board of Directors has been formed. MIT is collaborating with faculty to co-design elements of the program. The WW National Fellowship Foundation will continue to support the back office until the WW Academy moves functions in-house. The President will translate the WW Academy s vision into aligned strategic and operational business plans, clear objectives, and the financial and team resources required to deliver on this important mission. S/he will also: www.woodrowacademy.org page 2
actively champion the WW Academy s approach, model and vision with multiple audiences; attract significant financial resources; engage critical partners (graduate schools of education, practitioners, school districts, accreditation bodies, etc.); advocate for changes in national education policy and practice; and develop the WW Academy s long-term sustainability. This is an outstanding opportunity for a strategic and inspiring current or future college president to lead a startup into the preeminent graduate school revolutionizing the field of teacher and leader preparation in the United States. THE ROLE: Reports to: Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning Board of Directors Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Strategic Leadership Galvanize the Board of Directors; openly communicate opportunities, strategic choices and progress toward achieving the WW Academy s mission of transforming education in the United States Inspire students and faculty in their academic pursuits Ensure quality program design, implementation and outcomes Drive the enrollment of outstanding teaching fellows and support their successful completion of the program Create the long-term programmatic, and financially sustainable, model Expand the WW Academy s programmatic offerings in teacher education and school leadership Establish the Buckley Learning and Teaching Lab in conjunction with the WW National Fellowship Foundation Fundraising: Seek and secure significant support from a variety of major donors (foundations, individuals, others) Partner with the Founding President, the Board of Directors and the WW National Fellowship Foundation to deepen current funding partnerships Partnerships and Business Development Mobilize all of the WW Academy s constituents Champion the WW Academy s thought leadership, results and impact externally to a variety of stakeholders and audiences (graduate schools of education, practitioners, school districts, policymakers, future teaching fellows, etc.) Develop models for the adoption and integration nationally of the WW Academy s open source curriculum and assessments (graduate schools of education and practitioners) Drive effective, transparent, mutually-reinforcing relationships with the WW National Fellowship Foundation and MIT www.woodrowacademy.org page 3
Organization and Team Leadership Attract, motivate and retain an innovative, passionate team of staff and faculty; drive clarity of roles, professional development, operational excellence, and a collaborative culture Promote creativity as well as rigor, discipline and continuous improvement Oversee forward-thinking investments in people and systems that support growth and the WW Academy s evolving business model QUALIFICATIONS Experience: The President of the WW Academy of Teaching and Learning must have knowledge of innovative, fast-paced academic, blended program, education technology, or professional development programs. S/he must bring: A track record leading programmatic impact and financial sustainability Experience engaging, and securing, significant support from innovation-focused philanthropic and individual donors, or from start-up/corporate investors Tangible examples of success refining and executing on ambitious strategic plans and guiding investments in people and systems in a fast-moving or start-up environment Credibility as an advocate for changes in education policy and/or practice Organizational management and operating discipline Passion for K-12 education and the WW Academy s mission of transformation Academic credentials: A terminal degree is highly desired Leadership and personal attributes: Entrepreneurial and resourceful Able to think, and act, both strategically and practically Strong communication skills; authentically engages and moves to action highly diverse stakeholders Collaborative; builds a positive organizational culture as well as innovative partnerships Bold, determined, energetic and results-oriented; acts with urgency and inspires multidisciplinary academic, programmatic, technology and design teams to reach for, and achieve, stretch goals The Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Title IX employer, and is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants, without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or status as a veteran. Nominations may be confidentially shared with Viewcrest Advisors at: info@viewcrestadvisors.com Please submit resume and cover letter, in MS Word format to: apply@viewcrestadvisors.com www.woodrowacademy.org page 4
Addendum Anchor funding partners announced to date: Amgen Foundation Bezos Family Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York Nellie Mae Education Foundation Simons Foundation Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation The Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning works with a range of Boston-area school districts to refine instruction for its teacher candidates and offer rich clinical experiences: Burlington Public Schools Cambridge Public Schools Natick Public Schools Revere Public Schools Somerville Public Schools Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning Board of Directors: Carl Ferenbach III, Chair: Chairman, High Meadows Foundation and Co-Founder, Berkshire Partners LLC Cynthia Barnhart: Chancellor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Gerry House: former President and CEO, The Institute for Student Achievement Arthur Levine: Founding President, WW Academy and President, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Robert S. Murley: Chairman, Investment Banking, Americas, Credit Suisse David G. Offensend: President and CEO, Education Development Center (EDC) Matthew Pittinsky: CEO, Parchment, Inc.; co-founder, Blackboard Inc. and Assistant Research Professor of Sociology of Education, Arizona State University www.woodrowacademy.org page 5