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Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers.  CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.  In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity.  Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

Job Summary

The Office of Language and Cultural Education (OLCE) exists to guide CPS in providing a high-quality education for all language learners that is attentive to a culturally and linguistically diverse community of students, families, and educators. OLCE aims to achieve its mission through strategic planning, collaborative partnerships, professional development, and the production of tools and resources to improve instruction.

OLCE is responsible for:

• Providing native language instruction
• Developing English language skills
• Promoting world language instruction that is high-quality, research-based, and reflective of student cultures
• Overseeing the mandates around bilingual education
• Offering programs that provide a route for students to achieve the State Seal of Biliteracy
• Supporting schools implementing Dual Language Programs

Under direction of the English Learners (EL) Network Manager, the English Learners (EL) Network Specialist will be responsible for providing instructional support, technical and teacher quality assistance to network staff, administrators, EL Program Teachers, and teachers of English learners on the development and implementation of high quality instruction, curriculum, assessment and intervention for all schools with English Language Learners (ELLs) and language programs in grades PreK-12. 

The EL Network Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Collaborates with the assigned network team to address targeted schools’ bilingual education program needs 
• Assists with the development of program models for ELs in grades K-12 and assesses the quality of instruction in cooperation with the network staff. 
• Develops and delivers professional development in a variety of venues and formats for different audiences 
• Supports the implementation of curriculum and instructional strategies that create a clear pathway for the success of ELs 
• Researches, evaluates, and prepares recommendations on curricula, instructional methods, assessments, technology, and materials for ELs that include native language, English Language Development, and ESL materials and curricula 
• Supports the development of performance assessments designed to assess English language learners language and literacy skills 
• Supports the vetting of high quality instructional materials for ELs in grades K-12 
• Informs the district’s framework for effective academic content instruction; 
• Creates common tools and resources that demonstrate effective language and literacy practices for ELLs in both the native language and English. 
• Collaborates across departments to ensure alignment and coherence for instruction

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the EL Network Specialist must possess the following qualifications: 

Education Required: 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Master’s degree in Education preferred 

Experience Required: 

• Minimum of five (5) years experience working with English Learners required
• Previous experience with coordinating and/or providing professional development required
• Administrative and leadership experience preferred
• Bilingual, or multilingual preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience in standards-based instructional planning process: backwards mapping from standards to instruction. 
• Expertise in designing quality bilingual/ESL instructional programs 
• Solid understanding of language acquisition and literacy development 
• Ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders 
• Ability to establish efficient working relationship with colleagues, district and school staff and community-based organizations 
• Ability to manage, problem solve, and delegate as situations dictate 
• Able to improve conditions for working and learning as a team 
• Able to travel to schools and other locations throughout the district 
• Willingness and disposition to learn 
• Excellent organization skills 
• Exceptional written, verbal, and oral skills 
• Proficiency with technological tools and software, such as Google docs, Microsoft Office and Mac applications, among others. 

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency -Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 -Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.