Job Title: Environmental and Sustainability Education Program Supervisor
Opening Date/Time: Tue. 01/20/15 12:00 AM Pacific Time
Closing Date/Time: Fri. 02/20/15 5:00 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $0.00 – $35,370.00 Annually
Job Type: Part Time – Permanent
Location: Thurston County – Olympia, Washington
Department: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
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DescriptionBenefitsSupplemental Questions
The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is seeking a visionary and dynamic leader to join the OSPI team as the Program Supervisor for Environmental and Sustainability Education. This critical and innovative half-time position is based in Olympia, Washington. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the OSPI website (www.k12.wa.us) to gain insight into the agency’s mission and strategic plan.

OSPI Vision
Every student ready for career, college and life.

OSPI Mission
To provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

Teaching and Learning Division Overview
This position resides in OSPI’s Teaching and Learning Department. The OSPI Teaching and Learning Department provides leadership and support for educators to ensure engaged and effective teaching and learning for all students in Washington schools as aligned with Washington State’s Learning Goals and Basic Education Act. The department includes staff in the content areas of K–12 English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Environmental and Sustainability Education, Arts, Health & Fitness, Social Studies, Sexual Health Education, World Languages and International Education, and a cross-content team that supports integrated Professional Learning.
The department also oversees major statewide initiatives including the development and coordination of support to educators for implementing the state’s K?12 Learning Standards and Early Learning and Development Guidelines for Birth to Grade 3; OSPI-Developed Assessments for Social Studies, the Arts, Health, Fitness, and Educational Technology; competency-based credits and assessments for world languages; and provides leadership of federal grants that support Math and Science Partnership grants and funds from the Centers for Disease Control that support physical education, physical activity, and sexual health/HIV education in schools.
Position Role
The primary role of this position is to provide leadership, guidance, and resource development for the state’s K-12 education system focusing on the areas of integrated Environmental and Sustainability Education. The position connects and integrates statewide environmental and sustainability efforts in collaboration with all subject areas within the Teaching and Learning department, and more specifically with OSPI’s science and social studies teams.
The Program Supervisor works with OSPI, the state’s nine regional Educational Services Districts, state environmental, science, and social studies educator associations, informal environmental, sustainability and science educators, and school districts to identify technical assistance needs and to provide targeted support and guidance focused on effective integrated environmental and sustainability instruction and programs, and assessment processes.

 
 Duties:
Key Responsibilities
1. Oversee the statewide development, revision, and implementation support system for the Washington K-12 Integrated Environmental and Sustainability Learning Standards, strategies in the Environmental and Sustainability Literacy Plan, and support to school districts and schools for building strong and integrated programs and course offerings; as well as work with relevant state agencies such as the State Board of Education (SBE) and the Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB) to ensure alignment of state requirements and teacher certification requirements. This includes:
a.      Providing leadership for building statewide capacity for implementation of the stateEnvironmental and Sustainability learning standards, PK – 12th Grade curriculum planning and development, and effective instructional/assessment system practices.
b.      Develop, conduct, and oversee professional development for educators on state learning standards, and best practices in instruction for environmental and sustainability education.
c.      Active engagement in intra-department efforts for integrating, alignment, consistent messaging, and support for statewide implementation of state learning standards in conjunction with the agency’s career and college readiness standards and assessment system implementation.
d.      Implement and update the strategies of the Washington State Environmental and Sustainability Literacy Plan (2010).
e.      Support environmental and sustainability education in teacher education programs.
f.       Establish and maintain direct liaison support, and agency representation with key content-specific national and state education associations and agencies, as well specific departments within OSPI identified as key collaborators necessary to accomplish this position’s expectations.
g.     As resources and time allow (and as delineated in the positions annual goals), represent OSPI by serving on a variety public and private committees.
2. Participate as a team member in the Teaching and Learning work towards implementation and integration of Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and Birth to Grade 3 Early Learning Development Guidelines.
3. Serve as a member of the Teaching and Learning Science team. Provide support/input as needed (e.g. science standards and assessments, professional development, website management, and technical support to the field).
4. Administer and/or support federal, state, and/or privately funded projects or grants to support the integration of Environmental and Sustainability education.

5. Administer statewide educator/student/school awards including Washington States’ U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools award program. 
 Qualifications:
Desirable Qualifications
Preferred Education and Experience:
  • Master’s or advanced degree in environmental and/or sustainability education or related fields.
  • Five years of K-12 teaching experience and/or school district or relevant leadership experience in environmental, sustainability, science, or social studies education.
  • Knowledge of educational policy and law for state, federal and school district educational systems.
  • Experience with grant writing and grant management and project management.
 
Knowledge and Skills Required:
Subject-Area Knowledge:
  • Current knowledge and application of Washington State Pre K–12 learning standards and guidelines
  • Knowledge of current research and best practices in environmental and sustainability education, standards, curriculum, and program evaluation.
  • Current research and best practices in PK–12 education, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
  • Knowledge of and experience responding to school and/or district needs related to education reform efforts and standards-based education.
  • Knowledge of environmental and sustainability education initiatives in Washington State and/or nationally.
Excellent oral and written communication skills are required to:
  • Deliver professional learning trainings and workshops to a variety of diverse audiences including educators, regional stakeholders, and school/district administrators.
  • Write and edit correspondences and prepare presentations related to environmental and sustainability education in Washington State that communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholder groups, including teachers, parents, and legislators.
  • Communicate efficiently and effectively across a broad array of education groups and stakeholders in the education system, including writing and editing correspondence and technical documents using a strong command of English grammar, editing rules and practices for punctuation, composition, and formatting, and proof-reading written correspondence and technical documents.
Interpersonal skills are required to:
  • Work collaboratively with department staff, OSPI at-large, statewide content stakeholders and associations, school district staff, educational service district (ESD) staff, and state policy makers.
  • Represent OSPI on various subject-specific statewide committees and workgroups.
  • Respond to questions and concerns of teachers, administrators, parents/families, and the public.
Project Planning, Management, and Technology Skills are required to:
  • Utilize a variety of platforms for developing, facilitating, and delivering dynamic professional development, including the use of online platforms such as Moodle, Edmodo, Basecamp, etc.
  • Make decisions by utilizing strategies for systematic and advanced management practice/instructional leadership, project and program planning, budget planning and development, professional development, individual and group decision-making, and collaborative long-range planning.
  • Compile, synthesize, and make recommendations based on data gathered from a variety of sources.
  • Provide secondary supervision for environmental and sustainability education administrative assistant.
  • Maintain the highest standard of personal, professional and ethical conduct; and support the state’s goals for workforce diversity.

 
 Supplemental Information:
Compensation
This position is a permanent position funded at 50% with a maximum salary rate of $35,370Washington State has a generous benefit package including health, dental, and life insurance, retirement, and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit the following websites for benefit information; www.hca.wa.gov for information regarding health benefits and www.drs.wa.govfor retirement plan information.  This is a Washington Management Service Position.
Application Process
Those interested in this position may apply by submitting a letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement, a current resume, and a list of five or more personal and professional references.  The following optional forms may be submitted along with your application packet:
Please send all the application materials to:
Joe Lee, Human Resources
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
600 Washington Street Southeast
Olympia, Washington 98504-7200
(360) 725-6272; Joe.Lee@k12.wa.us
Electronic application packages are encouraged and should be sent in MS Word format only.