Partner - Charter School Quality
Company: The Opportunity Trust
Location: Saint Louis
Posted on: August 7, 2022
Job Description:
Job DescriptionTITLEPartner, Charter School QualityREPORTS
TOChief Executive OfficerTHE CHALLENGEIt is estimated that 65% of
children entering elementary school today will work in jobs that
currently do not exist. More than 5 million jobs will disappear in
the next five years alone due to the rapid economic transformation
underway. Our schools and school systems were designed to serve a
different economy and population of children and have largely
remained unchanged in the last century. As a result, they are
failing to prepare children in our country for a life of economic
opportunity and choice, or to navigate our diverse and dynamic
global society.
The St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), serving more than 20,000
students, recently earned its way off of the state's probation list
for improvements in attendance and fiscal management; yet, 91% of
students fail to meet basic proficiency in mathematics by the 8th
grade, nearly a third of students will not graduate, and those that
do earn an average ACT score of 17 (four points below the already
low bar for initial college or career readiness of 21). Normandy,
just outside of city borders, had a composite ACT score of 15,
ranking in the bottom quartile nationally. Absent a coordinated and
systemic approach, progress in the aggregate remains limited while
the stakes of the status quo increasingly limit the choices of
children attending our public schools and hamper the social and
economic vitality of the region.ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TRUSTThe
Opportunity Trust exists to ensure every child born in St. Louis is
prepared to lead a life of choice and dignity as an adult. It
pursues this mission by examining barriers to economic mobility in
the St. Louis region, developing research-based theories of
system-level change, and building national and local funds
dedicated to eliminating these barriers over time. One of the most
urgent barriers to opportunity in St. Louis today is the changing
nature of work and our increasingly outdated and ineffective public
education system. Our first focus, Reimagining School, aims to
catalyze a fundamental transformation of our public education
system so that it can prepare children for the jobs of today and
tomorrow.Building off the successes and failures of the most
effective transformations of public education in our nation, this
fund will invest in the following levers that together drive
systemic change:
- Building the vision and capacity of talented educators to
scale, transform and launch new and innovative schools in St.
Louis;
- Growing talent pipelines for the education sector and deploying
talent to the highest impact interventions;
- Providing tools and resources for parents to help them advocate
for higher quality school options and place their children in the
best-fit school; and,
- Building awareness among leaders in business and government
about the conditions that enable quality schools and advocating for
the institutionalization of those conditions in state and local
policy.Beyond strategically deploying financial capital, The
Opportunity Trust works to ensure the success of each fund in four
ways:
- Identifying what is working and amplifying the impact of those
organizations and leaders;
- Identifying and supporting entrepreneurs with local ties to
fulfill unmet needs;
- Connecting organizations to each other and to resources
nationally and locally; and,
- Coordinating and supporting the rigorous evaluation of current
approaches and advocating for evidence-based local and state policy
changes.ABOUT THE ROLEThe Partner's role is to lead investments in
existing charter schools and to collaborate with the Partners
leading investments across the Trust's other strategic priorities
to ensure we grow the percentage of children in high quality
schools and create the conditions for continuous improvement and
innovation in the public education ecosystem in St. Louis. In
addition, the leader in this role will build partnerships with
aligned organizations and leaders locally and nationally.In
collaboration with the CEO, the Partner will develop and maintain a
strategy focused on growing the number of children in St. Louis who
attend a high-quality public school that operates with the autonomy
and governance needed to ensure sustainability over time. The
Partner is involved in the full lifecycle of the Trust's investment
work: researching and conducting due diligence on prospects, making
recommendations to the Trust's Board of Directors, setting and
monitoring progress toward investment goals, and evaluating the
impact of the fund over time. The Partner will also provide direct
management assistance to grantees, so deep familiarity with
multiple aspects of school system improvement is necessary for this
role. Lastly, the Partner will represent the Trust at regional and
national networking events and conferences.WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead the design and implementation of a new school incubator,
including overseeing the recruitment, selection, and support of
fellows through new school launch
- Organize and convene learning and networking opportunities for
grantees and fellowship participants
- Forge and manage national and local partnerships to that
support new school incubation fellows in successfully navigating
the design, authorization, and launch processes
- Analyze the performance of investments and provide management
assistance to ensure grantees are tracking toward investment
goals
- Lead due diligence and recommend continued and new investments
aligned with your strategy to the Trust's Board of Directors
- Represent the Trust externally at events throughout the region
and in national conversations on school improvement
- Co-manage a team of Associate Partners and Grants and Program
Managers in support of your strategic goals
- Support fundraising and grant writing activities as
neededNECESSARY BACKGROUNDSkills
- Extensive knowledge of current research and thinking in
strategic school design, school improvement, human capital
development, family engagement and education policy
- Proven ability to lead teams of adults to positive
outcomes
- Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including
the ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all
levels, including school-based staff
- Strong analytical skills, including a structured approach to
problem-solving
- Extensive project management skills – from discovery and
problem identification through execution and continuous improvement
– honed from designing and implementing complex initiativesPrior
Experience
- At least 12 years of prior experience in the education sector
in a leadership role related to the launch, redesign, or dramatic
improvement of a public school
- Comfort working in a startup environment, including experience
leading effectively through ambiguity, change and
unpredictability
- Prior experience in program design, management, and
implementation for adult learning and leadership with diverse
leadersEducation
- Bachelor's degree and significant work experience commensurate
with graduate-level proficiency in these areas
- Master's degree in education, quantitative social science,
public policy, public administration, business or related
fieldsWHAT WE OFFER● Competitive salary and benefits● Flexible work
environment● Passionate, mission-driven colleaguesPowered by
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Keywords: The Opportunity Trust, St. Louis , Partner - Charter School Quality, Other , Saint Louis, Missouri
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