Director of Curriculum Reading​/ELA and Social Studies

Position: Director of Curriculum for Reading/ELA and Social Studies
Position Type:
Administration/Director of Instruction

Date Posted:
4/27/2026

Location:
District Administration Offices

Date Available:
07/01/2026

Closing Date:
05/27/2026
DOLTON WEST SCHOOL DISTRICT 148
DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM FOR READING/ELA AND SOCIAL STUDIES

Position Classification: Administrative

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The Director of Curriculum for Reading/ELA and Social Studies provides strategic leadership, oversight, and implementation support for PreK 8 literacy and social studies curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional learning.

This role ensures the development of a guaranteed and viable curriculum, high-quality instructional practices, aligned assessment systems, and measurable student growth across all schools.

The Director of Curriculum for Reading/ELA and Social Studies serves as a key instructional leader and collaborates closely with principals, interventionists, teacher leaders, and district administration.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, the Director of Curriculum for Reading/ELA and Social Studies must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. This includes a high level of proficiency in written and oral communication skills. The position requires:

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Literacy, or related field
• Valid Professional Educator License
• Administrative endorsement (Type 75/Principal or equivalent)
• Minimum 5 years successful teaching experience
• Demonstrated experience in curriculum leadership or instructional coaching
• Experience analyzing district-wide achievement data
• Experience leading professional development
• Experience leading MTSS implementation

Preferred Qualifications

• Reading Specialist or Literacy endorsement (preferred)
• Experience with curriculum adoption processes
• Bilingual or ESL endorsement

Deep Content Knowledge, Skills & Instructional Expertise

• Science of Reading principles
• Literacy development (PreK
  8)
• Writing instruction
• Inquiry-based social studies pedagogy
• Standards alignment and curriculum design
• Backward design
• Explicit instruction practices
• Differentiation strategies
• Formative assessment
• Data-driven instructional improvement

Working Conditions

• 12-month position
• Travel between district schools required
• Occasional evening Board presentations or community meetings

LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES:

Curriculum & Instructional Leadership

• Lead development, revision, and implementation of vertically aligned Reading and Social Studies curriculum (PreK
  8)
• Ensure curriculum aligns with state standards and district strategic goals
• Identify and prioritize essential standards
• Develop pacing guides and common unit templates (backward design model)
• Integrate culturally responsive and inclusive instructional materials
• Conduct curriculum audits and gap analyses
• Maintain digital curriculum repository
• Develop and support implementation of the district instructional framework for literacy and social studies
• Promote evidence-based literacy practices (e.g., structured literacy, writing across content areas)
• Support inquiry-based social studies instruction
• Conduct classroom walkthroughs and instructional rounds
• Provide feedback and coaching support to administrators
• Support differentiation and small-group instructional practices

Assessment & Data Systems

• Develop and manage district literacy and social studies assessment systems
• Align universal screening and benchmark tools
• Design common formative assessments
• Lead district data analysis cycles
• Support principals in interpreting student growth data
• Collaborate with MTSS teams on literacy intervention alignment
• Monitor subgroup performance and equity trends

MTSS & Intervention Alignment

• Ensure Tier 1 literacy instruction is effective and standards-aligned
• Support Tier 2 and Tier 3 literacy intervention program selection and implementation
• Establish entrance/exit criteria for reading interventions
• Monitor fidelity of intervention programs
• Coordinate with Special Education, ECC and EL departments
• Analyze intervention effectiveness and recommend adjustments

Professional Learning & Capacity Building

• Develop and implement annual professional development plan aligned to district goals
• Facilitate district-wide literacy and social studies PD
• Lead PLC framework implementation in content areas
• Train teacher leaders and PLC facilitators
• Support new teacher literacy onboarding
• Coordinate summer curriculum writing institutes
• Provide coaching cycles as needed

Program Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Conduct annual program evaluations of core and supplemental materials
• Analyze student performance trends (achievement & growth)
• Recommend adoption or discontinuation of instructional materials
• Develop action plans based on data
• Prepare annual departmental progress reports

Salary/Benefits: $120,000 - $140,000. The District offers fringe benefits , including life, medical, dental and vision insurance.

Reports To: Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction

How…