Academic Specialist; English & Social Studies

Academic Specialist (English & Social Studies)

• Full-time
• Locations:
  Multiple Campuses
• Type of Employment:
  Full Time

IOTA Community Schools Tennessee LLC seeks a talented, highly accountable Academic Specialist (English & Social Studies) to serve as the network’s instructional leader for English Language Arts and curriculum resource for both ELA and Social Studies across all campuses in Tennessee and Arkansas. This role carries significant responsibility across the full instructional cycle for ELA — coaching ELA teachers, developing and aligning curriculum, designing assessments, and creating professional learning materials — while also providing Social Studies curriculum support.

The Academic Specialist is required to spend 20% of his/her time supporting schools in Arkansas, 80% each for Bluff City & Wooddale in Tennessee. The Academic Specialist works closely with the ESL & RTI Compliance Specialist as a thought partner on ELA curriculum alignment and assessment development, recognizing the natural overlap between English language arts and English language development.

Note:

Social Studies teacher coaching is provided by Assistant Principals of Instruction at each campus; this role focuses on Social Studies curriculum and resources, not direct SS teacher coaching. This is an on-site, campus-based role requiring consistent presence across all IOTA campuses.

• Serve as IOTA’s primary instructional coach for ELA teachers across all campuses at the middle and high school levels, including all ELA courses and literacy-focused content.
• Provide consistent, high-quality observation and feedback cycles to ELA teachers, using the coaching model to support gradual release of instructional responsibility and reflective practice.
• Strategically plan and facilitate Intellectual Preparation (IP) collaboration sessions to build ELA teacher depth in content knowledge, close reading, writing instruction, and standards-aligned pedagogy.
• Promote instruction that meets the demands of the Tennessee and Arkansas ELA Academic Standards through focused observations, co-planning, and differentiated coaching support.
• Model research-based ELA instructional strategies for teachers, including text-based discussion, writing across the curriculum, and evidence-based literacy practices.
• Collaborate with the ESL & RTI Compliance Specialist to ensure ELA instruction is scaffolded appropriately for ELL students and that language development is embedded in literacy instruction.
• Track the instructional growth of every ELA teacher coached, using observation data, assessment results, and teacher self-reflection to document progress and adjust coaching strategies over time.
• Develop and refine Social Studies curriculum unit plans, pacing guides, and instructional resources aligned to Tennessee and Arkansas state standards.
• Set expectations for Social Studies curriculum coverage within each school year across all campuses.
• Develop high-quality, reusable Social Studies instructional resources, including unit plans, document-based inquiry materials, primary source sets, and writing tasks, that teachers can access and implement across all campuses.
• Support Assistant Principals of Instruction in their coaching of Social Studies teachers by providing curriculum resources, content expertise, and instructional guidance as requested.
• Partner with APs of Instruction on Social Studies curriculum implementation fidelity through resource refinement and content support.
• Develop and/or refine ELA curriculum unit plans, pacing guides, and instructional resources aligned to Tennessee and Arkansas state standards.
• Set expectations for ELA curriculum coverage within each school year across all ELA courses, ensuring alignment between pacing, standards, and assessment.
• Collaborate with the Managing Director of Advancement & Academic Affairs to ensure ELA curriculum is integrated into IOTA’s academic platforms, including Common Curriculum and OTUS.
• Develop high-quality, reusable ELA instructional resources, including unit plans, text sets, discussion protocols, and writing tasks, that teachers can access and implement across all campuses.
• Monitor ELA…