CURRICULUM SPECIALIST, SOCIAL STUDIES K-8

Job Description

** Applications will be received until July 1, 2026 . If the position is not filled by then, we may consider applications submitted after the deadline. Interested applicants must apply online by visiting the Denver Public Schools job board at careers.dpsk12.org. **

About this job:

Responsible for delivering high-quality instructional resources, enhancing classroom practice, and scaling effective programs to increase student achievement and to prepare all students for success in college, career, and life. Focuses heavily on delivery of high-quality instructional materials through the lens of resource development, curation, refinement, implementation and continual improvement.

What DPS Offers You:

• A Culture that values Equity, Accountability, Integrity, Collaboration and Fun with a shared vision that Every Learner Thrives.
• $75,457 - $90,548 . Click here for more information on compensation for these roles.
• In addition to competitive compensation, DPS has other Total Reward offerings such as; time off, health and wellness benefits, and PERA Retirement. For more information visit our New Employee Resources.

What You'll Do:

• Supports the adoption, development, and implementation of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM); internalizes instructional materials in order to improve instructional activities, effective teaching practices and to ensure continuous improvement for K-8 Social Studies


• Ensures alignment of the K-8 social studies Colorado Academic Standards and content area curriculum with the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, guides the implementation of the Common Core State Standards through social studies for all students; and applies instructional expertise to improving the effectiveness of core curriculum instruction in District schools.

• Applies curriculum development expertise to setting criteria and building frameworks for developing rigorous Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) aligned curricula
• Assesses the needs of core content areas, content area teachers, and school leaders and leads the development of resources to address those needs and increase the quality of instruction

• Implement the District's School Support Model aligned to district priorities through consultancy, coaching, and professional learning

• Develops and facilitates highly engaging professional learning and guidance for effective use of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) and instructional best practices, in support of the district priorities for student experiences and outcomes
• Creates and/or curates the development of units aligned to the rigor and depth of social studies content specific standards
• Ensures strong alignment between standards/shifts, scope and sequence, and assessment items as well as vertical and horizontal alignment in social studies resources
• Develops bodies of annotated student work
• Collaborates with other department staff in the management, development, and analysis of district-supported assessments
• Revises social studies curriculum based upon student outcomes and implementation feedback
• Develops research-based recommendations for instructional strategies, professional development, and assessments to increase the quality of teaching and learning in social studies
• Deeply analyzes student achievement data (student work samples, interim assessments and performance-based assessments) to determine how to better develop materials and provide targeted, high quality teacher supports
• Anticipates, identifies, and resolves complex obstacles to ensure success of overall curriculum programs as well as specific projects
• Develops strategies and clear, specific, and ambitious performance measures for individual projects that are easily translated into individual work goals and deliverables for other team members
• Creates detailed timelines for each initiative; assesses and tracks project progress regularly, using various computer programs and tools; and drives project completion by holding others accountable for responsibilities and deadlines

What You'll Need:

• Bachelor's Degree in Major in an area of curriculum focus
• Master's Degree in Major in an area of curriculum focus preferred
• A teaching career with five or more years of highly successful teaching experience
• Proven, multi-year track record of exemplary teaching achievement, especially the achievement of low-income, underrepresented/under-served students
• Experience in the design of standards-based curriculum and assessments
• Experience designing and facilitating professional learning sessions to leaders and teachers preferred
• Lead for racial and educational excellence and work to dismantle systems of oppression and inequity in our community, along with believing in and supporting all students so they feel seen and heard with access to high quality education.
• Live and work with a permanent home address in Colorado while working with us.
• Have the ability with or without accommodations to meet the physical demands of the position.

Denver Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or any other status protected by law or regulations. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors.

Students First. Integrity. Equity. Collaboration. Accountability. Fun

About Us

Denver Public Schools is committed to meeting the educational needs of every student with great schools in every neighborhood. Our goal is to provide every child in Denver with rigorous, enriching educational opportunities from preschool through high school graduation. DPS is comprised of nearly 200 schools including traditional, magnet, charter and alternative pathways schools, with an enrollment of more than 90,000 students.


DPS has become the fastest-growing school district in the country in terms of enrollment and the fastest-growing large school district in the state in terms of student academic growth. Learn more at dpsk12.org.