Inclusive and Responsive Education Specialist

Posting Date Aug 10, 2026, 11:47:09 PM Primary Location Southwest Side-501 W 35th St (Bridgeport) CPS Non-Union Job Grade : SG1 Estimated Annual Salary Range 90,000.00 - 106,000.00 Position Type : Non-Union Position Overtime Status Exempt Final salary offers are dependent upon candidate qualifications. JOB DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Job Summary: Reporting to the Inclusive and Responsive Education Manager, the Inclusive and Responsive Education Specialist will collaborate closely with cross-departmental Content Specialists, as well as other CPS teams such as The Department of Professional Learning and the Department of Distributed Leadership to ensure a coherent vision for student-centered, responsive, and inclusive values and practices are scaled throughout CPS. This role will be responsible for leveraging experience and expertise in the areas of student voice, and responsive, participatory, inclusive, youth-adult partnership in support of the district’s Instructional Core vision. The primary objective of the Inclusive and Responsive Education Specialist will be to support the design and implementation of guidance, resources, policy, curriculum enrichment, and professional learning experiences that: Center responsive and affirming curriculum, instruction, and assessment across all content areas, and Uplift inclusive, responsive, and affirming practices across school teams and within decision-making structures in schools. This position will also support the implementation of the Instructional Core strategy and help inform and execute a focused \"Inner Core\" quality alignment process for all internal and external district-level curriculum and professional learning. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis. The Inclusive and Responsive Education Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities: Design, develop, and facilitate universal and curriculum-based professional learning (PL) that advances culturally responsive and inclusive systems and structures across: All CPS content areas (Math, English Language Arts (ELA), Science, Social Science, World languages, PK, Spanish Language Arts (SLA), Computer Science, Arts, Health and Physical Education), grade levels (PreK-12), and All areas of schools: CPS teams (Instructional Leadership Teams, Administration, Content Departments, Behavior Leadership Teams, etc.); and continuous improvement decision-making systems and structures (continuous learning cycles, CIWP, SQRP, etc) Ensure professional learning content created for internal and external stakeholders deepens their understanding of culturally responsive and inclusive culture, curriculum, and instruction, and the practices that support it Work in collaboration with CPS academic and cross-content departments and external partners to ensure shared understanding and implementation of the Instructional Core vision centered in identity, community, and relationships. Maintain expertise in the fields of culturally responsive pedagogy, inclusive partnership, and student voice and leadership through staying abreast of current research, practices, and innovation in the field Ensure professional learning for CPS Network Chiefs/Deputies, Instructional Support Leaders (ISLs), school leaders, central office instructional leaders, external partners, and other educators successfully achieves the following: Leads educators in developing, implementing, and refining professional learning plans that ensure the prioritization and support of district-wide learning and decision-making centered on the identities, relationships, and communities of our students, their families, and our teachers Builds their capacity in supporting school leaders and teacher leaders with responsive and inclusive pedagogical values and practices. Prepares them to lead inclusive, responsive school-based learning through coaching, team meetings, workshops, etc. Ensure professional learning for Teacher Leaders successfully achieves the following: Supports them in ensuring their contributions to their schools’ Instructional Leadership Teams are anchored in responsive and inclusive practices that promote identity work and strong relationships and community Builds their capacity to lead their colleagues in content-specific learning and reflection grounded in student voice Support the development of content-, school team-, and school context-specific guidance, resources, and policy to ensure a consistent representation of the \"Inner Core\" is promoted in all content areas, and within/across teams. Collaborate with cross-content teams (OLCE, ODLSS, OSEL, OECE) to design professional learning that is student-centered and promotes inclusive and responsive practices, incorporating best practices for supporting all students (English Learners, Diverse Learners, SEL perspectives) across all content areas and grade-levels, at scale Model the intentional, effective use of culturally responsive and inclusive practices, values, and decision-making in professional learning contexts and daily work - including communications, organization, and management tasks Other duties as assigned In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Inclusive and Responsive Education Specialist must possess the following qualifications: Education Required: Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study from an accredited college or university, required Valid teaching certificate/Professional Educator's License (PEL) issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) with appropriate content and/or grade level endorsement(s) is required LBSI, ESL, or Bilingual Endorsement, preferred Master's degree in a relevant field of study, preferred Experience Required: Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience, including the following, is required: Minimum of three (3) years of classroom teaching experience Minimum of three (3) years of teacher or school leadership experience, such as leading school teams in the development of curriculum and assessments, analyzing student performance data, etc. Minimum of three (3) years working with adult learners, including creating, organizing, and facilitating professional learning experiences to meet the needs of participants Experience leading others in culturally responsive pedagogy, equity and inclusion, civic learning, and/or student voice and leadership is preferred Experience designing and/or delivering human-centered professional learning and/or experience with human-centered design is preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Deep commitment to equity, culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, and transformative learning experiences for all students and adults in CPS Strong knowledge of anti-racist practices in education; knowledge of anti-bias, anti-racist, and anti-adultist pedagogy; commitment to providing an educational environment free of discrimination and bias Commitment to CPS Instructional Core Vision Ability to build inclusive and participatory classrooms, schools, and learning experiences: including student voice in decision-making in any/all aspects of schooling Strong understanding of the needs of adult learners and learning science, and practices that support all learners in the classroom, including English Language Learners and Diverse Learners. Expertise in reimagining adult and youth learning experiences through planning, designing, facilitating, and evaluating transformative professional learning Knowledge of research-based practices; maintains up-to-date knowledge of changing or emerging best practices, concepts and standards in the areas of identity work, anti-bias work, dialogue and deliberation; inquiry learning; and building inclusive systems and structures that elevate varied voices (including youth) in decision making in any/all aspect of schooling Knowledge of: WIDA ELD Standards Understanding by Design principles for curriculum design Universal Design for Learning principles for instructional design MTSS and SEL best practices Exceptional organizational skills; ability to effectively manage several work streams simultaneously Capable of building and sustaining positive, productive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable collaborating and communicating across a diverse range of audiences, including network teams, principals, teachers, and support staff Ability to build consensus and leverage expertise with educators across the district Exceptional project management and time management capabilities Strong analytic and critical thinking skills and strong ability to analyze data, define problems, and outline valid conclusions and action steps. Capable of using data to identify development needs Excellent technology skills (Google Suite) Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your Choice Medical Plan Options Pharmacy Vision Behavioral Health & EAP Employee Wellness Program Financial Security: Planning for Today and Tomorrow Basic Life Insurance Life and Disability Insurance Pension Plans Supplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b)) Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) Spot Pet Insurance Work-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional Life CPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time #J-18808-Ljbffr Chicago Public Schools