Head of the Greek Program 2027-2028 School Year

Job Description

Job Description

Socrates Academy

Head of the Greek Program

Position Summary

The Head of the Greek Program will provide strategic leadership and oversight of Socrates Academy’s Greek language and cultural immersion program. This role combines curriculum development, teacher mentorship, program evaluation, community engagement, and research to ensure high-quality instruction aligned with best practices and learning standards. The Greek Program Head will also foster innovation through applied research and scholarship in Greek language and culture immersion pedagogy.

The Head of the Greek Program reports to the Head of School and collaborates closely with the divisional administrators (Lower, Middle, and High School) to ensure intentional alignment and integration between the Greek language and culture program and the broader academic program. The Head of School retains ultimate responsibility for cross-program integration and overall academic performance, including outcomes in the Greek language-and-culture program. The Head of Greek Program provides functional supervision of Greek language faculty while respecting site-based instructional leadership of school principals. Also, this person serves in an advisory and leadership capacity in these areas and supports the Head of School’s final decision-making authority.

Position Structure and Calendar

This is an 11-month position, designed to allow the Greek Program Head to contribute meaningfully to summer planning, including input on the master schedule, as well as the planning and preparation of instructional materials and program activities.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Strategic Development

• Lead the vision and long-term strategy for the Greek language and culture program across all grades, ensuring effectiveness within a partial immersion model of approximately two hours of daily instruction, while establishing the instructional, staffing, and curricular conditions necessary to support a potential future full-immersion track.
• Develop goals, action plans, and evaluation measures to continuously improve program outcomes.
• Ensure alignment with North Carolina World Language Standards, National Greek Curriculum Standards, and Socrates Academy’s mission.
• Evaluate and provide strategic recommendations regarding potential expansion of immersion models, including the feasibility of a full Greek immersion track, based on enrollment trends, staffing capacity, research, and community readiness.
• Design, implement, and evaluate strategies to mitigate summer language loss, recognizing it as a critical risk factor in a partial immersion program serving predominantly non-Greek-speaking households.
• Serve as a steward of the school’s Greek language-and-culture mission, balancing academic excellence, enrollment realities, and long-term immersion integrity.
• In collaboration with the Head of School and Marketing Facilitator support recruitment efforts; highlight the Greek Language program at prospective open houses and tours.

Curriculum & Instruction

• Oversee design, implementation, and assessment of Greek language and culture curricula across all grade levels.
• Integrate inquiry-based, Socratic pedagogy into classroom instruction.
• Ensure vertical articulation (K–12) and horizontal alignment (across classrooms and grade-level sections) of Greek language instruction, including scope, sequence, and proficiency targets.
• Develop structures, tools, and shared planning practices that enable meaningful collaboration between Greek and English faculty, even when a shared instructional language is not present.
• Recommend instructional resources, assessments, and enrichment opportunities to strengthen language proficiency and cultural competence.
• Collaborate with English-program faculty and divisional principals to promote cross-linguistic and cross-curricular integration, particularly in shared subject areas such as mathematics.
• Ensure coherent coordination of mathematics instruction across Greek and English contexts to maximize conceptual reinforcement and avoid cognitive overload.
• Support non-Greek-speaking teachers in identifying opportunities to reinforce Greek language-and-culture learning through coordinated themes, vocabulary alignment, and instructional planning.

Research & Program Innovation

• Conduct or oversee applied research on Greek language acquisition, bilingual education, and immersion pedagogy.
• Stay informed of current academic literature and best practices in world language instruction. ● Translate research findings into actionable strategies for curriculum development, teacher training, and program improvement.
• Share findings through professional conferences, publications, or workshops to advance the field and enhance the Academy’s program reputation.

Teacher Recruitment, Development & Supervision

• Recruit, onboard, mentor, and evaluate Greek language teachers and instructional staff, and make hiring and placement recommendations to the Head of School for US credentialed teachers, visiting teachers from the Greek government, and fluent part-time instructors. Work with Greek government agencies to coordinate the hiring of Greek language teachers.
• Be familiar with U.S. visa and immigration requirements. Work with immigration attorney to facilitate the visa process for Greek teachers.

Provide ongoing professional development to ensure high instructional quality and alignment with program goals.

• Promote collaborative planning and cross-grade coordination among faculty. ● Develop differentiated support and evaluation frameworks appropriate to teachers with varying certification status, experience levels, and contractual arrangements.
• Foster a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative professional culture among faculty from diverse linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds.
• Establish clear instructional expectations and accountability measures to ensure consistency and quality across classrooms, regardless of teacher background or appointment type.

Professional Development & Capacity Building

• Design and recommend specialized professional development for Greek language faculty to support immersion pedagogy, language proficiency development, assessment literacy, and cultural competence.
• Design and recommend professional development for English-program faculty aimed at supporting cross-linguistic integration, curriculum coordination, and reinforcement of Greek language-and-culture learning, without requiring Greek language proficiency.
• Collaborate with the Head of School and divisional principals to align professional development priorities, schedules, and resources across the school.

Student Outcomes, Assessment & Program Evaluation

• Monitor student progress in Greek language proficiency, biliteracy development, and cultural competence using developmentally appropriate measures.
• Establish benchmarks and performance goals to measure program effectiveness. ● Select or develop assessment tools aligned with ACTFL proficiency guidelines and partial immersion benchmarks.
• Use assessment data to refine instructional strategies and improve student outcomes. ● Use program data and assessment results to inform recommendations for targeted professional development and instructional improvement strategies.

Governance, Metrics & Board Collaboration

• Serve as a standing member of the Board’s Curriculum & Instruction Committee, providing expert guidance on Greek language-and-culture education.
• Develop, track, analyze, and report program metrics related to Greek language proficiency, including performance on external benchmarks such as the Greek government’s Ellinomathia examinations.
• Be an active member of national foreign language organizations representing the school. ● Propose, implement, and monitor targeted improvement strategies based on data trends and program evaluations.
• Prepare regular reports and presentations for the Board and its committees that clearly communicate progress, challenges, and strategic recommendations related to the Greek language-and-culture program.

Culture & Community Engagement

• Serve as the school’s lead ambassador for Greek language and culture.
• Develop partnerships with families, community organizations, and cultural institutions to enhance program opportunities.
• Coordinate cultural events, immersion experiences, and extracurricular activities that reinforce language use beyond the classroom.
• Educate families about immersion pedagogy, language development expectations, and ways to support Greek language learning at home.
• Develop differentiated family engagement strategies that address varying levels of commitment to the Greek language component while reinforcing its central role in the school’s mission. ● Address varying levels of family motivation and engagement with the Greek language component by articulating clear expectations, value propositions, and pathways for sustained participation.
• Design and oversee strategies to mitigate summer language loss and support continuous Greek language development, particularly for students from non-Greek-speaking households. Create accessible resources and programs (e.g., summer offerings, take-home materials, workshops) to support Greek language exposure outside of school.
• Develop and coordinate study abroad programs for students and staff.
• Oversee partnerships and agreements with Greek educational institutions

Compliance & Standards

• Ensure program compliance with state, charter, and accreditation requirements. ● Collaborate with school administration to ensure compliance related to international teacher placements, including visa requirements, credential recognition, and contractual obligations. ● Maintain accurate documentation for internal reporting and external review processes.

Working Conditions & Expectations

• Interact regularly with students, Greek program faculty, divisional principals, the Head of School, and families.
• Collaborate with school administration and actively participate in the Board’s Curriculum & Instruction Committee.
• Conduct analyses (qualitative/quantitative), provide reports, and prepare public documents. ● Work a school-year schedule with additional responsibilities for summer planning and professional development.
• Occasional travel for conferences, workshops, or professional collaborations may be required. Qualifications
  

Required

• Masters degree required in Education, Linguistics, World Language Education, Curriculum Leadership, Measurement, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in Greek language instruction, bilingual education, and/or world language pedagogy.
• Experience in curriculum development, program leadership, and teacher supervision in a school setting.
• Strong knowledge of second-language acquisition methods, immersion program models, and educational standards.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Familiarity with assessment tools for monitoring language proficiency.

Preferred

• Doctoral degree preferred
• Experience leading a language immersion program or world language department. ● Background in research or scholarship related to language education or bilingual pedagogy.
• Experience with the Socratic Method or inquiry-based instructional approaches. ● Experience working within a charter school or public-school accountability framework. ● Experience working with diverse K–12 student populations.

Compensation

• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Benefits package including health, dental, vision, and retirement plans.

How to Apply

Submit a cover letter, resume, and references to View email address on ziprecruiter.com with the subject line Head of the Greek Program Application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.