Professional Learning Curriculum Specialist

University of Wisconsin Madison•Madison, WI

4d•Remote

About The Position

WIDA is an educational services organization dedicated to advancing language development and academic achievement for multilingual children in early childhood and grades K-12. For over 20 years, WIDA has provided educators worldwide with high-quality language standards, assessments, professional learning, and research. The Professional Learning Curriculum Specialist position is within WIDA’s Educator Learning, Research, and Practice (ELRP) department. This role is responsible for developing, adapting, facilitating, and continuously improving research-based professional learning content and instructional resources for educators serving multilingual learners. The specialist will implement practice-centered and evidence-based approaches to professional learning, facilitate engaging learning experiences for diverse audiences, and collaborate across teams to ensure the quality and relevance of offerings. This position will contribute to WIDA’s professional learning content in various formats (virtual, in-person, self-paced) and develop educator instructional resources, including support for Spanish-speaking educators. The role requires regular facilitation of professional learning in both English and Spanish and serving as a subject matter expert for Spanish-language initiatives. Travel is required up to 20% of the time, and candidates must live within 90 miles of a major US metropolitan airport. This position is eligible for fully remote work as assigned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with business travel compensated. WIDA operates in a Windows-based environment, and a Dell PC laptop will be issued.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years of US teaching experience serving multilingual learners in PreK-12 environments.
Bilingual/biliterate in Spanish.
Experience developing and facilitating professional learning related to multilingual learners in both English and Spanish.
Experience developing materials and resources used to support the professional development of educators.
Knowledge of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and andragogy/adult learning theory.
Experience collaborating, co-planning, and co-facilitating with other staff.
Ability to effectively communicate and problem-solve with colleagues and supervisors.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently and manage workload to meet deadlines and expectations.
Must live within 90 miles of a major US metropolitan airport due to travel requirements.
Eligibility to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.
Must work on a PC.

Nice To Haves

ESL and/or Bilingual Education license or endorsement (ESL/TESOL/ESOL/ENL/Bilingual). Foreign language or world language certifications do not meet this requirement.
Experience implementing ELD/SLD standards and resources and ability to discuss their relationship to educational practice in PreK-12 environments.

Responsibilities

Develops, adapts, facilitates, and continuously improves research-based professional learning content and instructional resources that support educators serving multilingual learners.
Recommends and implements practice-centered and evidence-based approaches to professional learning.
Facilitates engaging learning experiences for diverse audiences.
Collaborates across teams to ensure the quality, accuracy, and relevance of professional learning offerings.
Contributes to WIDA’s professional learning content across a variety of formats, including virtual, in-person, and self-paced workshops.
Develops educator instructional resources, including supporting Spanish-speaking educators.
Regularly facilitates professional learning in both English and Spanish.
Serves as a subject matter expert for Spanish-language professional learning initiatives.
Meets with students for intake and general assessment and makes referrals to others on campus as appropriate.
May participate in strategic planning and grant proposals for instructional development, new teaching methods, and program direction.
May supervise the day-to-day activities of work unit employees involved in instructional support.
Develops teaching techniques that enhance course effectiveness in alignment with desired outcomes and established strategy and may train other staff in use of said instructional techniques.
Works to develop and/or design curriculum and/or techniques for instruction in a disciplinary area and suggests new ways of effective instruction within that discipline.
Provides supplemental instruction for students enrolled in classroom, online, and/or laboratory courses in a variety of formats such as one-on-one sessions, group sessions, peer mentor sessions, and seminars.
Assists in defining the objectives of the program and plays a major role in carrying out program duties.
Assesses learner performance and may prepare reports recommending instructional improvements.