K-12 Director of Visual Arts

The Westwood Public Schools seeks a K-12 Visual Arts Director to lead a team of innovative, student-centered art educators dedicated to helping students learn to create, respond and communicate visually. The Director serves as a key member of several leadership teams; oversees periodic reviews of the K-12 Visual Arts curriculum; leads the department in implementing recommendations for improvement; recruits, hires, develops, supervises and evaluates art department staff;

develops and oversees the art department budget; and promotes the visual arts both in the schools and the wider community. The Director also maintains a strong connection to students and the classroom by teaching part time (0.6 FTE).

This position is 184 days (school year), with up to 10 additional days possible outside of the school year to support hiring or professional development work, as approved by the supervisor.

• At least five years of experience teaching Visual Arts in a K-12 setting
• Master’s degree in education or a closely related field preferred
• Supervisory and administrative experience preferred
• SEI endorsement required
• Massachusetts educator license required; supervisor/director or administrator license required
• Deep understanding of how to effectively engage students in creative and visual problem solving processes
• Experience and demonstrated skill managing long-term projects and initiatives
• Demonstrated commitment to celebrating diversity, pursuing equity, and promoting integration
• Familiarity with trauma sensitive educational practices

Position reports to the Assistant Superintendent of Schools

• Examine multiple sources of evidence (e.g., student work) to understand student learning and assess educator effectiveness
• Communicate a vision for improving student learning outcomes and enlist members of the department in achieving that vision

• Plan for short and long term, prioritizing effectively to reach departmental improvement goals
• Organize productive meetings that engage all members of the department
• Manage both financial and human resources responsibly and seek supplemental resources (e.g., grant funds) when appropriate
• Coordinate and support the showcasing of student work, including occasional events (art shows, community showcases) outside of school hours

• Ensure that staff members know how and why key decisions are being made
• Welcome and collaborate with parents and caregivers and respond successfully to their concerns
• Celebrate individual, school and district achievements in visual arts
• Promote culturally responsive practices that support diverse students, families and staff

• Analyze multiple sources of data to assess curriculum

• Use data to inform plan for continual departmental improvement
• Model best practices for staff members by using student work to inform instruction in the classroom

• Oversee collaborative planning sessions to ensure that teacher development, lesson planning, and unit development are effectively improving student outcomes
• Make frequent classroom visits and engage in post-observation conversations that encourage teacher reflection and continuous improvement
• Recruit, hire, develop and support effective teachers
• Assist teachers in the development of growth plans that promote professional growth and student learning

• Set high learning expectations and encourage student mastery
• Design and implement thoughtful and engaging lessons that consider different student learning needs, styles and interests
• Use formative and summative assessments to monitor and evaluate student learning
• Encourage students to self-assess and monitor their own growth

• Develop and manage the Visual Arts department budget.

• Demonstrates caring and concern for all students
• Conveys a love of learning to students
• Makes positive contributions to the larger school community
• Communicates clearly
• Uses good judgment and professional decorum

Work takes place in classrooms and other building rooms/areas, including offices, auditorium, gym, lunchroom and hallways, within a school building setting, primarily indoors.

• Requires sufficient vision to read printed documents and to view detail on a computer screen for extended periods.
• Requires frequent standing, walking, sitting, bending, and reaching, as well as carrying and occasionally lifting up to 30 lbs.
• Ability to speak in an understandable voice with sufficient volume to be heard in normal conversation, on the telephone, and in the classroom.
• Ability to hear sounds clearly up to twenty feet.
• Travel among buildings is required.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to…