The Chapin School Director of Instructional Practices

Position Description & Application

The Chapin School, an independent K-12 day school for girls located in New York City, seeks a student-centered, collaborative, and innovative educator to serve as Director of Instructional Practices, a 12-month role beginning July 1, 2027.

All candidates are encouraged to be familiar with Chapin’s website and mission.

Job Overview

Reporting to the Director of Academic Program, and working in partnership with Division Heads and Department Heads, Chapin’s Director of Instructional Practices serves as a key academic leader in advancing the School’s mission and core values through exceptional teaching and learning. Working collaboratively across Chapin’s three divisions, the Director will foster a culture of professional growth rooted in reflective practice by developing structures, systems, and strategies for ensuring shared values and expectations around excellence in classroom instruction. This is a 12-month position.

Joining a team of Chapin educators that is working with the School’s K-12 faculty to define a research-based, mission-aligned Framework of Instructional Practices, the Director of Instructional Practices will lead the further articulation of standards of effective classroom practice. The Director will then design a sustainable model of coaching and faculty support, embedding Chapin’s codified standards in a professional growth and development plan.

Primary Responsibilities

Instructional Leadership

• Co-design and implement Chapin’s Framework for Instructional Practices, a shared vision for innovative, inquiry-driven, and student-centered teaching that reflects the School’s mission and values.
• Partner with the Director of Academic Program, Division Heads, Department Heads, and teachers to ensure that instructional practices support student engagement and serve curricular goals across grade levels.
• Lead faculty in adopting evidence-based practices that promote critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and confidence in students.
• Conduct regular classroom observations and informal visits, providing formative feedback to support continuous instructional improvement.

Faculty Growth and Professional Learning

• Co-create and lead a comprehensive professional learning program that deepens faculty understanding of research-based instructional design and pedagogy.
• Work alongside faculty in aligning instructional approaches with the School’s mission, core values, and Framework for Instructional Practices.
• Coach department heads and other academic leaders in observation and feedback methods that reflect Chapin’s Framework for Instructional Practices.
• Mentor faculty and emerging leaders through coaching, collaborative planning, and reflective dialogue.
• Coordinate new teacher orientation and mentoring programs to sustain a culture of professional excellence and belonging.

Chapin’s Director of Instructional Practices will be

An educator who promotes, often through co-teaching, the growth of all faculty by modeling

• classroom instruction that reflects Chapin’s Framework for Instructional Practices.
• effective techniques for differentiating instruction.
• the use of student-level data to guide instructional decisions.

A partner to colleagues in teaching and learning by

• building strong, cooperative relationships, creating and nurturing a professional community of adult learners who communicate openly about teaching and learning.
• prioritizing clear, consistent communication, whether speaking or writing.
• promoting and designing professional development opportunities rooted in current research in the field.

A student-centered educator who values each faculty member’s and student’s voice, experience, and history by

• understanding and appreciating Lower, Middle, and Upper School learners and their distinct developmental needs.
• embracing a range of teaching and learning strategies that enable all students to thrive, including students with learning differences.

An educator who actively cultivates classrooms and our community of belonging by

• motivating colleagues to advance their inclusive teaching practices by modeling such practices and developing a culture where innovative inclusion efforts are the norm.
• examining teaching practices and policies to ensure they are equitably designed and applied.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, or field relevant to this role.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of exemplary classroom teaching and instructional coaching experience, preferably in independent schools.
• Demonstrated success in designing and facilitating professional learning and in coaching educators.
• Experience across multiple divisions of the K-12 learning environment.
• Deep understanding of girls’ education, student development, and effective pedagogy.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills with the ability to inspire, support, and hold others accountable.
• Commitment to equity, innovation, and the holistic development of girls.

Compensation for this 12-month position will be commensurate with experience. The range is $150,000-$165,000 annually.

How to Apply: Candidates must submit a current résumé, cover letter, and statement of educational philosophy. The search committee will prioritize candidates who submit materials by December 1 and will consider applications on a rolling basis thereafter.