Lead Coach (School Instructional Support)
P171682
: Sep 15, 2026, 4:06:21 PM
: Southwest Side-4316 South Princeton Avenue (Thomas A Hendricks Comm Acad)
Position Type: Union Position
One of the cornerstones of CPS’ recommitment to strengthening the district’s instructional core is investing in empowered and supported educators. CPS continues to deepen our support to ensure all schools have strong cultures of distributed leadership that include academically-focused instructional leadership teams (ILTs) made up of Teacher Leaders, teachers actively participating in Teacher Leader-led learning cycles, individualized feedback, and support to all teachers embedded within their learning cycle. In 2022, CPS launched Teachers Lead Chicago — our strategy to define school-based leadership roles so teachers can “lead without having to leave” the classroom. Teachers Lead Chicago (TLC) is a cross-office initiative with the Talent and Teaching and Learning Offices that formalizes teacher leadership pathways. TLC, located in the Talent Office as part of the Training and Leadership Development team, operates CPS’ formal teacher career pathway for teaching staff, which includes the qualification and selection process, guidance to principals and teachers, evaluation and record keeping, marketing and recruiting, and pipeline development. The Office of Teaching and Learning provides professional development and implementation of formal teacher leadership roles. Role Summary:
A Lead Coach position is available at a subset of CPS schools. This teacher role has 80% release time to provide coaching and support to teacher leaders and teacher teams within the school community in support of the local instructional areas of need. The primary objective of the Lead Coach role is to build the capacity of other teacher leaders and teachers, as well as support the distributed and supportive leadership model within their school building. Lead Coaches have expertise in classroom pedagogy, team leadership, and coaching, and they use these skills to develop teacher capacity in classroom instruction and teacher leadership skills. This school-level support will help to improve instructional practice and improve student outcomes. Lead Coaches are critical members of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team (ILT).
The Lead Coach will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:Instructional LeadershipServe as a lead or co-leading member of the ILT, supporting the School Leader with accelerating school-wide learningWork collaboratively with School Leaders to plan and support the school's distributed leadership strategyDevelop and implement recruitment, development, and retention plans for teacher leadership roles within the building Advance the instructional core foundation outlined within the CIWPTeacher Leader and Teacher DevelopmentLead a team (or teams) of teachers in enacting the instructional core (including, but not limited to, planning and facilitating learning cycles to content/grade-level teams, providing lesson plan feedback, analyzing data and/or student work, and leading/participating in instructional core walks)Develop Teacher Leaders' capacity to lead adult learners and build their expertise in planning for and facilitating inquiry-based learning cyclesProvide a structured space for Teacher Leaders to plan, reflect on, and make decisions based on teacher team inquiry-based learning cycle progress and outcomesCoaching and SupportProvide one-to-one peer instructional coaching to assigned teacher leaders that is connected to the learning of the team learning cycleMonitor student and teacher learningModel team leadership and connective coaching authenticity Optional - Support and fill in for a Team Lead who does not have common release time to engage in coaching with team members.
Time Commitment: This is a 228-day position (43.6 weeks, 6.25 standard hours)Spend 20% - approximately five (5) hours per week Providing instruction, advisory period, or providing instruction to allow teachers to conduct peer observationsSpend 80% - approximately 20 hours per weekLeading team meetings Providing instructional coaching for team members they support and leading the team meetings, as well as coaching assigned teachers and teacher leaders
District Professional Development: Attend district-sponsored professional development
Lead Coaches must apply for the role through the CPS Careers page for a specific school. The final selection process is principal-directed and based on the school's needs. Eligibility: To be eligible to apply to be a Lead Coach, applicants must:Hold a valid teaching license issued by the Illinois State Board of EducationHave four (4) years of service or commensurate experienceIf CPS Candidate: Most recent REACH Professional Practice rating of 3.4 (340) or above or most recent REACH Summative score as ProficientHave experience formally leading peers/adults effectively Expertise in the school community's stated areas of instructional needQualification: In order to qualify for the Lead Coach position, teachers must complete the following:Meet all eligibility requirements Complete the application with a specific school on the CPS Careers Jobs BoardSelection: School leaders select qualified candidates and conduct interviews to complete the hiring process
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:Ability to set short and long-term goals aligned to school-wide vision for teacher leaders, teachers, and student successAbility to use collaborative approaches and include multiple perspectives in the decision-making processAnalyzes data to examine current realities, including strengths, challenges, relationships, and/or underlying dynamicsExperience leading collaborative sessions that allow for active engagement with meeting objectivesStrong communication skills (speaking, listening, and writing)Demonstrate high levels of instructional expertise, integrity, honesty, credibility, and the courage to make difficult yet necessary decisions, along with a deep knowledge of pedagogical best practicesEffective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals and align/manage activities toward goal fulfillmentStrong leadership and team-building skills, e.g., ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student successExceptional organizational skillsExperience and knowledge of supporting the development of adult learners Ability to build collaborative relationships and actively build and sustain positive, productive relationships with colleagues and stakeholdersAbility to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action stepsAbility to motivate others to improve practice and impact student learningSkilled in objectively understanding and interpreting others’ concerns, motives, feelings, and behaviorsAbility to lead a formal team through learning development and learning cycles
Benefits:Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your ChoiceCPS is committed to providing comprehensive health coverage to our employees and their eligible dependents. You'll have access to a variety of choices to best fit your needs:Medical Plan OptionsPharmacyDentalVisionBehavioral Health & EAPEmployee Wellness ProgramFinancial Security: Planning for Today and TomorrowWe understand the importance of financial stability, which is why CPS offers strong retirement and savings options:Basic Life InsuranceLife and Disability InsurancePension PlansSupplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b))Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)Spot Pet InsuranceWork-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional LifeCPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time off policies:Paid LeaveSick LeaveVacation DaysParental LeavesShort-Term DisabilityReligious HolidaysLeaves
Chicago Public Schools is looking for teachers, leaders, and non-instructional staff to transform the face of urban education. We are a team of passionate, committed, and talented professionals who believe that every CPS student will graduate prepared for success in college, career, and life. Come join us in making CPS a model for public school districts throughout the nation. CPS is the third largest school district in the United States with more than 600 schools providing education to over 340,000 children.
