Title Specialist, Am. Samoa Position Number FY10-04 Reports to Associate Director, REL Salary B-2 Summary The PREL Program Specialist will have a number of job functions, primarily with the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) -Pacific project staff, research partners and departments of education to research, adapt, and deliver effective research based professional development and technical assistance that meets the needs of administrators, specialists, and teachers. S/he will also be called upon to serve as the PREL liaison in American Samoa and to provide technical assistance in support of the work of the Pacific Comprehensive Center, Equity Assistance Center, and the Territories and Freely-Associated States Education Grant Program among others. This position will be called upon to provide written reports, professional development and research as needed. The goal of these efforts is to further strengthen teaching and learning as defined by locally developed standards and curriculum frameworks, priority needs, and requests from both funders and local agencies including the American Samoa Department of Education.
	Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) is a nonprofit corporation providing educational research, development, training, and technical assistance services to the Pacific region of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap), Guam, Hawaii, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. PREL is a unique, multicultural organization that places a priority on a positive, supportive, and productive work environment and people who thrive in this kind of atmosphere.
	Job Duties	• Taking lead responsibility for coordinating and implementing REL-P activities in designated parts of the region including school-based and entity-wide technical assistance to meet critical regional needs in the areas of teacher quality, special needs students, capacity of educational systems, data-based school improvement, effective use of technology to support and enhance teaching and learning. • Assisting in designing, planning, and providing professional development and technical assistance services consistent with accepted principles of effective professional development in direct support of goals and objectives of the REL-P and other PREL programs as assigned. • Assisting in the development and production of reports and materials, including writing articles, developing instructional and professional development materials, documenting professional development activities for research purposes etc. for REL-P and other PREL-based programs carrying out activities in American Samoa. • Working collaboratively with REL-P staff and key partners to design and implement a plan of work for the REL, e.g., facilitate the development and implementation of effective professional development models and instructional programs for all students including English Language Learners (ELLs). • Assisting PREL-based programs whose scope of work includes American Samoa with the effective implementation of their activities, as assigned. • Responding, with prior approval, to requests to address high-priority needs in American Samoa such as: increasing academic literacy, data-based school improvement planning, and the use of technology to enhance management, teaching, and learning. • Serving as PREL’s local liaison in American Samoa. This includes representing PREL as called upon, maintaining regular communication with the American Samoa Department of Education and other relevant agencies including PREL updates to local agencies and American Samoa updates to PREL. Actively seeking business opportunities for PREL to assist in meeting local needs is an important part of this function. • Taking lead responsibility for management and maintenance of local PREL’s American Samoa Service Center including responding to clients contacting the center by telephone or in person.
	Other Duties/Functions	• Work collaboratively to support curricular training materials and programs in reading instruction with a focus on academic literacy and ELLs to meet unique client needs. • Provide training and technical assistance in a range of school reform and improvement areas, with special emphasis on closing the achievement gap for, particularly in reading. • Representing the PREL and/or REL-P in regional and national conference presentations, meetings, task forces, etc., as called upon. • Working on collaborative projects with other units in PREL and with other agencies as assigned.
	Job Conditions	Working Conditions PREL’s contract environment requires the ability to effectively plan and meet short timelines and changing conditions. Strong staff collaboration in work assignments is a standard at PREL. This work may involve travel to other PREL offices or schools in the Pacific region and the Continental U.S. for extended periods of time.
		Days/Hours of Work PREL’s office hours for are 8:30am – 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. This is an exempt position and requires availability beyond office hours, including weekends and evenings as necessary.
		Physical Demands Work occasionally requires lifting and moving items up to 40 pounds.
		Communication Demands Strong oral and written communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively with a non-technical audience. Must have effective interpersonal skills particularly working in a multicultural setting. Large group presentations will be required.
	Qualifications	Skills & Knowledge • In-depth knowledge of science, math or language arts curriculum and of “standards-based” teaching, learning, and assessment. • In-depth knowledge of education improvement efforts and their implications for schools, classrooms, and communities including the use of data to inform school-based improvement initiatives.
		Education • Master’s degree in Education required. Bachelor’s degree in Elementary or Secondary Education with a minimum of 5 years K-12 classroom experience teaching in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific will be considered.
		Experience • Minimum 5 years K-12 classroom experience teaching language arts and mathematics and/or science. • Successful experience planning and leading professional development. Preference will be given to candidates whose experience includes the development and implementation of school wide professional development plans and use of standards-aligned school and classroom assessments. • The successful applicant will called upon to work in a variety of areas in addition to language arts, science, and math. Preference will be given to applicants who have experience in one or more of the following: • Standards-based teaching and learning in Language Arts Math, or Science. • Facilitating school improvement planning based on sound principals and reliable data. • Designing and implementing processes for collecting and utilizing data in support of planning for improvement. • Developing and implementing performance and other authentic assessments at the classroom level. • The effective use of technology to support and enhance teaching and learning. • Extensive experience working in diverse schools and cultural contexts, preferably within the Pacific. • Demonstrated experience working as a member of a collaborative team, fostering team spirit and professionalism within a learning community, in both the planning and implementation of activities. • Successful experience planning and leading professional development. Preference will be given to candidates whose experience includes the development and implementation of school wide professional development plans and use of standards-aligned school and classroom assessments.
		Other • Strong interpersonal skills, particularly in working with diverse Pacific cultures or in multicultural settings. • Ability to exercise sound judgment and accomplish complex tasks with minimal supervision. • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. • A high degree of flexibility and openness to a changing environment. • Demonstrated experience using computer-based software for word processing, presentation preparation, and electronic communication. PREL currently uses MS Office including: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook; as an integral part of carrying out its work. • Ability to travel by air and spend extended periods of time in the field.
	Terms of Employment	Employment is “at will” and can be terminated at any time, either by the employee or PREL, with or without cause or reason and with or without notice. Position located in our American Samoa Service Center. Position available immediately subject to terms of employment and/ or continued funding.