Skip to main content

Arts for Learning Maryland seeks Education Director

Education Director of K-12 Programs

About Us

Arts for Learning Maryland (formerly Young Audiences of Maryland) is devoted to enriching the lives and education of Maryland’s youth through educational and culturally diverse arts programs. Through Arts for Learning, professional teaching artists from all disciplines partner with educators, schools, and school districts to provide -- on average -- over 300,000 hours of learning in, through, and about the arts to more than 250,000 Maryland students annually.

Arts for Learning is a mission-driven organization that values community, innovation, and passion. The staff, board, and teaching artists have a shared commitment to advance equity in the field of education by working tirelessly to generate opportunities for students to imagine, create, and realize their full potential through the arts.

Job Description:

Arts for Learning Maryland seeks an enthusiastic, creative and experienced educator to lead all aspects of teaching and learning within our Program Department. The Education Director will provide leadership and expertise in education and arts integration to the 7 member program team that works daily to find solutions for schools. In collaboration with the Arts Integration Specialist, the Director will support training, coaching and mentoring for our roster of approximately 60+ professional teaching artists. The Education Director will also have the unique opportunity to lead the teaching and learning aspects of the organization’s first ever Federal Research Grant. With program activities beginning in late summer of 2022, the Education Director will serve as the project manager for this 5 year grant that will serve 8 schools in Prince George’s County Public Schools. In this role, the Director will work closely with the Chief Program Officer and Chief of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives for the project and will lead curriculum development, professional development and instructional elements of the program.

The Education Director will join a fast paced organization that is highly collaborative across departments. While the Education Director will work exclusively with the K-12 Program Department, they will collaborate with and have the support of the organizations’ two other Education Directors and one Arts Integration Specialist who provide a similar function within other projects and departments.

The Education Director is a full time, exempt position that will report to the Chief Program Officer. There is a possibility of some flexibility in hours from March through the end of the school year for any current teacher applying for the position to transition from their school.

Job Responsibilities:

The Education Director will have two primary areas of responsibility:

1) Arts Integration Support and Consultation for our Program Department, Teachers and Artists

2) Managing the EIR “Start with the Art” arts-integration research grant.

Arts Integration Support and Consultation for Programs (Approximately 40% of time)

Responsibilities Include:

● Work collaboratively with Chief Program Officer, Arts Integration Specialist, Program Coordinators, Teachers, and Artists to develop custom arts integrated solutions to meet the individual needs of schools and districts.

● In collaboration with Arts Integration Specialist, provide feedback and coaching to artists and teachers developing arts integrated and arts education programs.

● Ensure that program content is designed with a focus on culturally responsive teaching and learning.

● Serve as a subject matter expert in pitches, presentations, events and conferences.

● Participate in department meetings.

● Serves on the operational leadership team of the organization.

● Understand trends, opportunities and gaps in the field of education, and ensure that our programming is aligned.

● Design and lead professional development as needed. This could include internal training for A4L staff, teachers or artists, collaborative PD sessions with other programmatic departments or partners, or fee for service PD sessions for school/districts or other stakeholders.

● Support K-12 roster teaching artists in developing, piloting, and refining teacher professional development offerings.

● In collaboration with Program Director and outside evaluators, design, implement, and report on evaluations for K-12 programs.

● In collaboration with the team, support the design and implementation of department and organization wide initiatives (i.e. festivals and public events, virtual conferences, etc).

● In partnership with the Chief Program Officer and Program Director, design and help lead the annual artist meeting and other convenings of stakeholder groups.

● In partnership with Program staff, seek out additional partnerships, programs, and/or funding to advance the mission and vision of the organization.

● Embrace being a life-long learner by taking various classes, attending conferences, and/or teaching in order to remain grounded in best practices and new research that will inform all aspects of the role and its responsibilities.

● As new opportunities arise, the Education Director may be tasked with providing leadership and support of those new projects and initiatives.

Start with the Art EIR Grant Program Management (Approximately 60% of time) Responsibilities Include:

● Serve on the leadership team for the project with the Chief Program Officer and Chief of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives.

● Develop and cultivate relationships with program partners including Prince George’s County Public Schools, our research and evaluation partners with Wolf Brown and Westchester University, and program staff.

● Develop a 5 year comprehensive plan to ensure that the instructional goals set forth in the grant are accomplished successfully.

● Ensure ongoing grant compliance with the US Department of Education. This includes attending periodic meetings with grant representatives, developing interim and final grant reports, completing paperwork, liaising with the finance office to ensure financial compliance, etc.

● Develop and lead training for arts integration coaches, and provide ongoing supervision throughout the program.

● Lead the annual recruitment effort for teachers and teaching artists with specific focus on finding staff in the local community.

● Develop applications, job descriptions and web forms as needed.

● Ensure that the program is designed and operated in an equitable manner.

● Develop and lead training for teachers and teaching artists in arts integration, co-teaching, anti-racist practices, etc. This includes hiring and supporting additional PD presenters as needed.

● Assist with identifying and vetting partner schools.

● In partnership with the communications team, develop marketing and other communications materials.

● Provide on-site support to program sites as needed. This could include subbing in emergency situations, coaching, supporting instructional coaches, assisting with evaluation or data collection, troubleshooting with school and district officials, etc.

● Track and monitor project budget and assist with budget creation, invoicing and monitoring.

● Ensure the core values of Arts for Learning and the program are evident in all aspects of the program.

● In collaboration with the Chief of Innovation and the Data and Systems Manager, ensure evaluation data is being collected efficiently, completely and accurately.

● Experience is maintaining Grant compliance.

● Help to ensure equitable access to students of all demographics through program innovation and partnerships.

Required Skills/Abilities:

● Significant experience in the fields of the arts, arts integration, and the role of teaching artists/community artists in education.

● Strategic thinking and demonstrated success in program innovation.

● Experience in program evaluation.

● A self-starter with a proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision making skills.

● Ability to exercise sound judgment and work independently.

● Ability to correctly prioritize and escalate issues.

● Ability to adapt to the needs of the organization, employees and stakeholders.

● Ability to thrive in a high autonomy/high accountability environment, and to adapt to changing circumstances, working flexibly in order to handle multiple priorities.

● Strong communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, especially when working across differences, with demonstrated ability to form and maintain strong collaborative partnerships and to build consensus with colleagues, principals, and other strategic stakeholders.

● Commitment to race equity; preferred experience applying a racial justice and race equity lens to their work.

● An understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and bias, and its impact on policies and practices, especially related to the administration of public education.

● Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

● An understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and bias, and its impact on policies and practices, especially related to the administration of public education.

● Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

● Excellent interpersonal skills.

● Excellent project management skills.

● Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

● Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.

● Proficient with Google Suite

● Experience with CRM and project management systems.

Desired Experience and Background

● Experience with public school-based programs

● At least 5 years of experience as a classroom educator or equivalent

● Given the large focus on programming in Prince George’s County, the ideal candidate will live in or near the county or have other connections with this specific community

● Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Salary: This position starts at $70,000 annually plus our generous benefits package. Arts for Learning also has many benefits including health insurance with nominal employee contribution, competitive vacation and personal leave, up to 4% matching contrition and perks like comp time and the office being closed between Christmas Eve and New Years Day. Currently the position is remote and we envision in the future there will be some hybrid of remote and in-person.

To apply:

For consideration, please send your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to [email protected] with “Education Director" in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please do not send applications that include headshots or photos of yourself. No phone calls or recruiters please.

Arts for Learning Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to cultivating a diverse workforce and equitable workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, veteran status, and disability. All qualified applications will be given equal opportunity.

Salary Range
$70,000 - $80,000
Job Title:
Education Director
Benefit Package
Salary: This position starts at $70,000 annually plus our generous benefits package. Arts for Learning also has many benefits including health insurance with nominal employee contribution, competitive vacation and personal leave, up to 4% matching contrition and perks like comp time and the office being closed between Christmas Eve and New Years Day. Currently the position is remote and we envision in the future there will be some hybrid of remote and in-person. 

Become a Member

As a member of GBCA, you will not only gain access to wonderful benefits, but you will also become an active participant in a broader cultural community. Your organization and employees will directly benefit from opportunities to collaborate, connect, learn, network and share with your colleagues in the cultural community. Join our growing constituency of over 300 individual artists and organizations representing the region's extraordinary range of arts, culture, history, heritage, humanities, and attractions.

Join Today