Program Manager, English Language Arts (4-8)

Position Type:

Administration and Professionals

Date Posted:

2026-07-07Location:Administration or As Assigned

ABOUT CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is Ohio's third-largest public school system, serving more than 35,000 students.

CMSD strives to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education, regardless of the provider. To that end, CMSD lets families choose which District schools their children attend, with options that include STEM, the arts, single-gender education, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college.

Our schools have autonomy over human and financial resources in exchange for accountability for performance. The principal has primary responsibility and accountability for establishing their school as a high-quality, high-expectation academic center focusing on personalized instruction, professional support for teachers, and school-wide practices that lead to measurable results.

CMSD ensures that students have access to technology and training to prepare them for the future. The District provides a free laptop or tablet for every student and connects every family that needs internet access. Graduating seniors leave commencement with not only a diploma but also a laptop.

In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we strive to ensure that all of our learners, both scholars and educators, to be challenged with academically and intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their efforts and provide them opportunities to demonstrate their best work.

BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES

The Cleveland Board of Education adopted the Building Brighter Futures (BBF) initiative on December 9, 2025. Building Brighter Futures is a strategic and data-driven plan shaped by more than a year of community engagement, information analysis, and thoughtful deliberation. The goal of this plan is to strengthen enrollment and ensure scholars attend a newer school building that offers more educational opportunities, including algebra in the eighth grade, more sports and extracurricular activities, and college credits and college and career pathways in high school. BBF is ensuring academic excellence so every CMSD scholar can thrive.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

Location: Administration or As Assigned
Reports to: Director, Middle Grades Curriculum & Instruction
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary Band: 7
Compensation: $68,891.00 - $93,003.00

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is in the midst of the most far-reaching transformation plan in its history to dramatically improve the quality of educational outcomes for Cleveland’s public-school scholars. We are seeking a Program Manager for ELA (4-8) to support school leaders and teachers in the planning, monitoring, and implementation of all ELA programming through a deep understanding of the 4-8 Ohio Learning Standards. By providing high quality professional development and coaching for 4-8 ELA teachers, the Program Manager of 4-8 ELA will help CMSD scholars to be proficient in ELA.

The Grades 4-8 Program Manager position requires an individual with superior leadership and analytical, execution, and change management skills. This position will serve as a key contributor to the success of Cleveland’s teachers, leaders, and scholars.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides direction and leadership in the development of ELA curriculum for Grades 4-8
• Ensures the 4-8 ELA program is in alignment with the Ohio Learning Standards for Grades 4-8 English Language Arts
• Provides consistent support to school leaders and teachers to ensure high levels of implementation of core ELA programs through research-based best practices and data-driven instruction
• Reviews and evaluates results of state and District assessments, determines trends, and develops and implements action plans to ensure that the District meets and exceeds the District core measures.
• Provides targeted job-embedded support to teachers and school leaders by implementing an intensive cycle of content support that includes but is not limited to classroom observations, co-teaching, modeling, co-planning, co-facilitating 100 minutes, analyzing student data for action planning, etc.
• Collaborates with Academic Progress Teams and teachers to develop, monitor, and support the strategies and action steps included in the Academic Achievement Plans
• Participates in the evaluation, selection, and acquisition of instructional materials, supplies, equipment, and textbooks to support of the ELA curriculum.
• Assists teachers and school leaders in analyzing data (screening, diagnostic, formative and summative) and identifying necessary academic supports; helps establish protocols and procedures to analyze student work and identify specific areas of need for improvement
• Designs and facilitates targeted professional learning to increase teacher capacity and effectiveness and raise student achievement
• Provides support for creating and implementing selected curricular resources; assists teachers to adjust, modify, and enrich curricular approaches and improve instructional practices
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Collaborates with other departments within the Division of Academics as well as other Divisions by providing technical assistance and support in the development and/or implementation of District programs, practices, and processes
• Manages targeted curriculum projects on behalf of the Academics Leadership Team
• Engages in continuous learning through professional reflection and active collaboration with colleagues
• Designs and delivers instructional content for diverse stakeholders in print, electronic and/or presentation format
• Performs other related duties as required

LEVEL OF SUPERVISION

Supervises 4-8 ELA Managers and Model Lead Teachers. May direct other staff outside of span of control for special projects and/or initiatives

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelors in Elementary Education or English Language Arts in Elementary/Middle School required; Masters Preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years teaching English Language Arts
• Must have a strong aptitude in English Language Arts
• Ability to analyze data and research best practices in ELA to support school leaders and teachers with implementation of research-based curriculum
• Ability to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate program goals and initiatives
• Possess a strong understanding of data, formative and summative assessments, and a familiarity with how to interpret and deliver data presentations to support principal and teacher understanding of class, grade level, and school level data in support of learning (e.g., ODE Assessments)
• Deep knowledge in the cycle of teaching and learning with the ability to coach and teach others in this understanding
• Deep understanding in the three ELA shifts (Complexity, Evidence, Knowledge) and the ability to coach and teach others in this understanding
• Deep understanding of the ELA Ohio Learning Standards in 4-8 with the ability to provide professional development and coaching to all educators in this area
• Deep knowledge in the curriculum choices of CMSD in 4-8 ELA
• Deep knowledge in best practice teaching strategies specific to 4-8 ELA
• Ability to successfully manage multiple tasks, projects, and responsibilities
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with teachers, school leaders, students, and the public
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The characteristics listed below are representative of the work environment typically encountered by an individual while performing the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• Expected moving, walking, and standing consistent with an office environment and occasionally lifting up to 15 pounds
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk and sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms
• The employee is frequently required to talk and/or hear.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to a normal office environment.
• Local travel may be required for training/meetings.

NOTE: The above stated duties are intended to outline those functions typically performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This description of duties is not intended to be all-inclusive or to limit the discretionary authority of management to assign other tasks of similar nature or level of responsibility.

EEO STATEMENT

We believe that equity and inclusion at CMSD is an essential call to action, a catalyst to ensure value and appreciation among all our employees, so we may be fair and welcoming now and in the future. CMSD provides equal opportunities for employment, retention and advancement of all personnel by administering all terms and conditions of employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex, disability or genetic information, age, citizenship status, military status, sexual orientation or expression, socio-economic status, title, other dimensions of identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The District’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Discriminatory Harassment, and Sexual Harassment and the District’s Title IX grievance procedures, including information on how to report or file a complaint of discrimination, how to report or file a formal complaint of sexual harassment, and how the District will respond, may be accessed on the District’s Civil Rights Notices webpage, available at .

The District’s Title IX Coordinator / Director of Equal Employment Opportunity may be reached at:

1111 Superior Avenue East, Suite 1800

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

(216)-838-0070

[email protected]

Education

To Apply

EEO Statement

We believe that equity and inclusion at CMSD is an essential call to action, a catalyst to ensure value and appreciation among all our employees, so we may be fair and welcoming now and in the future. CMSD provides equal opportunities for employment, retention and advancement of all personnel by administering all terms and conditions of employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex, disability or genetic information, age, citizenship status, military status, sexual orientation or expression, socio-economic status, title, other dimensions of identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.