Lead Coach (School Instructional Support)

Chicago Public Schools; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness Benefits

Pension Plans

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Chicago Public Schools seeks a Lead Coach to support teacher leaders and ILTs within CPS schools. The role emphasizes developing teacher leaders, planning instructional cycles, and coaching teams to enhance classroom practice and student outcomes.

The position is 228 days, focusing on distributed leadership, recruitment, and district professional development participation. Eligibility includes a valid Illinois teaching license and four years of service.

Qualifications

• Hold a valid teaching license issued by the Illinois State Board of Education.
• Have four (4) years of service or commensurate experience.
• Apply for the role through the CPS Careers page for a specific school.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a lead or co-leading member of the ILT, supporting school leadership.
• Plan and support distributed leadership strategies within the school.
• Develop recruitment, development, and retention plans for teacher leadership roles.
• Lead a team of teachers in enacting the instructional core and planning learning cycles.
• Provide instructional coaching and monitor student and teacher learning.
• Coach adult learners and facilitate inquiry-based learning cycles.
• Participate in district-sponsored professional development.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Data analysis

Instructional planning

Team leadership

Education

Illinois Teaching License (ISBE)

Job description

CPS Careers | Search | Apply | Get Hired

Posting Date

Posting Date

: Sep 15, 2026, 4:06:21 PM

Primary Location

Position Type : Union Position

JOB DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Leadership

Serve as a lead or co-leading member of the ILT, supporting the School Leader with accelerating school-wide learning

Work collaboratively with School Leaders to plan and support the school's distributed leadership strategy

Develop and implement recruitment, development, and retention plans for teacher leadership roles within the building

Advance the instructional core foundation outlined within the CIWP

Teacher Leader and Teacher Development

Lead 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 cycles

Provide a structured space for Teacher Leaders to plan, reflect on, and make decisions based on teacher team inquiry-based learning cycle progress and outcomes

Coaching and Support

Provide one-to-one peer instructional coaching to assigned teacher leaders that is connected to the learning of the team learning cycle

Monitor student and teacher learning

Model 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.

Additional Commitments and Benefits:

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 observations

Spend 80% - approximately 20 hours per week

Leading 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

Eligibility, Qualification, and Selection:

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 Education

Have four ( 4) years of service or commensurate experience

If CPS Candidate: Most recent REACH Professional Practice rating of 3.4 (340) or above or most recent REACH Summative score as Proficient

Have experience formally leading peers/adults effectively

Expertise in the school community's stated areas of instructional need

Qualification: 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 Board

Selection: 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 success

Ability to use collaborative approaches and include multiple perspectives in the decision-making process

Analyzes data to examine current realities, including strengths, challenges, relationships, and/or underlying dynamics

Experience leading collaborative sessions that allow for active engagement with meeting objectives

Strong 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 practices

Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals and align/manage activities toward goal fulfillment

Strong leadership and team-building skills, e.g., ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success

Exceptional organizational skills

Experience 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 stakeholders

Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps

Ability to motivate others to improve practice and impact student learning

Skilled in objectively understanding and interpreting others’ concerns, motives, feelings, and behaviors

Ability to lead a formal team through learning development and learning cycles

Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your Choice

CPS 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 Options
• Pharmacy
• Vision
• Behavioral Health & EAP
• Employee Wellness Program

Financial Security: Planning for Today and Tomorrow

We understand the importance of financial stability, which is why CPS offers strong retirement and savings options:

• Basic Life Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Pension Plans
• Supplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b))
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Spot Pet Insurance

Work-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional Life

CPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time off policies:

• Vacation Days
• Short-Term Disability
• Leaves

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