Learning And Development Specialist

SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy; Canton (MS); On-site; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy in Canton, Mississippi is seeking a Director of Learning Design to lead curriculum, lesson, and assessment design for STEM and literacy across the school while coaching teachers to deliver it effectively.

You will build a standards-aligned K-5 progression, integrate reading with STEM, plan labs and showcases, collaborate with partners, and produce learning videos while spending substantial time in classrooms.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required in curriculum and instruction, learning design, literacy, a STEM field, or related area.
• At least five years of K-12 experience, including successful classroom teaching.
• Experience designing curriculum or assessments that improved student results.
• Experience coaching teachers or leading professional learning.
• Strong skills using student data to make instructional decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead curriculum design for STEM and literacy across the school.
• Coach teachers and lead professional learning cycles.
• Design standards-aligned K-5 progression in STEM and literacy.
• Create teacher guides, units, and planning tools for consistent delivery.
• Plan labs, materials, and STEM showcases; collaborate with partners.

Skills

Curriculum design

Teacher coaching

Data-driven instruction

Instructional leadership

Education

Master's degree in curriculum and instruction, learning design, literacy, a STEM field, or a related area

Doctorate in learning sciences or related field (preferred)

Job description

Director of Learning Design (STEM and Literacy)

Job Description | Canton, Mississippi | sr1cpsa.org

Reports to

Status

Full-time, on-site

Location

SR1 CPSA campus, Canton, Mississippi

Compensation

$70,000 base salary, plus performance incentives of up to 15% of base tied to student achievement and organizational growth

January 1, 2027 preferred; an earlier start is welcome to get a head start

About SR1 CPSA

SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy is Mississippi's first college-preparatory and STEM public charter school. We serve about 130 scholars in grades K-4 and add one grade each year on the way to K-12. Many of our scholars arrive behind grade level, and we work to catch them up within one to two years. In spring 2026, 88% of our 3rd graders passed the state reading assessment on the first attempt.

We are building a school that pairs proven teaching with research on how children learn. This role designs what our scholars learn every day, from strong reading foundations to high-level STEM: robotics, artificial intelligence, agriculture, and more.

The role

The Director of Learning Design leads curriculum, lesson, and assessment design for STEM and literacy across the school, and coaches teachers to deliver it well. You will turn standards and learning science into clear units and lessons a teacher can use the first time, build a high-level STEM program that puts robotics, AI, and agriculture in scholars' hands from kindergarten on, work with our team to create learning videos, check whether it all works, and improve it. This is a hands-on role: you will spend much of your week in classrooms.

Responsibilities

Learning design (primary focus)

• Build a standards-aligned K-5 progression in STEM and literacy, and plan how it extends as SR1 CPSA adds one grade each year.
• Design curriculum maps, units, lessons, and assessments aligned to the Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards, with a strong focus on early reading and 3rd grade reading success.
• Apply learning science, such as explicit instruction, retrieval practice, and worked examples, in ways that work for scholars who arrive behind grade level.
• Create teacher guides, lesson models, and planning tools so every teacher can deliver lessons consistently.

High-level STEM

• Design a hands-on STEM program that grows from kindergarten upward, including robotics (building and coding robots), artificial intelligence and computer science (coding, data, and how AI works and should be used responsibly), and agriculture (plant and soil science, food systems, and growing projects), along with engineering design and environmental science.
• Connect STEM to reading, writing, and math, so scholars read, write, measure, and explain as they build and investigate.
• Plan labs, materials, and equipment, and set up STEM showcases and competitions where scholars present their work.
• Work with university, industry, and agriculture partners to bring real scientists, engineers, and growers into the program.
• Work with our team to create short learning videos for scholars, teachers, and families: lesson introductions, STEM demonstrations, at-home practice, and teacher training clips.
• Write scripts and storyboards, make sure the content is accurate and age-appropriate, and add captions so every video is accessible.
• Follow school policy on family consent whenever scholars appear on camera, and organize finished videos into a library teachers and families can use.

Teacher coaching

• Model lessons, observe teachers, and give written feedback in regular coaching cycles.
• Lead professional learning on new units, assessments, and instructional routines.

Assessment and evidence

• Use benchmark data (such as Star and MAAP), student work, and classroom observation to identify what is working and adjust lessons and interventions.
• Help design intervention for scholars below benchmark, and track their progress.
• Report results to the Provost and help prepare program evaluations.

Partnerships and funding (secondary)

• Build relationships with universities, STEM employers, and community partners that bring expertise, mentors, and resources to scholars.
• Lead or co-lead a limited number of grant proposals for STEM and learning design work.

First-year outcomes

• A written K-5 STEM and literacy progression approved by the Provost, with units in use in every grade.
• Every K-5 teacher trained on the new units, with regular coaching cycles in place.
• Robotics, AI, and agriculture units taught in every grade, with at least one scholar STEM showcase.
• A starter library of learning videos created with our team, with captions, in use by teachers and families.
• A school-wide intervention plan for scholars below benchmark, with progress checked each benchmark window.
• Measurable gains toward the school's goals: 3rd grade reading pass rate of 85% or higher, and growth in K-2 early literacy and in math.
• At least two grant proposals or partnership agreements supporting STEM and learning design.

Compensation and incentives

The base salary is $70,000. The Director can also earn an annual performance incentive of up to 15% of base (up to $10,500), based on goals set with the Provost at the start of each year and reviewed after state results are released:

• Student achievement: 3rd grade reading pass rate of 85% or higher, K-2 early literacy at or above benchmark, and growth in reading and math.
• Program growth: robotics, AI, and agriculture units in every grade, teachers trained and coached, and the learning video library built and in use.
• Organizational growth: enrollment and re-enrollment goals, plus new partnerships and grant proposals that support STEM and learning design.

Qualifications

Required

• Master's degree in curriculum and instruction, learning design, literacy, a STEM field, or a related area.
• At least five years of K-12 experience, including successful classroom teaching, ideally in elementary grades.
• A record of designing curriculum or assessments that teachers used and that improved student results.
• Experience coaching teachers or leading professional learning.
• Strong skills using student data to make instructional decisions.

Preferred

• Doctorate in learning sciences, curriculum and instruction, literacy, or a STEM field.
• Training in the science of reading and structured literacy.
• Mississippi teaching license or eligibility, and knowledge of the Mississippi standards.
• Experience in a charter, start-up, or rural school serving scholars who arrive behind grade level.
• Experience teaching or designing robotics, computer science or AI, or agricultural science.
• Experience creating instructional videos or other digital learning media.
• Grant writing or partnership experience.

Who we are looking for

Someone who shares our vision for generational change, holds high standards for every scholar, and brings strong ethics and work ethic. You solve problems rather than pass them up the chain, and you would rather say "let us figure it out" than "that is not my job."

Selection process

• Application: resume, cover letter, and one sample of curriculum, a unit, or an assessment you designed.
• Interview with school leadership.
• SR1's cognitive assessment.
• Demonstration: teach a 15-20 minute lesson to scholars, supervised by an SR1 CPSA teacher, and share a one-page lesson plan, followed by a conversation with our team.
• Reference checks, including one person who supervised your curriculum or coaching work.
• Offer, contingent on a criminal background check and fingerprinting, proof of authorization to work in the United States, and required pre-employment paperwork.

SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.