SY 26-27 Anticipated Temporary Lead Coach

Chicago Public Schools; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Chicago Public Schools is seeking a Lead Coach to support teacher leaders and teams with 80% release time. The role centers on building capacity, strengthening classroom pedagogy, and advancing instructional leadership within the school community.

The Lead Coach collaborates with School Leaders to implement leadership strategies, develop teacher leaders, and enhance student outcomes through inquiry-based learning and targeted coaching.

Qualifications

• Holds a valid teaching license issued by the Illinois State Board of Education.
• Four (4) years of service or commensurate experience in education.
• Experience leading peers/adults effectively in a school setting.
• Expertise aligned to the school’s instructional needs and CIWP goals.
• Complete eligibility requirements for Lead Coach position.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a lead or co-leading member of the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT).
• Plan and support distributed leadership strategies with School Leaders.
• Develop recruitment, development, and retention plans for teacher leadership.
• Lead teacher teams through planning, feedback, and cycles of inquiry-based learning.
• Provide one-to-one coaching linked to team learning cycles and data progress.

Skills

Goal setting

Collaborative planning

Data analysis

Facilitation

Communication

Pedagogical expertise

Strategic planning

Team leadership

Adult learning

Relationship building

Problem solving

Team coaching

Job description

CPS Careers | Search | Apply | Get Hired

Posting Date

Posting Date: Oct 16, 2026, 7:39:12 PM

Primary Location

Position Type : Union Position

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

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).

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.

Eligibility

• 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

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

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