---
title: 'Associate Director of Humanities at Rocketship Public Schools'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-of-humanities-rocketship-public-schools-bay-area-k861bwffk7c8'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-15'
---

# Associate Director of Humanities at Rocketship Public Schools

- **Company:** Rocketship Public Schools
- **Location:** Bay Area, CA
- **Compensation:** $100k–$119k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-05-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-15
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/rocketship/8d200ec7-e38f-4fd1-b6f0-512568cc7fd7

## Job description

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Position Description The Rocketship California Regional Team is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Associate Director of Humanities to lead and drive high-quality, rigorous, and equitable Humanities instruction across Rocketship CA schools. This role owns regional Humanities academic outcomes, serves as the primary expert and point of contact for all Humanities-related matters in the CA region, and designs differentiated and outcomes driven professional development that builds deep content expertise in our teachers and school  leaders. This role partners closely with CA regional and school leaders to strengthen instructional practice and improve student outcomes in Humanities and related subjects. The Associate Director of Humanities provides direct instructional leadership and coaching support to all CA schools, ensuring strong implementation of Rocketship’s Humanities instructional vision and core programs. This role works in close collaboration with regional leadership and school-based instructional teams and reports to the Director of Schools.

Essential Functions: Regional Humanities Academic Ownership

- Own and drive  content outcomes across the region, including proficiency, growth, and equity metrics
- Analyze and communicate regional and school based Humanities data in order to determine trends and develop and execute data-driven instruction that accelerates student mastery and proficiency, ultimately closing the achievement gap
- Serve as the primary point of contact and content expert for all Humanities-related matters across the CA region.

Coaching & Leader Development

- Build instructional capacity among CA school leaders and instructional leaders through targeted coaching and development in Humanities instruction.
- Provide direct, in-the-moment coaching to school leaders and instructional leaders focused on Humanities instruction, teacher development, and content knowledge
- Observe classroom instruction and planning, delivering actionable feedback aligned to Rocketship’s Humanities instructional vision and core competencies
- Coach leaders to strengthen their ability to develop teachers and improve Humanities outcomes across California schools

Program Implementation & Fidelity

- Ensure strong implementation of Rocketship’s Humanities curriculum and instructional model across supported CA schools.
- Support schools in implementing core Humanities programs with fidelity to instructional design and pacing expectations
- Develop and adapt pacing guidance aligned to CA school calendars and regional priorities
- Curate and share instructional resources, exemplars, and tools to support effective planning and execution by teachers and leaders

Progress Monitoring & Instructional Effectiveness

- Monitor the effectiveness of Humanities program implementation and student outcomes across supported CA schools.
- Support the use of assessments and instructional data aligned to grade-level standards and curricular materials
- Analyze priority student achievement and implementation data to identify trends and areas for targeted support
- Share clear insights and recommendations with CA regional leaders to inform coaching, planning, and instructional decision-making

Regional Collaboration, Vision & Goal-Setting

- Partner with CA regional leadership to align on Humanities instructional vision, priorities, and goals.
- Collaborate with regional leaders to define and refine the CA Humanities instructional vision and success metrics
- Support schools in setting instructional goals and monitoring progress toward shared outcomes
- Partner with the national academics team and other regional ADs to ensure alignment with Rocketship’s Core Model and instructional priorities

Professional Development & Regional Learning

- Design and facilitate professional learning experiences aligned to CA’s instructional priorities in HUM.
- Design and lead engaging professional development for teachers, school leaders, and instructional staff
- Identify regional professional learning priorities using qualitative and quantitative data
- Support summer professional development and start-of-year learning experiences for CA schools

Core Characteristics Successful candidates will demonstrate Rocketship’s core characteristics in their leadership and instructional practice:

- Pursuit of Excellence – Continuously improves outcomes through data, feedback, and reflective practice
- Authenticity – Leads with transparency, humility, and alignment to Rocketship’s values
- Community – Builds strong relationships and values collective impact across schools and teams
- Tenacity – Relentlessly pursues instructional goals in service of student success
- Innovation – Challenges the status quo and takes responsible risks to improve instruction

## Qualifications

## Experience

- 3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in curriculum development, instructional leadership, school administration, or related fields
- At least 3 years of lead teaching experience in a core content area (K-5 Humanities or ELA preferred) with evidence of strong student outcomes
- At least 1 year of experience coaching and leading adults in a school or instructional leadership role
- Experience implementing and coaching on high-quality Humanities  instructional programs preferred

## Skills

- Strong instructional coaching and adult learning facilitation skills
- Excellent organizational and project management skills
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data to drive instructional decisions
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Proficiency with Google Workspace

Education

- Bachelor’s degree required
- Master’s degree preferred (Education or a related field)

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy.  For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.

## About Rocketship Public Schools

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Rocketship Public Schools is a national nonprofit network of high-performing public charter elementary schools serving underserved communities, focused on closing the achievement gap through personalized learning, talent development, and community partnerships.
- **Entity Type**: Private (nonprofit charter school network; not publicly traded)
- **Headquarters**: Redwood City, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2006
- **Founders**: John Danner and Preston Smith

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: K-12 public education (charter schools)
- **Target customers**: Students and families in low-income communities (pre-K through 5th grade), B2C (publicly funded, tuition-free)
- **Mission or purpose**: "To catalyze transformative change in underserved communities through a scalable and sustainable public school model that propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community."

## Products & Services
- **Public Charter Elementary Schools**: A network of high-performing, tuition-free public elementary schools (pre-K to grade 5) operating in California, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Washington D.C. The model includes personalized learning, content-specialized teachers (STEM/Humanities), Learning Lab (adaptive technology), enrichment classes, and family engagement. [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/about/our-mission-and-model/)
- **Teacher Residency & PD Launchpad**: Professional development programs offering real-time coaching, instructional frameworks, and dedicated weekly PD for teachers. [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/join-our-team/)
- **Career Pathways**: Clear advancement opportunities from teacher to school leader, with roles in integrated special education, school support, leadership, and network support (HR, IT, finance, strategy, etc.). [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/join-our-team/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not applicable (nonprofit organization)
- **Key Metric**: 33,567 total lifetime students served (as of 2023-2024); network of 23+ schools across four regions
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly listed as a funded startup; funding comes from public per-pupil revenue, grants, and philanthropic donations. The network is recognized as a "gap busting" charter network by the Stanford CREDO study (2023).
- **Growth Signals**: The 2023 Stanford CREDO study found Rocketship students gained the equivalent of 5–7 months of additional learning in a single school year; expansion beyond California into Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Washington D.C.; ongoing hiring for 2026-2027 school year with signing bonuses (e.g., $5,000 for 5th Grade Math Teacher). [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/) and [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/rocketship)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proven academic impact**: Data from Stanford CREDO shows outsized learning gains for low-income students, positioning Rocketship as one of the charter sector's most effective networks.
- **Specialized teacher model**: Teachers focus on either STEM or Humanities, enabling deeper expertise and collaboration, unlike traditional elementary generalist model.
- **Strong family engagement**: Home visits before each school year, parent input on school naming and enrichment, and a culture of partnership that increases accountability and support.
- **Personalized learning at scale**: Combination of whole-group instruction, small-group tutoring, and adaptive online learning, driven by real-time data on student mastery.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling model**: Expanding to serve more students across current regions and potentially new markets, while maintaining high fidelity to the Rocketship model.
- **Talent development**: Investing heavily in teacher coaching, residency programs, and clear career ladders to retain and grow educators.
- **Community power**: Deepening parent and community organizing to advocate for high-quality public school options and policy change.
- **Whole-child education**: Integrating social-emotional learning, character values (persistence, empathy, responsibility, respect), and enrichment classes alongside core academics.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Join a team committed to educational equity in low-income communities, with a strong sense of purpose and partnership among teachers, parents, and leaders.
- **Career growth**: Clear pathways from teacher to school leader, with internal promotion and support for leadership roles; network support roles offer diverse functions (HR, IT, finance, strategy).
- **Professional development**: Weekly coaching, real-time feedback, instructional frameworks, and dedicated PD time through programs like Teacher Residency and PD Launchpad.
- **Exceptional benefits**: Competitive health, dental, and vision coverage; retirement plans; signing bonuses for certain roles (e.g., $5,000 for 5th Grade Math Teacher in Tennessee).
- **Work environment**: Hybrid/onsite roles depending on position (e.g., school-based roles are onsite; some network support roles may be hybrid). Emphasis on collaboration, data-driven instruction, and a supportive school community.
- **Locations**: Schools in California (Bay Area, Sacramento), Wisconsin (Milwaukee), Tennessee (Nashville area), and Washington D.C.

## Sources
1. [rocketshipschools.org - Join Our Team](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/join-our-team/)
2. [rocketshipschools.org - Homepage](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/)
3. [rocketshipschools.org - Mission & Model](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/about/our-mission-and-model/)
4. [jobs.lever.co - Rocketship Careers](https://jobs.lever.co/rocketship)

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