Posted: 21-Jan-26
Location: Potomac, Maryland
Type: Full Time
Required Education:
McLean School, a K-12 co-educational independent school in Potomac, Maryland, seeks applicants for the full-time K-12 Reading and Humanities Instructional Leader to begin in August 2026.
Changing the lives of students and families, McLean School is Washington, DC’s most comprehensive and academically rigorous full-scope college-preparatory program for bright, college-bound students, including those with dyslexia, academic performance anxiety, ADHD, and executive functioning challenges. For 70 years, the School has helped students realize their full potential with a curriculum that is traditional without being rigid, challenging without being intimidating, and designed with the real world in mind.
Position Overview
The K-12 Reading and Humanities Instructional Leader is an instructional leadership role that prioritizes schoolwide reading leadership, oversight of the humanities program, and instructional coaching. Building on strong instructional practice across divisions, the role provides strategic leadership for reading instruction across K-12, including assessment systems, instructional approaches, and professional learning that support strong literacy outcomes for all learners. The position also oversees the English, Literature, and History Departments, ensuring alignment of reading and writing expectations and of humanities instruction across grades and divisions, while coaching faculty through observation, feedback, and collaborative planning in partnership with Division Heads, aligned with McLean’s mission and the principles of the McLean Abilities Model®.
Job Responsibilities
Reading Leadership
- Provide school wide vision for reading instruction in coordination with Lower (K-4) and Middle School (Grades 5-8) Reading Specialists and Coordinators of Learning Services in all three divisions.
- Coach teachers in effective research-based reading instruction to strengthen and deepen approaches already being effectively implemented.
- Lead the School Reading Assessment Program, including screeners, diagnostics, and progress monitoring.
- Ensure administration of required reading assessments.
- Communicate assessment results with parents and collaborate with families and teachers to design responsive instruction.
- Serve as an ambassador to internal and external communities regarding best practices in reading instruction.
- Participate in Open House events to highlight McLean’s Reading Program.
Humanities Curriculum Oversight
- Oversee and serve as Chair for the English, History, and Literature Departments, with attention to coherence, alignment, and instructional continuity across grades and divisions.
- Provide leadership for writing instruction across content areas, partnering with faculty in multiple subject areas to support consistent expectations, shared language, and developmentally appropriate writing practices across grades and divisions.
- Work collaboratively with faculty and Division Heads on scope and sequence decisions that support curricular continuity and intentional progression.
- Lead review of curricular changes, including Humanities courses content and text selection in consultation with Division Heads.
- Support faculty in revising texts and instructional materials to strengthen literacy, historical thinking, and critical analysis.
- Guide cross-curricular and cross-divisional collaboration by convening curriculum groups around shared learning goals.
- Lead departmental self-study work as part of accreditation and ongoing program review.
- Collaborate with the K-12 Director of Equity, Inclusion, and SEL to support inclusive, culturally responsive humanities curriculum design, including text selection, historical representation, and instructional approaches that center student voice, belonging, and social justice.
Instructional Coaching & Teaching Practices
- Observe classrooms and support faculty through ongoing coaching and feedback that strengthens pedagogy, differentiation, and assessment while aligning instruction and curriculum to student needs and the principles of the McLean Abilities Model®.
• Partner with Division Heads to support instructional consistency and faculty development.
• Lead professional development focused on effective instruction, assessment practices, and inclusive teaching strategies.
• Support faculty as they differentiate instruction for students with dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, and executive functioning challenges.
Professional Competencies
- Ability to analyze, model, assess, and communicate effective teaching practices.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills with faculty, families, and school leaders.
• Knowledge of adult learning theory and instructional coaching practices.
• Ability to support inclusive, culturally responsive teaching practices that serve a diverse range of learners.
• Ability to build and sustain trustful, confidential, and supportive relationships with faculty.
Qualifications
- Five or more years of classroom teaching experience.
- Deep knowledge of reading instruction, assessment, and differentiated teaching practices across K-12.
- Strong understanding of humanities instruction, including English, History, and Literature.
- Experience supporting students with dyslexia, ADHD, academic performance anxiety, and executive functioning challenges.
- Training or willingness to pursue professional learning in areas such as Orton-Gillingham, Comprehension Blueprint, and The Writing Revolution.
Salary Range: $80,000-100,000
McLean School is an equal-opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibilities, disability, genetic status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you need a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the recruitment process, please contact Director of Executive Support and Recruitment, Robin Speller.
Interested applicants should fill out an online Application and upload their Cover Letter and Résumé.