Curriculum Support Specialist
A Curriculum Support Specialist develops curriculum materials and provides instructional coaching and support that helps teachers improve the classroom environment and raise student achievement. This is a sample job description from Excelon Associates that you can adapt as a template for your own hire.
What does a Curriculum Support Specialist do?
The Curriculum Support Specialist helps students and teachers engage in meaningful learning across the curriculum through project- and problem-based learning. Using a strengths-based approach, the specialist plans and develops curriculum materials, delivers in-service activities and workshops, and provides instructional coaching to improve the classroom environment.
It is an instructional support role within the education sector, working alongside teachers and the school leadership team rather than holding a single classroom.
A Curriculum Support Specialist is an instructional coach and curriculum developer who supports teachers across a school. The role draws on approaches such as balanced literacy, differentiated instruction, and data-driven instruction, and centers on raising teaching quality rather than direct classroom teaching.
What does the specialist focus on?
Key responsibilities of a Curriculum Support Specialist
- Plan, organize, and develop curriculum materials and present in-service activities, workshops, and programs in designated subject areas.
- Develop and administer assessment instruments to determine the effectiveness of instructional programs.
- Provide curriculum support and assistance for staff in reviewing and evaluating instructional materials and educational resources.
- Provide support services through demonstration lessons, parental involvement activities, and instructional coaching to improve the classroom environment.
- Assist teachers in identifying students’ needs and recommending appropriate instructional methods and materials to increase student achievement.
- Facilitate the interaction and networking of teachers to share teaching techniques and strategies.
- Support the work of the Principal and administrative leadership team, and help maintain school policies, regulations, and expectations.
- Develop collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, and community partners to benefit students.
- Participate in required non-classroom activities such as Back to School Nights, conferences, faculty meetings, and special events, and complete required reports professionally and on time.
What qualifications does the role require?
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in education, teaching, or a related field; master’s preferred.
- At least two years of K-8 teaching experience and two years of experience in curriculum writing or staff development.
- Strong oral and written communication, strong classroom management skills, and expertise in differentiating instruction.
- Understanding of teaching through a balanced literacy approach and a problem-solving, discussion-based mathematics approach.
- Strong analytical abilities and enthusiasm for data-driven instruction, with resourcefulness and experience working closely with diverse families.
Why is the Curriculum Support Specialist role important?
Curriculum support specialists raise the quality of teaching across a whole school. By coaching teachers and improving materials and assessment, they lift student achievement more broadly than a single classroom teacher can, which makes the role a force multiplier for instructional quality.
Because the role depends on the trust of the teachers it coaches, the strongest specialists combine real classroom credibility with the diplomacy to influence peers. A specialist who has not earned that trust struggles to change practice, no matter how strong the materials.
A hiring note from Excelon
Instructional coaching roles succeed on credibility: teachers take coaching from someone who has clearly taught well themselves. Through our education practice, we look for specialists with strong classroom track records and genuine skill in balanced literacy, differentiated, and data-driven instruction, since the role is about influencing peers, not just writing curriculum.
The strongest specialists combine real classroom credibility with the diplomacy to influence peers.
Related sample job descriptions
Curriculum Support Specialist: frequently asked questions
What does a Curriculum Support Specialist do?
A Curriculum Support Specialist plans and develops curriculum materials, delivers instructional coaching and demonstration lessons, helps teachers identify student needs and select methods, and develops assessments to measure instructional effectiveness.
What qualifications does the role require?
This sample role requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree in education, teaching, or a related field (master’s preferred), at least two years of K-8 teaching experience, and two years in curriculum writing or staff development.
Is this a teaching or a support role?
It is primarily an instructional support and coaching role. Rather than holding a single classroom, the specialist supports teachers across the school through coaching, demonstration lessons, materials development, and assessment.
What instructional approaches does the role use?
This sample values a balanced literacy approach, problem-solving and discussion-based mathematics, differentiated instruction, and data-driven instruction within a project- and problem-based learning environment.
Why is this role important?
Curriculum support specialists raise the quality of teaching across a whole school. By coaching teachers and improving materials and assessment, they lift student achievement more broadly than a single classroom teacher can.
Hiring a Curriculum Support Specialist?
Excelon Associates recruits instructional coaches, curriculum specialists, and K-12 academic staff for independent and private schools across the United States through our education recruitment practice. Retained executive search since 2007, headquartered in Asheville, NC, with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, FL.
More Sample Job Descriptions
Templates you can adapt for your own roles.