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inquirED is building Inkwell, an integrated K–5 Core ELA and social studies curriculum designed to help elementary students become strong readers, writers, thinkers, and citizens while making meaningful social studies instruction possible within the literacy block.
The Director of Foundational Literacy will lead the 0-to-1 design and development of foundational literacy instruction that weaves through and intentionally connects with Inkwell's knowledge-building ELA and social studies curriculum. This is a strategic product leadership role with deep instructional ownership.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning the instructional architecture of Inkwell's foundational literacy strand across K–5
- Establishing the research base and instructional principles for the program
- Developing scope and sequence, lesson architecture, instructional routines, and design specifications
- Defining quality criteria and shaping the approach to assessment and differentiation
- Leading development of materials themselves, building the K–2 foundation while fully defining how foundational literacy evolves through grades 3–5
- Ensuring usability and teacher experience alongside instructional quality—how routines are structured, lessons are paced, and what teachers must manage to run them
- Working in close partnership with product and design teams
- Collaborating with Inkwell's academic and product leadership to determine where foundational literacy intentionally connects to knowledge-building, vocabulary, oral language, writing, and content
- Balancing systematic foundational skills progression with broader instructional vision and student experience
The role requires deep expertise in how children learn to read and the curriculum design judgment to translate research into high-quality, usable instructional materials. This person shapes the daily experience of teachers and students using the materials and is accountable for both instructional rigor and practical implementation.
