Education and Training
Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Works in a public school district to coordinate curriculum and teaching practices. Works with teachers to develop curriculum that helps students learn effectively and meets state educational standards. Coordinates professional development for teachers, analyzes student assessment data, and chooses textbooks, educational materials and new technologies to support teaching. May specialize in particular grade levels or subject areas, or education for specific groups of students such as English Language Learners.
Job Outlook
There were 310 Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 5341 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist industry, which includes the Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $55,857.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $50,823.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $42,818.
Education and Experience
Posted Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 2% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 44% |
| Master's Degree | 44% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1% |
| Other | 9% |
Posted Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 36% |
| 3 to 5 years | 57% |
| 6 to 8 years | 4% |
| 9+ years | 3% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication Skills (46%)
- Teamwork / Collaboration (37%)
- Planning (29%)
- Research (28%)
- Writing (23%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Teaching (51%)
- Curriculum Development (10%)
- Instructional Design (7%)
- Lesson Planning (7%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Scheduling (16%)
- Budgeting (14%)
- Project Management (9%)
- Vaccination (8%)
- Data Analysis (8%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Special Education (7%)
- Staff Development (6%)
- Educational Programs (5%)
- Curriculum Design (4%)
- Assessment Data (4%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Learning Styles (2%) – marginal value $4,788
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Curriculum Specialist
- Education Program Specialist
- Learning Coordinator
- Literacy Coach
- Educational Specialist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Student Support Administrator
- Assistant School Principal
- Director of Special Education
- Elementary and Secondary School Administrator
- Reading Teacher
- School Principal
- English / Language Arts Teacher
- Curriculum and Instructional Designer / Developer
- Special Education Teacher
- Math Teacher
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Savvas Learning Company (67)
- Humana (62)
- Thecollegeboard (49)
- Intermountain Healthcare (45)
- State Iowa (44)
North Carolina
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (33)
- Durham Public Schools (12)
- Guilford County Schools (9)
- Winston Salem County Schools (8)
- Cabarrus County Schools (7)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from EMSI Burning Glass (now Lightcast). For more information about how they gather data and what it represents, see Emsi Burning Glass Data Basic Overview.