Job Description

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Values, Expectations, and Commitment - Teachers must commit themselves to their school’s values and mission. Moreover, appreciating the example of excellent schools which succeed at helping all students achieve at a high level, teachers must hold high expectations for each student and commit themselves to helping every student achieve their full potential.

Student Learning - Every teacher must accept ultimate responsibility for his or her students achieving learning progress that meets or exceeds their school's high standards and must actively develop solutions to problems, reaching out for peer and leader support, and taking advantage of other school resources, as necessary.

Teaching and Assessment - Teachers may make use of school-provided curricular materials, or they may design their own, but they must plan and deliver vibrant and engaging lessons – each with a measureable goal – within the framework of the school’s carefully sequenced, standards-aligned education program. In addition, to effectively target instruction and to ensure that students are scheduled for extra help when needed, teachers must make use of the school’s highly effective formative assessments.

Culture and Classroom Management - Teachers must communicate, and also model for their students, behaviors which befit the high expectations culture and the caring school climate to which we are committed. They must apply school and classroom rules consistently and effectively; make use of preventive discipline; and effectively supervise students both in their classroom and elsewhere on school grounds.

Teamwork, Professional Relations, and Professional Development -Teachers should see themselves as members of a team and should commit themselves to their own and to their peers’ on-going professional development. Teachers will be required to attend professional development sessions, to participate actively in planning meetings, and to become part of a professional learning community where they can lend assistance to, and gain assistance from, their grade-level peers.

Special Needs Students and English Language Learners - Teachers must work collaboratively with the school’s special education and ELL staff to implement the school’s special education and ELL programs and to comply with all state and federal regulations.

REPORTING AND STAFF RELATIONSHIPS

Teachers will report to the Head Dean, who will provide considerable supervision and assistance, supported by the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, our Teacher Coaches, and the Head Teachers of each grade level or specialty area.

Teachers will be part of a school-wide team that includes many different professionals, but should expect to work particularly closely with their grade-level peers, with whom they will be engaged within professional learning communities, assisting one another to solve problems.

TEACHER SUPPORTS

Sample teacher supports include:

• A teacher coach, career-long professional development assistance and grade-level professional learning community support;
• A research-based curriculum and supporting curricular materials (you will have the freedom to develop your own, but after a full day in the classroom, you may appreciate not always having to develop learning objectives and curricular resources from scratch);
• High-quality formative assessments, aligned with our curriculum, that will help you immediately identify when students in your class have not achieved mastery of a skill, concept, or knowledge item;
• Full-time reading and math specialists who will be available to tutor students who are struggling to master an essential skill, and social workers who will be available to help students struggling with outside problems;
• The staffing of our afterschool program by Academic Tutors, so we can limit the length of our teachers’ work-days;
• Abundant planning periods that provide teachers an opportunity to prepare up-coming lessons during the school day.

Qualifications

At minimum, Teacher candidates must hold a certificate of eligibility to teach English as a Second Language.

We seek teacher candidates who also possess:

• A powerful commitment to the mission and goals of the school.
• A commitment to preparing every student for college and to developing every student’s values and character;
• Belief in a structured and predictable environment for children and a commitment to education standards, assessment, and accountability;
• A record of producing significant student learning gains;
• A willingness to be the authority in the classroom and set the rules; and
• A commitment to building student relationships and engaging parents/guardians in their children’s education.

It is a plus when candidates possess experience teaching in an urban classroom. An understanding of Teach Like a Champion pedagogical techniques and/or training by Teach For America, Education Pioneers, The New Teacher Project, or New Leaders for New Schools are also definite pluses.

Additional Information

FT Position: $55,000-$65,000 to start depending on experience, plus health and public pension benefits.

Apply online at empacad.org/careers.