Special Education Teacher (Elementary School)
Job Description
Special Education Teacher (PA Certification Required)
Role Description:
Catalyst Academy is searching for special education teachers who want to perfect their craft while working alongside communities of color in the East End of Pittsburgh. This is not a typical teaching position: you will be challenged, valued, and supported as you grow to be an exceptional educator. (Note: Our special education teachers are referred to as Inclusive Learning Teachers, to reflect our intent to serve all of our scholars in an inclusive manner)
Why We’re Different:
* **At Catalyst, we know that one of the largest factors in great scholar academic outcomes is their dedicated teachers. Such an important role requires meaningful development, effective coaching, and authentic feedback. With that being said, our Leadership Team is focused on investing the time, talent, and resources necessary for success in the classroom. We are committed to the development of each and every teacher that joins our team; from the first year teacher to the teacher with 10+ years of experience.**
* **Our coaching model includes the Principal, Director of Inclusive Learning (Special Education), and Deans of Instruction. Through observation and feedback/data meetings, live-coaching, and direct modeling, coaches challenge the practice of their teams in pursuit of continuous improvement.**
* **All scholars at Catalyst Academy are eligible to receive support through MTSS and our 3-tier approach. We routinely use data to inform the design of our small group instruction program, and 1:1 interventions.**
* **Special Educators are close partners with general education teachers to ensure a scholar is successful throughout their day**
* **Special Education teachers closely partner with scholar families to ensure a close relationship between home and school**
* **Special Education teachers work with our School Culture team, counselors, and social workers to make sure that scholar social emotional and behavioral development is supported and prioritized.**
* **Catalyst Academy believes in the mindset of practice as an integral tool to spark growth. We will begin our summer development (Training Camp) three to four weeks before the school year begins. We don’t just talk about the art of teaching, but we hone our craft through intentional and nuanced practice in order to build automaticity. Over the summer, we will use our Training Camp as an arena for development but also to reconnect with the “why” that drove our decision to become educators.**
* **The discipline of effective instruction does not only center on how you teach, but what you teach as well. Utilizing a shared curriculum for Math, ELA, and STEM, will allow our teachers to spend their time intellectually preparing and practicing the execution of rigorous PA/Common Core-Aligned curricular materials.**
* **With the momentum generated through Training Camp, the same spirit of pedagogical advancement extends into the school year. Every Wednesday, scholars will have a shortened instructional day (followed by enrichment activities delivered by community partners) while teachers collaborate with leadership to continue to push their practice and the scholar success forward.**
What You’ll Do:
* **Build deep relationships with scholars, families, and staff to foster a culture of joy and community. Maintain strong lines of communication with families about scholar progress, and go above and beyond to support and collaborate closely with teammates in the united pursuit of Catalyst’s mission.**
* **Embrace your capacity to set and achieve ambitious goals, and handle the intensity required to bring your best self to a high-performing school environment where the stakes are high for scholars.**
* **Share feedback to solve problems, reflect on how your actions impact others, and take ownership over creating the staff culture you want to show up to each day.**
* **Offer and receive constructive feedback from colleagues in order to create a professional working atmosphere that aspires to excellence and is conducive to constant improvement; dive humbly into school-wide and individual professional development;**
* **Teach rigorous curricula aligned to Catalyst’s academic model and PA Common Core Standards;**
* **Ensure that students are growing;**
* **Plan lessons and analyze data to push scholars to master rigorous content;**
* **Dynamically lead students in small-group and 1:1 settings, cultivate intellectual curiosity and a love of learning in scholars, and adjust using qualitative and quantitative data to ensure success;**
* **Develop, uphold, and implement Catalyst’s values and systems to effectively create a consistent experience for scholars across the school, and lead the scholars you support to meet high academic and behavioral expectations.**
What You Should Know:
* **Prior special education experience in an elementary school, experience teaching in a low-income community, and a demonstrated ability to raise achievement levels of traditionally underserved students is highly preferred;**
* **Ability to demonstrate a deep commitment to addressing historic educational inequity**
* **All candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree is exceptional. By the time outlined in an offer letter, all full-time Catalyst teachers must either**
* **(a) have a valid Pennsylvania special education teaching license and possess the correct endorsements for contents/grade levels served;**
* **(b) have a special education teaching license that has successfully been transferred from another state that offers reciprocity with PA, and / or;**
* **(c) have demonstrated that he/she is on track to complete required steps to get certified while teaching full time (i.e. enrolled in a certification program, registered for, taken and passed state-required teacher certification exams, etc.).**
* **Salary is competitive with surrounding school systems;**
* **Compensation at Catalyst includes a comprehensive benefits package**
Company Description
We are always looking for talented, hard-working people who are driven by our mission and aligned with our core values:
Belong. Grow. Achieve.
Who We Are:
Catalyst Academy Charter School is a free, open enrollment public charter school serving scholars and families in Pittsburgh’s East End and beyond. Our mission is to create a world-class K-8 school where children are prepared for college, career, and life. We are passionate about eliminating the achievement and opportunity gap for underserved families in Pittsburgh. We believe in creating a cohesive community in which scholars and families see themselves as catalysts for their communities. Our core values center around three words: Belong. Grow. Achieve. Catalyst is a place where scholars, families, teachers, and staff exemplify the meaning of our core values.
BELONG. We create spaces in which our people feel seen, heard, and valued for the lived experience they bring to our community.
GROW. Our people never rest on their laurels and continuously strive to be better than they were the day, hour, or minute before through feedback, coaching, and seeking support.
ACHIEVE. We get results and celebrate the wins for each member of our community--scholars, staff, families, and our community partners.
Who We Are Looking For:
A steadfast believer that all scholars can achieve academic excellence, no matter their lived experience or background;
A growth-minded practitioner who is constantly learning, improving, and hungry for feedback;
A tenacious problem-solver who is eager to approach challenges with smart solutions in mind;
An eternal optimist who supports and motivates their teammates by having their back no matter what and being an active collaborator;
A bond-builder, who believes that strong relationships across lines of difference that reach beyond the walls of a classroom are the lynchpin for strong schools;
A warm-demander, who knows that scholars will rise to the high expectations we set for them and that relationships matter in supporting all children;
A precise planner who begins with the end in mind to drive daily actions;
A detail oriented professional who recognizes that achievement comes from small, intentional actions over time;
A data-driven analyst who reflects and takes purposeful action based on results;
A proactive communicator who connects with scholars, families, and teammates across lines of difference
Commitment to Diversity (EEO)
Catalyst Academy Charter School does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), sex, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, students, families, community partners, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors.
We are always looking for talented, hard-working people who are driven by our mission and aligned with our core values: \r\nBelong. Grow. Achieve.\r\n\r\nWho We Are:\r\n\r\nCatalyst Academy Charter School is a free, open enrollment public charter school serving scholars and families in Pittsburgh’s East End and beyond. Our mission is to create a world-class K-8 school where children are prepared for college, career, and life. We are passionate about eliminating the achievement and opportunity gap for underserved families in Pittsburgh. We believe in creating a cohesive community in which scholars and families see themselves as catalysts for their communities. Our core values center around three words: Belong. Grow. Achieve. Catalyst is a place where scholars, families, teachers, and staff exemplify the meaning of our core values.\r\n\r\nBELONG. We create spaces in which our people feel seen, heard, and valued for the lived experience they bring to our community.\r\n\r\nGROW. Our people never rest on their laurels and continuously strive to be better than they were the day, hour, or minute before through feedback, coaching, and seeking support.\r\n\r\nACHIEVE. We get results and celebrate the wins for each member of our community--scholars, staff, families, and our community partners. \r\n\r\nWho We Are Looking For:\r\nA steadfast believer that all scholars can achieve academic excellence, no matter their lived experience or background;\r\nA growth-minded practitioner who is constantly learning, improving, and hungry for feedback;\r\nA tenacious problem-solver who is eager to approach challenges with smart solutions in mind;\r\nAn eternal optimist who supports and motivates their teammates by having their back no matter what and being an active collaborator;\r\nA bond-builder, who believes that strong relationships across lines of difference that reach beyond the walls of a classroom are the lynchpin for strong schools;\r\nA warm-demander, who knows that scholars will rise to the high expectations we set for them and that relationships matter in supporting all children;\r\nA precise planner who begins with the end in mind to drive daily actions;\r\nA detail oriented professional who recognizes that achievement comes from small, intentional actions over time;\r\nA data-driven analyst who reflects and takes purposeful action based on results;\r\nA proactive communicator who connects with scholars, families, and teammates across lines of difference\r\n\r\nCommitment to Diversity (EEO)\r\nCatalyst Academy Charter School does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), sex, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, students, families, community partners, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors.