Dual Language (Spanish) Kindergarten Teacher, Bentley Academy Innovation School, SY2024-2025

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students across our 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do. Over the next three years (2023-2026), we are committed to the work outlined by the four core priorities in our strategic plan: 1) Elevate Learning; 2) Empower Educators; 3) Center Belonging; and 4) Strengthen Our Foundation. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and settings and are bilingual are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

Bentley Academy Innovation School in partnership with the English Learner and Bilingual Department of Salem Public School launched a two-way immersion Spanish-English dual language program in the 2020-2021 school year. The two-way immersion program has grown by one grade level each year and features a 90-10 model in the kindergarten year with 90% of instruction in Spanish. The goals of the program are for all students, regardless of language background, to become bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English, to achieve academically in all subjects at high levels, and to exhibit the skills and disposition of sociocultural competence.

The Dual Language Kindergarten Teacher will be responsible for planning and teaching interdisciplinary units of Math, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish Language Arts in Spanish for English Learners and Spanish Learners together. Working closely with the partner kindergarten Dual Language teachers, the educator in this position will be highly collaborative, thoughtful, and creative with a focus on instructional excellence and equity for all students. She/he will also support the growth of the program by participating in district and school professional development planning and strategy sessions, engaging in family and community outreach to support the program’s goals and development, and acting as a steward of dual language.

Role Responsibilities:

• Teaches literacy, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science in Spanish using strategies conducive to native speakers and language learners such as sheltered instruction, strategic pairing, and cooperative learning
• Plans and uses appropriate instructional and learning strategies, activities, materials, and equipment that reflect understanding of the learning styles and needs of students assigned.
• Provides structure in the classroom by promoting a positive classroom environment that is conducive to learning for students of all backgrounds and language proficiency levels.
• Prepares teaching materials and related reports including ongoing data analyses for the purpose of improving instruction, implementing lesson plans, and documenting student progress.
• Instructs and provides assistance for student learning, individually or in groups, designing lessons that both present and reinforce learning concepts.
• Assesses students in language and content proficiency, collects data, adjusts instruction accordingly
• Communicates regularly and proactively with all families about student progress, concerns, and employs a culturally proficient and respectful approach in all communication
• Attends professional development sessions to contribute to development and sustainability of dual language program
• Works under the general supervision of the ML Director, building principal and other building administrators at Bentley Academy Innovation School

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level. We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree Required; Master’s Degree preferred
• Native Literacy or Highly Advanced Proficiency in Spanish Required
• Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure in Early Childhood (K-2)
• Additional licensure in ESL or Spanish strongly preferred
• Bilingual Educator Endorsement or willingness to obtain Bilingual Educator Endorsement as required by MA State Law
• Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
• Licensure from other countries considered
• Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Current authorization to work in the United States

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.