General Education Teacher - High School

Overview

At Brooklyn Ascend High School (BAHS), we are looking for teachers who are passionate about their academic discipline and personally driven by the academic achievement of their students. Ascend teachers hold exceptionally high intellectual expectations of their students and create a culture of joyful academic discovery in their rooms. Their aim is to ignite intellectual curiosity in their students and build their academic knowledge and confidence in preparation for four-year colleges. They are vigilant in ensuring that all tasks placed before their students are rigorous and, without exception, reflect the school’s aspirations of academic excellence.

We are passionate about Spanish teachers who are fired up about their lessons—who want to spend their time discussing, preparing, and immersing themselves in the rich content they teach. We value teachers who truly listen to what students are saying—who create a space for students to think their way through to answers, and who praise their insights and curiosities along the way. We value educators with a hunger for feedback and professional growth, and a dedication to excellence.

Our teachers know that a strong culture that respects and motivates students relies on excellent academic teaching in every room. We believe in restorative practices and teach students to resolve conflicts on their own, understand the impact of their actions, and acknowledge responsibility to the school community. We believe that a true liberal arts education – which fosters and prizes critical thinking and independence of thought—cannot be joined to a no-excuses culture that emphasizes silence and compliance. We prepare students for success in college and in life by fostering agency—our students’ confidence that they are in control of their own lives and can act of their own free choices.

Why extraordinary professionals teach at Ascend

Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving over 5,000 K-12 students in 17 schools. We exist to serve every student – to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.

Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.

Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. We are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all of our students. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.

For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools’ model, approach, and core values, please visit our website.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in an academic discipline such as math, the natural or social sciences, history, or literature; master’s degree and certification preferred but not required
• Two years of teaching experience, preferably in an urban school setting and in the subject to be taught
• A record of producing strong student achievement gains, as evidenced by test score outcomes
• The ability to create a classroom environment where students are academically engaged and challenged and feel safe and supported
• Passion and commitment to urban education and our goal of closing the achievement gap
• An entrepreneurial mindset, with experience in start-up or founding environments preferred

Responsibilities

The high school teacher will develop and teach engaging lessons that follow the rigorous, Common Core aligned Ascend curriculum. Additionally, the high school Spanish teacher will:

• Use formal and informal assessment data to drive instruction and ensure student mastery of standards
• Build a warm and inclusive classroom environment, implementing restorative practices.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with students and families
• Actively participate in grade-level meetings, collaborative planning, and professional development, including an annual summer institute
• Accept ultimate responsibility for the academic progress of his or her students, and work actively to overcome setbacks

Staff and reporting relationships

The high school teacher reports to the dean of instruction. He or she also accepts direction from and works closely with the department head and the school’s culture team.

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $61,900 - $91,750. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities—opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.