Kindergarten Teacher

Company Description

Apply here: https://apply.workable.com/empowerment-academyand-beloved-community-charter-schools/j/8D1390698A/

In SY15-16, BelovED was ranked the top public school in New Jersey for pace of student learning growth among schools serving a demographically like mix of students.

Scholars at our sister school, Empowerment Academy, similarly made an average of 1.6 grade levels worth of learning growth. 

We have achieved this academic success without burning out our teachers.

We have done this through meshing an effective education program with effective teacher supports and professional development.

If you want to work in a highly successful charter school that supports its teachers...

Serving a mix of students that is among the most diverse in America...

While enjoying the cultural vibrance of Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City (just 2 miles away).

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 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 supports and to comply with all state and federal regulations.

REPORTING AND STAFF RELATIONSHIPS

Teachers will report to the Dean of their academy (our Primary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, or High School academy) who will provide considerable supervision and assistance, supported by the academy's Dean of Students, 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 lessons 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;
• Assistant Teachers;
• 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.

As equal opportunity employers, BelovED and Empowerment Academy hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability.

Qualifications

At minimum, Teacher candidates must hold a certificate of eligibility to teach in their grade level and/or subject area.

We seek teacher candidates who possess:

• A powerful commitment to the mission and goals of their 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: $54,000-$69,000 to start depending upon experience, plus health and pension benefits.

Apply online at belovedccs.org/careers.