Teacher - Acting Teacher, Theater, Gr. 9-12 (SY25-26)

Boston Arts Academy is a public high school for the visual and performing arts, with students in Grades 9-12. It is a joint project of the Professional Arts Consortium, Inc.,comprising the   Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston Architectural Center, Emerson College Massachusetts College of Arts, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts) and the Boston Public Schools. Boston Arts Academy serves as a laboratory and a beacon for artistic and academic innovation, preparing a diverse community of aspiring artist scholars to be successful in their college or professional careers and to be engaged members of a democratic society.

This innovative school features a college preparatory curriculum supporting integrated and interdisciplinary teaching and learning among arts and academic disciplines. Students explore the arts in both traditional and new media forms. The Academy’s program is enriched by the involvement of the six members of the Professional Arts Consortium. Both the program and the student body at Boston Arts Academy, reflect the culture, ethnic and linguistic diversity of Boston.

BAA is an autonomous school within the BPS that holds Pilot School status. This allows us autonomy over our schedule, staffing, budget, governance, and curriculum. As a result, we have an Election to Work Agreement (EWA), which outlines the ways in which we leverage our autonomy, with specific attention to additional working days, hours, and other working conditions that fall outside of the BTU agreement. Teachers who choose to work at BAA do so with the understanding that our Election to Work Agreement establishes expectations beyond the standard BTU contract, including additional professional development days, extended learning time, and a commitment to our full inclusion model. BTU members are required to work an additional 146 hours above the contracted time. That time includes attending 2 days of professional development before the BTU start day in August, attending 2.5 additional days of professional development in June beyond the contracted days, and attending a weekly hour department meeting outside of the contracted hours.

The Boston Arts Academy seeks an exceptional Theater Teacher who ideally will act as the department chair for the theater department. At BAA, the teachers and leaders are committed to the vision of high expectations for achievement, equal access to high levels of instruction, the achievement of academic and artistic proficiency for all students, and the closing of the achievement gap among subgroups within the schools.  BAA is a great place for those who seek to work in an environment that supports their creativity and innovation, and respects their skills and abilities as a teacher.

Reports to:  Principal/Head of School

Responsibilities

Teach:  Theater (Voice, Movement, Acting, Scene Study)

Administration:  Department Chair duties for an additional stipend and/or release time. (See preferred)

1. Teach acting, voice, and movement techniques to theater majors in grades 9-12 
2. Direct at least one show a year
3. Communicate regularly with parents on progress of students 
4. Collaborate with a team of theater educators to support all department events, productions and curricular initiatives
5. Interact with parents and students regularly by being visible and accessible via Google Classroom, E-mail, and student information system. 
6. Serve as an advisor to a group of 12 to 15 students in grades 9-12 who you meet with twice a week. Develop a sense of community within the advisory group, and provide coaching for students around goal-setting and development of our shared values: community with social responsibility, vision with integrity, passion with balance, and diversity with respect. 
7. Hold rehearsals as needed after school. 
8. Attend evening meetings, one per semester, with families of students.
9. Perform general administrative tasks to teaching including but not limited to grading students and communicating .

Preferred Department Chair Responsibilities (paid with stipend and/or release time)

1. Attend weekly Instructional Leaders Team meetings (ILT)
2. Facilitate weekly content meetings with the theater team.
3. Facilitate production meetings for department shows
4. Lead colleagues in the development of curriculum and assessment practices
5. Monitor budget spending for theater department
6. With the Dean of Education Planning and the Artistic Director, manage theater department calendar of events
7. Serve as a member of hiring committee for adjuncts, full-time faculty, and visiting teaching artists
8. Facilitate general questions about programming, curriculum, and assessment from faculty, staff, families, or other external groups
9. With the principal and artistic director, set the artistic and educational vision for the department
10. With the principal and artistic director, support the development of visiting artist and artist-in-residence programs
11. Organize and manage the audition process for the department and attend various admissions events. 

Core Competencies: Using the Rubric of Effective Teaching, the Office of Human Resources has identified priority skills and abilities that all BPS teachers should possess:

1. Accountability for Student Achievement 

(II-A-1. Quality of Effort and Work, II-D-2. High Expectations, I-B-2. Adjustments to Practice)

• Sets ambitious learning goals for all students, creates cognitively demanding tasks, and models the belief that all students can master challenging material through effective effort
• Assesses students’ understanding regularly with ambitious learning goals in mind and takes ownership of making necessary adjustments to instruction to reach goals despite setbacks
• Passionate and optimistic about their students, their content, and the teaching profession

1. Communicating Content Knowledge

(I-A-1. Subject Matter Knowledge, I-A-4. Well-Structured Lessons)

• Demonstrates mastery of and enthusiasm for the content area and the pedagogy it requires
• Demonstrates understanding of how the subject matter applies in real-world settings and connects to other content areas and relevant standards
• Can convey content in creative and engaging ways that align to standards

1. Equitable & Effective Instruction 

(II-A-3. Meeting Diverse Needs, II-A-2. Student Engagement, II-B-1. Safe Learning Environment)

• Scaffolds and differentiates instruction in order for all students to do complex thinking and rigorous academic work
• Uses instructional practices that are likely to challenge, motivate, and engage all students and facilitate equitable, active student participation
• Builds a productive learning environment where every student participates and is valued as part of the class community

1. Cultural Proficiency 

(II-C-1. Respects Differences, II-C-2. Maintains a Respectful Environment)

• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected

1. Parent/Family Engagement 

(III-A-1. Parent/Family Engagement)

• Engages with families and builds collaborative, respectful relationships with them in service of student learning

1. Professional Reflection & Collaboration 

(IV-A-1. Reflective Practice, IV-C-1. Professional Collaboration)

• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development
• Seeks to participate in and contribute to a collaborative adult learning community.

Qualifications - Required

1. Education:  Bachelor’s degree in theater or related field
2. Hold a valid Massachusetts Teaching License for Theater, all levels.
3. Meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and Highly Qualified according to NCLB.
4. Ability to meet the Standards of Effective Teaching established by the Boston Public Schools as outlined above.
5. Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.
6. Expertise in any/all of the following: Acting (Meisner and Method techniques) Voice (Linklater, Fitzmaurice and Rodenburg techniques) Movement (Michael Chekhov, Laban and Alexander techniques) for Actors.
7. Experience and expertise in developing acting, movement and vocal curriculum for actors as would be taught in a conservatory setting. 
8. Connection to the professional theater arts community with professional experience as an actor or director.
9. Commitment to the arts as an important element in a complete education.
10. Commitment to cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity as an element in a complete education.
11. Ability to take on responsibilities and prioritize quickly.
12. Excellent communication skills.
13. Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.

Qualifications - Preferred

1. Experience teaching in urban schools.
2. Master’s Degree or equivalent thereof in acting and voice
3. Experience as a professional artist.
4. Experience leading teams and project management
5. Interest or experience in more than one discipline.
6. Experience working with local cultural institutions.
7. Experience with new technology relating to arts and education.
8. Experience working in a heterogeneous classroom.
9. Strong administrative skills and the willingness to support the theater department as a department chair. 
10. BPS values linguistic diversity and believes that candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity. BPS is particularly interested in candidates who are fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, & Somali.
11. In order to best serve all students, BPS prefers all core content teachers to be certified in their subject area and one or both of the following: Moderate Disabilities, English as a Second Language (at the appropriate grade level(s)).

Terms:  BTU Stipend Opportunity

Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohr (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation.  Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

The start and end times of BPS schools vary, as do the lengths of the school day. Some BPS schools have a longer school day through the "Schedule A" Expanded Learning Time (ELT) agreement.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.