Job Description

Lead Middle School Social Studies Teacher (single grade between 5-8) at Independence Charter School West (ICS West)

 

Our Team and School

 

    Who We Are

• ICS West exists to equip and empower global citizens, so that our communities are united.  Our students are becoming the leaders who will bring a divided world back together, and as a team, it is our responsibility to give them everything they need to do so.
• We believe that every student, with no exception, can achieve at their highest level, and our Big Goal reflects this – our students who are below grade level will make two years of growth every school year until they are at or above grade level in all subjects.  Right now, many of our students are not at this level.  Supporting them in getting there is the focus of everything we do as a team.
• We believe deeply in being an open enrollment, neighborhood public school, with the responsibility to meet the needs of every student who enrolls, with no exception.  Special education students currently make up 27% of our student population.
• Finally, we believe that being a cohesive team is the way to realize our vision.  Building trust with each other enables us to honor the unique perspectives that every team member brings, talk candidly about these perspectives as we commit to decisions, and hold each other accountable for the results our students deserve.

 

    Fast Facts

• Founded in 2016
• Serving 800 students in grades K-8 in the 21-22 school year, and growing to our full enrollment of 900 students in the 23-24 school year
• 100 team members and growing
• All students taught Spanish starting in Kindergarten
• Located in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia
• Newly renovated three-building school campus (renovation of fourth building in planning)

 

The Position

 

    Your Job

• You will support 4 groups of approximately 25 students in a single middle school grade (5-8) to make two years of growth every school year until they are at or above grade level in Social Studies.
• You will work with your Assistant Principal and our other Social Studies teachers to become an expert in Social Studies, and to continually refine your classroom practices, ensuring that every student is working and thinking at an appropriately rigorous level, all the time.
• As a member of the middle school team, you will collaborate on the creation of our new student support program, moving ICS West from a school that reacts to our students’ social and emotional needs, to a school that sees our students and adults as part of the same team, with a comprehensive system of social and emotional supports for all team members, driven by what we all believe and value.

 

    Your Teams

• You will be part of the middle school team (5-8) consisting of an Assistant Principal, a Student Support Specialist, other Lead Teachers, Intervention Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Spanish Teachers.
• Your team is supported by our Principal, Director of Student Support, Content Specialists, Counselors, Operations Manager and team, and CEO.
• You will also be part of the team composed of the entire staff of the school, meeting weekly to celebrate each other for living our values and doing our best to support our students.

 

    Your Life

• ICS West is located at 56th St. and Chester Ave. in Southwest Philadelphia.  The 13 trolley stops at our front door, and we have limited off-street parking.
• Your start date will be August 16, 2021, the first day of our three-week Summer professional development session (this is a 10-month position).
• Our work day is 8am to 4pm.
• The salary range for this position is $43,500 to $65,000, depending on experience and certification.
• ICS West pays for 100% of the cost of employee and dependent health benefits, and matches 403b contributions up to 5%.  We do not participate in PSERS.

 

You

 

    This role is a fit if…

• You know that it is our responsibility as educators to give every single student everything they need.
• You are excited about having a coach and becoming the best teacher you can be.
• You know that a team can accomplish more than an individual, and are excited to get to know your teammates, build trust with them, and have candid conversations with them.
• You have a bachelor’s degree and a valid teaching certificate.
• You have at least one year of teaching experience.

 

    Your Impact

• Within the timelines set out in their individual learning plans, the students you have supported will all be at or above grade level in Social Studies, placing them on a path toward a rigorous, college preparatory high school, and the ability to choose the life they dream of.
• A generation from now, the students you and your team have supported will be the global citizens and leaders that our world so desperately needs, uniting communities in Philadelphia, across the country, and around the world.

 

Application Details

 

If reading about ICS West and this position excites you, we want to meet you!  Please send your resume and a cover letter to icswesthiring@icswest.org, and we will be in touch shortly with next steps.

How to Apply

If reading about ICS West and this position excites you, we want to meet you!  Please send your resume and a cover letter to icswesthiring@icswest.org, and we will be in touch shortly with next steps.

Bureaus: Philadelphia. Job Categories: Full-Time. Job Types: Teacher. Salaries: 40,000 - 60,000.