Job Description

The Lead Teachers use their knowledge of the development of young children, the ways in which young children learn, and scientifically based practices to support the social, emotional and cognitive development of young children.

Duties and Responsibilities                                                                                                             

Establishes rich and engaging physical learning environments:

• Creates safe, clean, thematically based, attractive and engaging centers-based classrooms that encourage both exploration and complex play.  

• Ensures the classroom contains sufficient supplies and materials for the weekly plans and for all components of the day, and that unit materials are inventoried before and after each unit.

• Encourages children’s ownership and contributions to the classroom environment.

Creates environments and instructional opportunities that meet the needs of diverse learners:

• Implements the Every Child Ready (ECR) instructional model with fidelity and collaborates with the coach and principal to ensure fidelity.

• Demonstrates an understanding of the problem-solving Response to Intervention (RTI) Instructional model.

• Actively seeks out available resources and supports for children who are not making expected progress, provides additional support for students in need of remediation and differentiation in the classroom.

• Uses a variety of observational and direct assessment tools in collaboration with ECR standards to determine children’s varying needs and opportunities.

• Uses information and data from a variety of sources in order to differentiate instruction for all children

• Establishes clear behavior expectations, rules and procedures to maximize learning time. Ensures effective implementation of universal behavior management systems as well as targeted plans to support student behavior.

• Actively supports the diversity of learners in their classrooms (e.g. cultural, linguistic and academic diversity).

• Fosters tolerance and a sense of community in their classrooms, modeling and explicitly teaching acceptance and appreciation of others.

• Collaborates and cooperates with related service providers and student support staff (SPED, ELL, PBS, etc.) to ensure the needs of all children are met, as needed.

Supports the development of young children:

 

• Plans adequate time for student talk and encourages children’s language use throughout the day.

• Plans and integrates instructional activities that promote children’s understanding of the way things work and the world around them into the thematic curriculum.

• Skillfully and systematically motivates students to participate in activities that support the development of their early literacy skills.

• Implements instructional activities that encourage children’s abilities to analyze, conceptualize, synthesize and evaluate.

• Intentionally provides modeling and support for children’s expressive and receptive language throughout the school day.

• Intentionally and systematically implements direct instructional opportunities and provides modeling and practice opportunities for activities that promote children’s social and emotional development throughout the school day.

• Plans and implements intentional, systematic, playful and engaging activities that support the development of the above skills.

Collaborates with families and communities to support children’s social, emotional and cognitive development:

• Actively seeks to make connections with their children’s family members and other important people in their children’s lives.

• Solicits parents and community members to share their skills, experiences and cultures in the classroom.

• Regularly communicates the school’s and individual children’s educational goals and progress to families.

• Supports school-wide family engagement activities (i.e. planning, communicating, and/or leading) and participates in at least one family event each month.

Contributes to a community of practice:

• Plans collaboratively and shares ideas and resources with instructional team.

• Share best practices with others throughout the network and with AppleTree leadership.

• Actively participates on at least one site-wide committee.

• Provide informal and formal feedback on instructional materials, school-wide practices and professional development/coaching.

• Guides professional development and growth of teaching assistant and helps team members meet professional goals.

• Actively participates in school and network based professional development opportunities provided and seeks out additional professional development.

• Incorporates coaching and feedback from regular observations conducted by Instructional Leader and AppleTree Leadership Team members.

• Communicates professionally and constructively with colleagues.

• Fulfills the standards of professionalism including appropriate dress, attendance and timeliness.

• Participates and collaborates with families in Kindergarten Transition process and is informed of local DCPS and Public Charter Schools and private schools within the District (Pre-K teachers only).

Requirements

Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, reading, psychology, human development, early childhood education or a closely related field and two or more years of successful professional teaching experience.  Candidates must demonstrate the leadership experience, organizational skills and communication abilities to lead or co-lead the instructional team.  All Lead Teacher candidates must receive a passing score on the *Praxis II: Early Childhood Education (test code 5025) by the start of the school year or within 60 days of hire date, whichever comes first.

*Previous Praxis Early Childhood or Elementary Content Knowledge accepted) (10014).

How to Apply

Bureaus: New York. Job Categories: Full-Time. Job Types: Teacher.