Special Education Teacher Resident (24-25 SY)

Job Description

Job Description

About Freire Schools

Established in 1999, Freire Schools (www.freireschools.org) is a network of four charter schools across Philadelphia and Delaware whose mission is to prepare students from historically underserved communities for success in college and beyond.

We're distinguished by our belief in every student who walks through our doors, our strong code of conduct and commitment to peace that ensures a safe environment for all, our sense of family throughout our community, and our joyous and engaged classrooms that focus on academic achievement.

As evidence of our impact, in 2023 Stanford's Center for Research on Education Outcomes ranked Freire Schools in the top 15 in the country for academic gains out of 368 charter networks nationwide.

About the team

For this Special Education Teacher Resident position, you'll be working for our high school in center city Philadelphia called Freire Charter High School (9th-12th Grade) : One of the first charter schools to open in Pennsylvania, Freire High School was founded in 1999 as the flagship Freire Schools campus.

100% of the Freire High School Class of 2023 were accepted to college, and 2023 graduates earned at least a combined $8 million in scholarships and financial aid offers for college.

Freire High School's rigorous, creative curriculum and comprehensive academic and emotional supports help our students thrive in high school, in college, and beyond.

The Relay Teaching Residency Program

The Relay Teaching Residency is built on the belief that great teachers are made, not born. The Residency provides access for aspiring teachers to learn what it means to be a teacher by internalizing the knowledge, skills, and mindsets required to improve student growth, achievement, and character.

The Relay Teaching Residency is rooted in the Relay GSE program, which offers a practical, research-based, curriculum designed to specifically enable graduates to lead their predominantly urban students to demonstrable annual achievement gains.

Through successful completion of the program and their coursework, Residents will obtain dual certification as well as the preparation necessary to successfully transition into full-time teaching by their second year.

Program Features

• Deliberate Practice : 3-hour weekly practice-based sessions that are steeped in essential teaching skills and aligned to what theyre learning in their coursework.
• Resident Advisor : School-based mentor to model great instruction and provide coaching and support.
• Gradual On-Ramp to Teaching : Carefully designed and structured on-ramp into teaching with the goal of increasing teaching responsibilities over time
• Gateway Assessment : Assessment to ensure that the most valuable skills have been mastered and Residents are prepared for the classroom

What you'll do

In your first year, Teaching Residents will complete a one year apprenticeship at Freire while enrolled in a teacher preparation program with Relay Graduate School of Education.

In your second year, Teaching Residents will become full time teachers and complete Relay's Teaching Exceptional Learners (TEL) program, to obtain their PA Special Education 7-12 certification.

As a member of Freire's instructional team, you'll work with high-quality, standard aligned curriculum to push critical thinking and high achievement in your classroom.

Responsibilities

• Maintain all required coursework and deadlines for successful completion of Relay GSE's Teacher Resident Program.
• Create and maintain a classroom culture of critical thinking, learning, respect, and high achievement for all students.
• Leverage content specific curriculum and create learning materials to promote critical thinking and problem solving.
• Establish consistent communication rhythms with families regarding individual student progress and school related information.
• Actively participate in professional development and collaboration with staff to support the needs of our students.

Who you are

You possess an unwavering belief that our students are capable of success, and you both exude and cultivate our values of equity, love, critical thinking, and diversity.

We're looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. If you meet these requirements, you are encouraged to apply.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or higher
• Ability and willingness to obtain PA teaching certification (Coursework, employment obligations, praxis testing).
• Strong content knowledge in one or more core content areas : ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies
• Positive attitude, sense of humor, and willingness to do whatever it takes to get a job done
• At least 2 years of previous successful experience working with diverse student populations.

Pay and benefits

The annual salary range for this role is $50,000 to $65,000. We offer a competitive salary based on your experience and qualifications.

Our benefits package includes health, dental, vision, and more. Select one of the following based on location Pennsylvania employees are enrolled in Freire's 403(b) retirement plan which includes a 5% contribution from Freire.

Freire Schools is committed to maintaining a workplace environment that is free from all forms of discrimination and discriminatory harassment, in service of the policy goal to provide all persons equal access to all categories of employment regardless of a person's actual or perceived race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic background, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions, disability, veteran / military status, or any other category protected by state or federal law.