Kindergarten Teacher - IDEA Donna Academy (Immediate Opening) - IDEA Public Schools

Role Mission: IDEA Pre-Kindergarten teachers are responsible for ensuring that every IDEA student masters the academic and social skills necessary to succeed in college, while also embodying IDEA’s values daily. Teachers use a scripted curriculum in a half-day Pre-K program that serves approximately 30 students per AM and PM block.

Pre-Kindergarten teachers are the gatekeeper from year to year for new students and families entering IDEA. The relationships and foundational skills that are formed during Pre-K between teacher and student and teacher and parent will set students up for academic success and anchor the trusting relationships on which future success if built. In addition, IDEA Pre-Kindergarten teachers set ambitious goals for student achievement and invest students and families in accomplishing them; create a powerful learning environment; plan and deliver purposeful, rigorous instruction; assess for mastery and track student progress toward goals; analyze data to intervene and adjust instruction; and seek excellence as an educator and an IDEA team member. 

What We Offer

Compensation: 

• The starting teacher salary for 0 years of experience is $56,500. This role is eligible for various stipends based on certifications, credentials, and campus leadership ranging from $500-$4,000 each. We also offer opportunities and incentives through our Teacher Career Pathway with the potential to earn up to $10,000 in additional compensation. For more information about our compensation and total rewards, visit our compensation and benefits page.

• Additional hourly compensation is provided for after school tutoring or Saturday school as assigned.

Other Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering the majority of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Some of the special benefits we offer at IDEA include:

• Paid Family Leave: Eligible staff may receive up to 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, based on their tenure with the organization and caregiver designation.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Staff members may apply for up to​ 50% of tuition paid toward a qualifying degree program, up to $5,250 maximum per year subject to manager discretion and budget availability.
• Employer-Paid Mental/Behavioral Health: 5 face-to-face counseling sessions within a year, unlimited 24/7 telephonic counseling, and other work-life services available at no cost.

Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. IDEA may offer a relocation allowance to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

What You Bring -- Competencies

Qualifications:

• High level of content-area proficiency as evidenced by teaching certification, field of study, or work-experience
• Education: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution required
• Experience: Experience in an early childhood education setting strongly preferred 
• Licenses or Certifications:  Early Childhood (EC) certification required

Knowledge and Skills:

• Knowledge of core academic subject assigned
• Knowledge of curriculum and instruction
• Ability to instruct students and manage student behavior
• Social-emotional learning strategies
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to adjust and adapt to a multitude of situations in the school environment

What You’ll Do -- Accountabilities

Responsibilities:

• Teach core content using a scripted curriculum
• Manage a classroom with approximately 30 students where groups of 12 or fewer rotate between teachers or work independently.
• Implement formal and informal assessments to track each individual student’s progress and learning needs, adjust lesson plans accordingly and update gradebook weekly
• Communicate students’ progress with student and family on a weekly basis
• Effective facilitation and personal use of technology as a communication and educational tool to improve student achievement and manage work related tasks.
• Implement a clear and consistent behavior management system that aligns to campus- wide initiatives while developing students’ character and sense of community in the classroom
• Help shape and develop a school wide culture that fosters a productive and enthusiastic learning environment for each student
• Establish and maintain a cooperative working relationship with students and families based on trust, understanding and respect for the communities in which they identify.
• Host necessary tutoring sessions to meet all students’ needs
• Participate in weekly manager check-ins, grade-level meetings, before and after-school duties, and school wide meetings and functions
• Engage in summer and year-long district, school and personal learning and development
• Minimum of 40+ hours spent at school per week
• Additional responsibilities may include: after-school tutoring or Saturday school and are based on the needs of our scholars

We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics: 

• Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college  
• Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them 
• Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly 
• Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes 
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change 
• Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization 
• Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes 
• We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students 

About IDEA Public Schools 

At IDEA Public Schools, we believe each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to a multi-state network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools.   

IDEA Public Schools boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools lists. IDEA serves over 80,000 college-bound students in 143 schools across Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Ohio, and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college.    

When you choose to work at IDEA, you are part of our IDEA Team and Family. You will work alongside team members who set and reach ambitious goals every day, are excited to continue to grow with IDEA, and work relentlessly to make college for all a reality.

Staff Culture and Belonging

At IDEA the Staff Culture and Belonging Team uses our Core Values to promote human connection and a culture of integrity, respect, and belonging for all Team and Family members.  Learn more about our Commitment to Core Values here!

To Apply

Please submit your application online through Jobvite. It’s in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.