About Aspen Public Schools: Aspen Public Schools, a non-profit 501(c)3 charter school management organization, operates 3 public charter schools in Fresno, CA. The mission of Aspen is to transform the community by developing exceptional leaders. The overall vision leads to greater quality of life for all people in Fresno, regardless of race or economic status. To deliver on this mission and vision, Aspen is focused on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all children. Aspen currently educates students in historically underserved neighborhoods, with roughly 80% of our students identifying as Black and Latino. With its college-preparatory focus, the Aspen approach is attaining academic gains throughout the network. Beyond our students and schools, Aspen is an engaged partner in the Fresno community, and involved in the larger conversation about how to improve public education and student achievement for all. Aspen’s approach to teaching and learning enables every student to succeed at the highest levels. This involves: • Recruiting and developing successful teachers and school leaders who strategically use student data to drive instruction and leadership development; • Creating a school culture where joy and belonging mark the student experience, with an emphasis on developing leadership that focuses students on college and their futures; • Providing students with grade-level curriculum, a facilitated learning environment that demands more student cognitive lift, and intense intervention when they are struggling, so that every child has a path to success. For more information about Aspen’s mission, approach, schools and team, please visit our website at www.aspenps.org. Teaching at Aspen Public Schools: Aspen invites passionate educators to apply for the position of Teacher for the 2021-22 school year. Teaching at Aspen is an ideal position for an educator who is eager to gain rigorous development to help perfect his/her craft. In addition to participating in weekly professional development and team planning meetings, teachers receive consistent high-impact coaching and feedback from a school administrator. Furthermore, Aspen has opportunities available to celebrate excellent teachers that are accompanied by increased compensation, recognition and professional development opportunities. Aspen is committed to recruiting, developing and retaining excellent teachers. Join us! The Summit Model Summit’s research-backed model makes teaching and learning at Aspen (a Summit partner school) unlike any other. At Aspen, our teachers mentor the same group of students each year in advisory groups, which allows them to build strong relationships based on deep trust over multiple years. Mentors meet 1:1 with each student regularly to coach students toward their personal goals, and meet daily as a mentor group. During Project Time, teachers teach universal skills through real-world projects - using their subject-area expertise to help students apply their knowledge to the world around them. Through research-backed curriculum, Summit gives teachers the tools they need so that they can focus on teaching and becoming the best project-based teachers in the world. We are deeply committed to continuous improvement at Aspen, both as an organization and for our individual faculty. With dedicated days of professional development built into the academic year, regular coaching sessions with a school leader, and a culture of honest, actionable, and timely feedback, we equip our teachers with the tools necessary to improve their practice and tackle challenging issues. We also prioritize developing leaders from within and have invested in multiple career pathway programs for our teachers and school leaders. Aspen has intensive collaboration structures built in to our weekly schedules. Teachers collaborate at the grade and subject levels, forming regular communities of practice to support each other in continuously improving as project-based teachers and mentors. By design, our schools are small communities where every student is known. They are intentionally heterogeneous and reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate. As a teacher, this will require being culturally responsive and creating equitable learning pathways for all students. The Summit Model Summit’s research-backed model makes teaching and learning at Aspen (a Summit partner school) unlike any other. At Aspen, our teachers mentor the same group of students each year in advisory groups, which allows them to build strong relationships based on deep trust over multiple years. Mentors meet 1:1 with each student regularly to coach students toward their personal goals, and meet daily as a mentor group. During Project Time, teachers teach universal skills through real-world projects - using their subject-area expertise to help students apply their knowledge to the world around them. Through research-backed curriculum, Summit gives teachers the tools they need so that they can focus on teaching and becoming the best project-based teachers in the world. We are deeply committed to continuous improvement at Aspen, both as an organization and for our individual faculty. With dedicated days of professional development built into the academic year, regular coaching sessions with a school leader, and a culture of honest, actionable, and timely feedback, we equip our teachers with the tools necessary to improve their practice and tackle challenging issues. We also prioritize developing leaders from within and have invested in multiple career pathway programs for our teachers and school leaders. Aspen has intensive collaboration structures built in to our weekly schedules. Teachers collaborate at the grade and subject levels, forming regular communities of practice to support each other in continuously improving as project-based teachers and mentors. By design, our schools are small communities where every student is known. They are intentionally heterogeneous and reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate. As a teacher, this will require being culturally responsive and creating equitable learning pathways for all students. What you’ll do: A student school day is around 8:30am to 4:00pm, depending on the specific school. Teachers stay until 4:45pm three days per week. -Project Time: Teach a block schedule in middle or high school, per day of project time. Most teachers teach one course for the entire grade (e.g. 9th Grade Physics), and see each section twice per week. Teachers work with students on projects that develop cognitive skills and apply their content knowledge to real-world situations. Teachers facilitate discussions in the classroom, coach students in applying their cognitive skills, and give students feedback. Between teaching blocks, teachers analyze student data, build lesson plans, support school culture, and other personal development activities. Aspen teachers build lesson plans through a deep understanding of student progress data, which determines the group and individual supports needed for their students to succeed. -Mentor Time: Build deep relationships and sense of community when teachers meet with their small group of mentees daily for their entire time at Aspen. Daily, teachers meet with their mentor groups, work on habits of success as a group, and check in one-on-one with their mentees. Mentors coach and advocate for their mentees both inside and outside of the classroom, and strive to support them as they develop their sense of purpose as they become self-directed learners. -Self-Directed Learning Time and Interventions: Facilitate Self Directed Learning time and daily literacy or math interventions, which don’t involve lesson planning. During this time, teachers provide student support, monitor progress, and check in with individuals or groups of students. Collaboration & Professional Development: Twice a week, teachers participate in all-faculty after-school meetings where community decisions are made, professional development takes place, and faculty collaborates as a grade-level team or subject-level team. Responsibilities of Aspen teachers will include but are not limited to: -Outstanding academic achievement and student leadership development -Create a positive, achievement-oriented and structured learning environment that excites and invests students. -Motivate students to realize high academic and behavioral standards. -Build classroom community and invest in families to develop children’s academic success and development. -Utilize data from Aspen’s interim assessments to drive instruction and intervention. -Design and implement unit and lesson plans in collaboration with grade or subject team. -Hold all students accountable during transitions, meals, trips and school events. -Exemplify Aspen’s core values in all interactions with students, families and colleagues. -Professional learning, development and growth -Collaborate with coach, grade-level teammates and school team to improve instructional, culture-building and leadership skills. -Attend all professional development, team planning and data analysis meetings. -Participate enthusiastically in structured and informal learning and development opportunities. Skills and Characteristics -Strong instructional and classroom management skills. -High level of personal organization and planning. -Team player: maturity, humility, strong work ethic, follow-through, sense of humor, willingness to respond positively to feedback and a “whatever it takes” attitude. -Strong belief in the Aspen mission and educational model. -Mastery of and enthusiasm for subject matter. -Spanish language proficiency is a plus Educational Background and Work Experience -Two years of teaching experience preferred with a proven record of high student achievement. -Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of at least 3.0 from a competitive college or university; Master’s degree preferred (especially useful to teach dual enrollment courses). -California teaching credential, (multiple subject or subject specific for grades 7-8, and subject specific for grades 9-12), or in process of obtaining a credential. Compensation Salary for this position is competitive and commensurate with experience. Additionally, Aspen offers a comprehensive benefits package, including STRS. Teachers receive funds for supplies and materials as well as a laptop computer. Aspen Public Schools, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, parenthood, citizenship status, creed, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.