Middle and High School Principals for 2008-2009

The Parkside Campus of the Chavez Schools is looking for Vice Principal of School Culture and Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction or the 2008-2009 school year. See the announcements and download the application below.

Vice Principal School Culture description. (Word | PDF)

Vice Principal Curriculum & Instruction description. (Word | PDF)

Vice Principal Application. (Word | PDF)

Why Teach at Chavez

At Chavez, teachers are treated as professionals. We maintain a strong support staff, enforce rigorous discipline standards and limit class size to ensure that teachers can focus on teaching and learning.

Chavez teachers benefit from:

• Education reform. Chavez believes all students should have access to a quality education that prepares them for college. Our schools combine the intellectual, academic joys of a college preparatory program with the satisfying challenges of working with an open admission, urban population.

• A culture of success. Approximately 80% of Chavez students are low-income, and nearly all are minority. Yet 100% of our graduating seniors have been accepted into at least one college. Ours is a positive, successful, and inspiring school environment in which to work

• Professional Learning Community. An underlying belief guiding Chavez is that teachers are professionals who can develop their craft, and who need time to think, talk, and learn together. To structure and sustain teacher collaboration, Chavez has developed a Professional Learning Community on each campus that: involves experienced teachers as Mentor Teachers; includes weekly small-group conversations about teaching and learning; and challenges teachers to focus on student achievement, strengths and weaknesses, as well as next steps for instruction.

• Strong discipline policies and support staff. Chavez schools are a safe place for both students and teachers. Chavez has a 10 to 1, adult to student ratio that enables teachers to focus on teaching more and disciplining less.

• Small class size. The small class size helps ensure teachers have a more productive, enjoyable, and successful teaching experience.

• Opportunities for Advancement. Chavez prefers to hire from within the Chavez community for positions including Department Chair, Academic Dean, and Principal. Chavez also offers multiple career paths that enable teachers interested in their own professional growth to become master and mentor teachers.

Employment at Chávez

Teaching at a Chávez School is stimulating, demanding, and different from traditional public school teaching. The Chávez Schools offer a challenging academic environment, the opportunity for collegial collaboration, and continuous improvement in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. We require a strong team commitment, academic knowledge, investment of personal time, application of sound teaching techniques, and professionalism. We believe that every student can go to college through achievement-focused teaching, and we search for professionals who support that mission. The job requirements for teachers at the Chávez Schools are challenging and reflect the nature of working for a charter system that is trying to do things in a better way.

Chávez is seeking highly motivated teaching professionals for our college preparatory charter schools serving high poverty communities in Washington, DC. Candidates who are familiar with the subject standards in the District of Columbia or other highly-regarded state standards are encouraged to apply. Three campuses – Chávez Capitol Hill, Chávez Parkside, and the new Chávez Prep opening in 2007 – are hiring in all disciplines. Positions available include: Teachers in Mathematics, Science, History, English and Language Arts, Special Education, Spanish, French, Art, ESL, Health and Physical Education, as well as Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches, and Librarians. There are also substitute and non-teaching staff position openings. New-teacher mentoring by experienced faculty is an integral component of our collaborative learning community.

Applicants must be intensely dedicated, extremely hard working, passionate about closing America’s racial gap in learning, highly proficient in their subject areas, and unwaveringly committed to the belief that all students can excel in a college preparatory setting.

Application Documents

Chávez welcomes your interest in teaching or working in our schools. Due to their nature, Chávez positions attract a large number of candidates. In order to ensure that all applicant materials are processed and forwarded appropriately, we now ask that all submissions be made electronically. This process facilitates distribution of applicant packages to our three schools for consideration by school recruiters.

Teacher Applicants

All applications must be submitted electronically to recruitment@chavezschools.org. To be considered complete and ready for distribution to hiring managers, applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. Other information may be requested at a later time.

Click here to download the Teacher Employment Application

Click here to download the EEO Disclosure Survey

Applicants submitting incomplete packages will be notified by email and will not be considered. Applicants completing the application package may resubmit at any time. For those candidates unable to scan their transcripts, licenses, or certifications to include as an email attachment, please mail these documents to HR, Chávez Schools, 709 12th Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. Your transcript will be scanned and appended to your original submission.

Qualifications

Unlike traditional DC schools, you do NOT need to hold a DC teaching license to teach at public charter schools like Chávez. However, there are federal requirements for teacher qualifications under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) regulations that all DC public schools (traditional and charter) must follow.

1. You must hold a Bachelor’s degree.

2. If you wish to teach English, Reading, English as a Second Language, or Language Arts; Mathematics; Science; Foreign Languages; Civics and Government; Economics; the Arts (visual, theater, dance, and music); or, History and Geography you must also:

(a) Hold an undergraduate or graduate degree in the subject area;

(b) Have completed coursework equivalent to an undergraduate degree in the subject area (33 credits, 18 of which must be upper division);

(c) Passed the appropriate Praxis II test (if available-see below) in the subject area; or,

(d) Hold a DC teaching credential in the subject area.

3. Praxis II tests are recognized in DC in the following subjects Biology, Chemistry, English, English as a Second Language, French, General Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Spanish. Please note:

• While there are many more Praxis II subject tests, DC recognizes only those listed above for determining qualifications.

• Many subjects have both content and pedagogy Praxis II tests. You do not need to take the pedagogy tests. For example, if you are asked to take the Praxis for mathematics, you will NOT have to take test 30065 (Mathematics Pedagogy).

• A few subjects may have more than one content knowledge test. For example, in mathematics, you must take test 10061 (Mathematics Content Knowledge) and 20063 (Mathematics Proofs, Models, and Problems Part 1).

Human resources will help you resolve any Praxis II questions.

More information

1. The DC Public Charter School Board (our authorizer) has published an NCLB fact sheet that details these requirements.

2. More information about DC state teaching licensure .

3. The DC pages for the Praxis II test which includes dates, tests, and qualifying scores are available from the Educational Testing Service website.

Determinations

Chavez Human Resources will examine candidate licenses, transcripts, and undergraduate and graduate degrees to determine if they fulfill subject or credit requirements. If necessary, HR will ask the candidate to sign-up for the appropriate Praxis II subject test with sufficient time for scores to be received before the start of school.

Support Staff

Interested support staff candidates should submit the following materials by email to recruitment@chavezschools.org:

• Application
• Cover letter (should indicate the specific position for which you are hiring)
• EEO Questionnaire
• Resume

Applicants submitting incomplete packages will be notified by email and will not be considered. Applicants completing the application package may resubmit at any time.

Any questions may be directed to recruitment@chavezschools.org.

Click here to download the Support Staff Employment Application

Click here to download the EEO Disclosure Survey

Positions for 2008-2009 School Year

César Chávez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy are seeking Middle and High School Teachers to fill full-time positions at the Capitol Hill, Parkside, and Chávez-Bruce Prep campuses. Positions are described below.

English Language Learner Coordinator

Chávez is seeking a qualified English Language Learner (ELL) Coordinator needed to develop and coordinate ELL program for Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy in Washington, DC. Requires Master’s degree plus appropriate second language instruction experience. Interested candidates should send resume and cover letter to recruitment@chavezschools.org. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted. EOE. No telephone calls please.

English and Language Arts Teachers

Chávez is seeking qualified English and Language Arts Teachers. An undergraduate or graduate background in English or successful completion of the appropriate Praxis II exam is necessary to fill these positions. At least 2+ years of teaching experience is strongly recommended.

Foreign Language Teachers

Chávez is seeking qualified Spanish and French teachers for its Capitol Hill and Parkside campuses, and ESL teachers for all three schools. An undergraduate or graduate degree in the language or successful completion of the appropriate Praxis II exam is required. Native speaking candidates and those with 2+ years of teaching experience are preferred. Candidates with ESL teaching certification and a desire to teach young people and make a difference in their lives are particularly encouraged to apply. Positions available include: Spanish I, II and III; French I, II and III; Spanish for Native Speakers I and II; ESL Instructor.

History and Social Studies Teachers

Chávez is seeking Middle and High School History and Social Studies Teachers to fill full-time positions in its History and Public Policy departments at all three campuses. An undergraduate or graduate background in history, political science or a related field or successful completion of the appropriate Praxis II exam is necessary. At least 2+ years of teaching experience is strongly recommended.

Librarian

Chávez is accepting applications for librarian positions. The librarian guides and directs all activities related to the library program including the school library media center and must be proficient in the management of facilities with minimal supervision. An excellent candidate will also have experience collaborating with faculty around content area literacy instruction and reading resources. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and 2-5 years of experience; a master’s degree in library sciences is preferred.

Mathematics Teachers

Chávez is seeking middle and high school Mathematics Teachers to fill full-time positions in its mathematics departments. An undergraduate degree in mathematics or engineering or successful completion of the appropriate Praxis II exam and some significant teaching experience in mathematics are necessary. Candidates with master’s degrees in mathematics with a desire to teach young people and make a difference in their lives are particularly encouraged to apply.

Public Policy Coordinator

The Public Policy Program Coordinator works under the direction of the Public Policy Director (“Director”) and is primarily responsible for managing the logistics of the Public Policy program’s year-end projects and activities (i.e., Capstone, Community Action Project, Fellowship, and Thesis Presentations) to ensure that all Public Policy projects run smoothly. The Public Policy Program Coordinator is also responsible for finding new organizations and individuals to work with Chávez students as part of the year-end Public Policy projects. This involves contacting organizations and individuals in the Washington, D.C. area with whom Chávez does not presently have a relationship to introduce them to the school, its policy program, and year-end policy projects. Responsibilities also include working with the Director and other members of the Public Policy department to assist Chávez faculty members integrate Public Policy themes and instruction into their courses, and teaching one section of one course in the Public Policy department, as determined by the Public Policy Director. Qualified candidates should hold an undergraduate degree in political science or a policy related field. Candidates with master’s degrees in policy and prior experience working with policy organizations are particularly encouraged to apply.

Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches

Chávez is seeking Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches who will teach, and help design, the Middle and High School Literacy class, as part of the Chávez English curriculum. These classes will ensure that students have grade-appropriate literacy skills, particularly in the areas of reading comprehension (focusing on non-fiction) and written grammar. In addition to fulfilling other aspects of the Chávez teaching standards, candidates should have particular strengths in differentiating instruction and remedial skills deficits.

Science Teachers

Chávez is seeking qualified science teachers for its campuses. An undergraduate or graduate degree in science or successful completion of the appropriate Praxis II exam is required, and 2+ years of teaching experience is preferred. Positions available include: Integrated Science (6th Grade), Life Science, Environmental Science, Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry.

Social Workers

Chávez is looking for Social Workers with an LGSW, LCSW, or LICSW for a clinical position. Candidates must also hold a master’s degree in social work. Experience working with adolescents and families in a college preparatory setting and experience providing therapy to students with IEPs is preferred, but not required.

Special Education Teachers

Chávez is hiring Special Education teachers for its campuses to serve Middle and High School students. Candidates must be able to meet the certification requirements of IDEA and demonstrate content mastery for the desired subject area. The Special Education Teacher supports Special Education (SPED) students, co-teaches with classroom teachers about effective mainstreaming of SPED students, and facilitates communication between the school and families of SPED students. The SPED teacher also serves as a resource for teachers, providing guidance, resources, and strategies to best meet the needs of our SPED students, including writing and revising IEPs, following up on students referred for assessment, and creating IEPs when necessary.