Founding High School Science Department Chairperson / Supervisor

Empowerment Academy Charter School is seeking a Founding Science Department Chairperson / Supervisor for its high school, which will open in September 2023.

INITIAL BASE SALARY: $72,000 - $92,000 depending upon experience

TOTAL COMPENSATION: $96,400- $116,400 with bonuses and stipends earned

The candidate hired will be required to work with us for a number of weeks this summer to prepare for a strong September 2023 high school Science Department kickoff -- and should even consider coming on board with us this Spring to teach some middle school Science classes and get to know our school and students, become familiar with our planned high school Science curriculum, and assist in the hiring of Science Department peers.

ABOUT EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY

Empowerment Academy Charter School is a college preparatory charter school in culturally vibrant Jersey City, located just minutes by subway from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark.

It served grade levels K-1 when it was founded in 2015, but has added one grade level of 120 students each year since then. In SY23-24, it will be kicking off its high school by creating a Ninth Grade Academy. The growth plan is to add one high school grade level a year until it offers all grade levels, K-12, by SY26-27.

You can read here about the spectacular high school facility being built for Empowerment Academy (scheduled to open in September 2025) and read here about the high school program envisioned.

Requirements

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS and QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates MUST hold a New Jersey Department of Education Standard Teacher of Science Certificate (a Supervisor’s Certificate is preferred) and have at least 5 years of effective teaching experience. If you are certified in another state, you may still apply while you are seeking reciprocity certification, but please flag this for us during your initial interview. Please do not apply if you are neither certified nor actively engaged in obtaining New Jersey certification.

Candidates should also have experience coaching teachers and leading data-driven professional learning community meetings.

WE VALUE OUR FACULTY

At Empowerment Academy, we emphasize teamwork and community and truly value our faculty:

• Evidencing this, compared to those with similar experience, OUR FACULTY MEMBERS ARE AMONG THE HIGHEST PAID IN NEW JERSEY;
• Moreover, we seek to achieve academic success without burning out teachers by meshing an effective education program with effective teacher support and professional development.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

• Summer Work – The Department Chair / Supervisor will be expected to work approximately four weeks this coming summer to ensure a strong high school Science Department kickoff. (Some summer work will also be required in the future as we add additional high school grade levels.) In SY23-24, the stipend for this work will be $2,000/week. It is expected that this work will relate to:
  • Curriculum Scope and Sequence –Tailoring curriculum scope & sequences for Grade 9 learners at different levels.
  • Curricular Materials – Augmenting planned curricular materials as appropriate to meet the needs of our diverse students.
  • Instructional Pacing – Preparing instructional pacing guidelines for learners at different levels.
  • Scholar Assessment – Refining the assessments to be used to identify scholar masteries and weaknesses, guide instruction, and benchmark scholar learning progress.
• Thru-Year Responsibilities – The Department Chair / Supervisor will have somewhat reduced teaching responsibilities. In exchange, the Department Chair / Supervisor will be expected to assist with the professional development of their department peers by providing:
  • Teacher Training – Both during our late August “Summer Institute” and periodically throughout the school year on Professional Development days.
  • Teacher Coaching - Including observation and feedback, “real time coaching” and instructional modeling, as well as periodic review and feedback on teacher lesson plans.
  • Assessment Data Analysis –Conducting “test-in-hand” data analysis during Professional Learning Community meetings with department teachers that move beyond what scholars got wrong and facilitate teachers taking ownership of why scholars got it wrong.
  • Continual Program Improvement – Using assessment data to facilitate continual program improvements (curriculum, assessment and instruction).

The Department Chair / Supervisor should also be prepared to periodically stay late for an hour to provide fellow teachers extra support (coaching, mentoring, technique modeling) as needed, for which the Department Chair will receive additional stipend compensation.

TEACHER SUPPORTS

Teachers at Empowerment Academy are part of a school-wide team. They receive career-long coaching and professional development support from school leaders; work with their peers in professional learning communities (PLCs) to plan lessons and solve problems; and partner with an array of specialists to meet scholars’ diverse needs.

Examples of such teacher supports include:

• Abundant planning periods during the school day;
• A research-based curriculum and supporting curricular materials;
• High-quality formative assessments, aligned with the curriculum, that help identify when students have not achieved mastery of a skill, concept, or knowledge item; and
• Full-time reading and math specialists who tutor students struggling to master essential skills, and counselors and social workers who help students struggling with non-academic challenges.

Benefits

Charter schools ARE public schools. Our teachers are part of the New Jersey Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF), the same as teachers at traditional public schools, and can transfer their pension credits from a traditional public school to our school and vice versa. Additional benefits include:

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development

As an equal opportunity employer, Empowerment Academy hires without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability.

INDINSTRUCTION