Middle School Project Based Learning and Design Teacher & Co-Designer SY2024-2025 

Collins Middle School 

 

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history.  Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students across our 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do. Over the next three years (2023-2026), we are committed to the work outlined by the four core priorities in our strategic plan: 1) Elevate Learning; 2) Empower Educators; 3) Center Belonging; and 4) Strengthen Our Foundation. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and settings and are bilingual are strongly encouraged to apply.

 

Reimagining Middle School: 

The Salem Public Schools vision for a middle school graduate, developed in partnership with students, families, and educators in 2023, states: “Powered by relationships, trust, and a sense of belonging, students will develop their identity, skills, and mindsets that empower them to navigate their learning, chart their course, and engage with their community to reach their academic and life potential.” 

 

To bring this vision to life, the middle schools in Salem have committed to reimagining the student experience. Over the past two years, the district has run a small pilot program within our middle school to help us innovate in partnership with our students, families, and educators to reach this vision. The goal of the pilot is to create relevant learning experiences that connect middle schoolers to the community, empower them to be independent learners, and offer appropriate challenges and supports. We are committed to continuing to build our muscles as a learning organization - to continue to empower student voice, to be intentional as we scale what works, and to continue to innovate as we feel there is still so much more to learn and do. We are also committed to expanding access to the strong foundation and the new opportunities explored in the pilot. As such, we will scale the learning strategies of the pilot across the 8th grade next year, and scale lessons from the work to all middle schoolers. To learn more, you can read about the first year of our work in this Transcend Case Study or in this Boston Globe op-ed. 

 

To scale key innovations of the pilot to the whole eighth grade, we are creating an exciting new role to lead the development of essential learning elements into the 8th grade experience for all students: 

• Design Studio: This hands-on learning block engages students in solving complex challenges through collaboration and creativity. Studio projects are intended to build life-skills such as communication, teamwork, creative problem solving, and responding to feedback. These interdisciplinary projects can last from one day to ten weeks, as students engage in rigorous learning through the arc of the project. For an example, here is a summary of our extended fall studio, Transitopia. 
• Learning Immersions: Leaving the walls of school to learn is a core pillar of the 8th grade experience. Whether hiking in the forest or debating policy at the State House, field immersions allow students and families to broaden their understanding of what learning can look like. We talk about “community-based learning” and “learning immersions,” not “field trips,” to emphasize the academic and social-emotional goals of this type of learning. Students develop a deep understanding of responsibility as each field site has its own set of learning norms. 
• Learner Profiles: Supporting students’ understanding of themselves, their interests, and how they learn is critical for us to help reach our vision for middle school. Learner profiles are a new and evolving tool we are using to help build the habits and skills of learning in middle school. 

Over the two years of the pilot, the team has built a strong foundation of these learning elements; the goal of the design educator is to build from this foundation and scale the learning to all 8th grade students. To do so, you will lead-teach the new “Design” block in the 8th grade schedule. You will see all ~220 8th grade students twice per week in ~70 minute blocks, co-teaching with science teachers half of the week and social studies teachers the other half of the week. Each week, you will be responsible for developing ~2 core lessons that you will lead teach across the grade (with support from the science or social studies teacher). You will also lead the design of specific lessons that will be implemented across the grade level (for example, on half-day Wednesdays or days students go on learning immersions); these lessons will be prepared by you and taught by all teachers on the 8th grade team). In 2024-25, the design educator will also receive support and collaboration from the WPS Institute, the non-profit that has helped to design and launch the pilot program and will continue to deeply partner with SPS to support the scale of this work. You will also be responsible for collaborating and sharing these lessons with the team at Saltonstall K-8.

 

Core Responsibilities: 

1. Collaborate in the design of and own the implementation of design studios, learning immersions, and integrated projects across the grade, meeting with each class of students twice per week; (over time, we expect that the Design Educator will build their capacity to create design studios independently) 
2. Collaborate deeply with peers, particularly in science and social-studies, to co-teach these learning blocks and integrate core curricula into these additional learning experiences (for example, the design educator will lead the learning immersion prep lesson(s) for a visit to the State House and co-teach the lesson with the Civics educator while the Civics educators prepares students for the academic content at play in the immersion); 
3. Design integrated learning, establishing clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students, including aligning project-based work to 8th grade standards; 
4. Implement and evolve the new “Design” course, including providing providing regular coaching and feedback to students and implementing the new competency-based design course grades for students
5. Work collaboratively with the 8th grade team, Dean of Innovation, Innovation Manager, WPS Institute, and community partners to support learning before, during and after learning immersions. 

Culture & Community: 

• Launch, establish, and maintain a co-constructed culture of joy, mutual respect, and empowerment for students; ? Co-create, internalize and build student understanding of a shared vision, values, and language for the 8th grade; ? Provide structure in the classroom by promoting a positive classroom environment that is conducive to learning; ? Take seriously your responsibility for the safety and well-being of students in your classroom or under your supervision at all times; 
• Together with your cluster team, serve as advisors and community builders for one cluster, leading grade-level experiences in the cluster; 
• Communicate proactively and regularly with families and caregivers as full partners in the pilot community. ? Collaboratively take responsibility for the learning, well-being, and growth of all students, including partnering with other teachers in the pilot team to flexibly meet learning needs. 

Design- and Project-Based Learning 

• Work collaboratively with the team and community partners to lead relevant and engaging design studios (design-based learning that tackles real-world topics, where students work collaboratively on projects) adapting existing resources and designing new as desired to challenge students to broaden their creativity; 
• Organize and maintain design studio spaces that are accessible for all students and reflect learner interests and identities; 

Collaboration with Team & Partners throughout the Community 

• Participate actively in all team meetings, consistently contribute to knowledge sharing systems, and fully invest in weekly professional learning and coaching sessions. 
• Define and work towards implementing professional growth goals in alignment with personal values and the pilot vision. 
• Seek, provide, & implement feedback from colleagues, students, parents, and design partners to adapt the learning experience as we learn and grow. 
• Collect and utilize multiple forms of holistic data to assess progress, iterate, and provide feedback to students, the program, and our partners. 
• Collaborate and share learning with educators across SPS and beyond. 

Who you are: 

• You are excited by the possibility of operating within flexible and creative spaces that question the assumptions of traditional classrooms and you are energized by the prospect of trying new approaches to middle school education, including where and how learning happens; 
• You have a record of building a strong culture of learning with adolescents and a passion for working with middle schoolers; 
• You view yourself as a design partner with students, families, community partners, the Dean of Innovation and colleagues who will help to shape the pilot’s approach; 
• You are willing to take educational risks in the classroom using technology, tools and student interests through hands-on investigations and activities;
• You are a learner who seeks out new ideas, welcomes and implements feedback, and enjoys the prospect of engaging in professional learning; 
• You have a demonstrated capacity to build strong relationships with students, and believe these relationships are foundational to a child’s sense of belonging, ability to thrive, and willingness to challenge themselves to learn; ? You hold high expectations for learning, possessing a deeply held belief in the capacity of every student to think, create, grow and achieve amazing things with the right structures and supports; 
• You are comfortable with ambiguity, valuing experimenting, iterating, failing, changing, and re-thinking program and instructional approaches; 
• You have shown the capacity to collaborate closely with colleagues to develop empowering learning experiences for students; 
• You are passionate about delivering relevant and engaging Science instruction, with demonstrated results for improving learning outcomes for students at all levels, and you have a strong interest in building creative, connected, and engaging learning for all students; 
• You have strong time management and executive functioning skills, with a keen attention to detail. 

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level.  We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from mistakes and challenges and uses them as opportunities for professional development. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

What We’ll Provide: 

As part of this work, the Middle School Design Teacher will participate in a two week, paid summer professional learning with the 8th grade team during the weeks of August 5th and August 12th (paid at $45/hour) leading to the start of the new school year (~70 hours for a stipend of $3150). This role also requires weekly after school professional learning on Wednesdays. All 

sessions in excess of the contractual 25 hours of teacher meetings will be compensated at $45/hour, for ~$1000 extra for the year. Opportunities for additional professional development and support will be provided through district and school based coaches and the Dean of Innovation. 

 

Job Requirements: 

• Bachelor's Degree (Required) Master’s Degree preferred
• Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure for middle school grades - certification area is flexible
• Dual Certification (appropriate grade level or Special Education) a plus
• Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement (Required within 1-year of start date)
• Experience leading long-duration project-based learning strongly preferred
• Experience differentiating instruction to meet the needs of and create accessible learning for all students ? Experience using technology (blended learning, teacher/family communication suites, Google G-Suite Apps, etc.) in the service of learning is strongly desired; Experience leading design studios, maker spaces, engineering labs, working with fabrication tools and/or design software preferred
• Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
• Maintain professional competence through in-service education activities provided by the District, and/or in self-selected professional growth activities.
• Minimum of 2 years teaching experience and working in an urban public school or charter school setting preferred.
• Proven track record of raising student achievement scores in an urban/turnaround environment desired.
• Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
• Multilingual candidates and candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply 
• Current authorization to work in the United States

Work Year: Teachers in Salem Public Schools work a 185 day school year (180 student contact days plus 5 professional development days. Please visit www.salemk12.org to view the 2024-25 district and/or school calendar.

 

Salary: Teacher salaries in the Salem Public Schools are determined by the Salem Teachers Union collective bargaining agreement. Salary information can be found in Appendix A. 

 

 

Benefits: The City of Salem offers Group Insurance Commission (GIC) benefits to all full-time employees. Click here for more information about our health benefits.

 

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, housing status, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.