Organization: East Palo Alto Academy High School
Job Title: Teachers
Location: Palo Alto

Posted: 2/26/08

East Palo Alto Academy High School, an innovative charter high school sponsored by Stanford University, is seeking highly qualified, collaborative, high-energy educators for 2008-09 in:

• Mathematics
• Science
• Humanities (English and Social Studies)
• Spanish
• Reading/ Literacy
• English Language Development

About East Palo Alto Academy High School
Opened in 2001, East Palo Alto Academy HS serves approximately 300 students in grades 9-12 from East Palo Alto and east Menlo Park. The school prepares a racially, economically, linguistically, and academically diverse population of students for college and for the 21st century world and workplace. Students learn about themselves, their communities and the world through project based curriculum and instruction, rigorous standards, performance assessment practices, and opportunities to study in college courses and community service settings as well as high school courses.

About Stanford New Schools
Stanford New Schools (SNS) is a non-profit organization, formed in collaboration with the Stanford University School of Education to develop and sustain small, innovative, high-performing public schools in underserved communities.

What is the bigger picture?
In addition to providing an outstanding education for the students we serve, our goal is to create model schools that will function as sites for professional development for teachers in the local district and throughout the Bay Area. Our school already serves as a site for highly expert Stanford faculty to develop innovative educational practices that can be shared with educators throughout the country, and for preparing talented Stanford students in our teacher education program to be effective in urban schools. The school thus has a broad mission to contribute to school reform throughout the country.

What is special about these schools?
The combination of highly qualified teachers and the expertise of the Stanford University faculty and students allow our schools to design, implement, and assess state-of-the art instruction. Such design features as team teaching, looping, advisory, block scheduling, and early college opportunities provide individualized and supportive educational programs that ensure success for all students. The SNS schools also offer extended instruction hours, including after-school and Saturday programs, providing students who are at risk of failure more time to attain our high standards of achievement.

Duties and Responsibilities
Because teacher roles in small schools are varied and complex, first priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate in their resume and cover letter experience and willingness to become involved in these essential aspects:

• Participate in a democratically run school, engage in decision making, serve on committees that shape the school’s practices, and participate in leadership for ongoing school improvement.
• Incorporating English language development (listening, speaking, writing and reading) across all content area classes (math, science, PE etc.)
• Working in a heterogeneous, non-tracked environment
• Developing and implementing standards-driven, interdisciplinary, project-based curricula incorporating ESL methodologies and multiple opportunities for language development in their subject area
• Collaborating in an interdisciplinary planning and teaching team
• Serving as a faculty advisor to a grade-level advisory group of students throughout their stay in the school
• Developing a strong relationship with students’ families through conferences, phone calls and home visits.
• Participating in regular faculty development, reflective practice, and peer coaching during the school year and during summer curriculum retreats
• Practicing an open-door policy and developing best practice teaching with transparent methodology to enable future teachers to learn their craft in all subjects
• Maintain a physically and emotionally safe classroom by learning and implementing conflict resolution skills

Qualifications

• Evidence of capacity and willingness to carry out the above duties and responsibilities, including being an advisor for a group of 15 to 17 grade-level students.
• Experienced CA licensed certified teachers in appropriate subject areas.
• Willingness to commit to the school’s mission and educational philosophy
• Experience working with a heterogeneous English language learner population
• Demonstrated ability to plan lessons that incorporate a wide range of instructional strategies including: interdisciplinary, project-based, ESL methodologies, and cooperative learning
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with peers to design and implement curriculum
• Demonstrated respect for immigrant rights and a willingness to act as an advocate
• Has had experience living, working or studying underserved cultures or demonstrates some cross cultural experience
• Preferred proficiency in Spanish.

To Apply

Email a cover letter and a resume to:
employment@stanfordschools.org

or Mail:
Stanford Schools Corporation
P.O. Box 20524
Stanford, CA 94309