Interim Lead Teacher, VPA

Position: Interim Lead Teacher

Visual & Performing Arts Department

Overview of Cambridge Public Schools:

Cambridge Public Schools, in partnership with our families and community, will provide all students with rigorous, joyful, and culturally responsive learning as well as the social, emotional, and academic support each student needs to achieve their goals and post secondary success as engaged community members. CPS students and staff, as members of a learning organization engaged in continuous improvement, will demonstrate a growth mindset and embrace risk taking and innovation.

About 8,000 students choose Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) each year, and our diverse student enrollment continues to rise. Over 30% of CPS students speak a language other than English at home, and over 65 languages are spoken by our families across the district. Among the most common are Spanish, Haitian Creole, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, and Portuguese. Our schools proudly embrace this diversity.

The structure of our school system supports the developmental growth of students over time. Twelve elementary schools feed into five "Upper School" programs, bringing together enough students to allow for greater choice and differentiation without sacrificing the safe feeling of a relatively small environment. The Upper Schools then feed into one high school, the eclectic and innovative Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

The Opportunity:

The 1-year interim Lead Teacher will work under the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) CPP-12 department and will report to the Director of Visual and Performing Arts. This position is responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations of the Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) arts programs, with a focus on the Visual Arts, although sharing responsibility with a team to all 4 disciplines- visual art, dance, theater/drama, and music. This position requires nights and weekends in performance and exhibition season with flex time available. This position is a 1-year interim role.

The LT will serve as an expert resource to all faculty and staff of the Visual and Performing Arts Department. The LT will work with VPA faculty and staff to ensure consistently high quality arts experiences for CPS children, with a lens on inclusion, equity, anti-racism, and social justice.

The LT will work with the VPA administration team, including two other Lead Teachers, a Clerk Specialist, and the Director, with planning and implementing district-wide educational events, develop and lead professional development workshops, and encourage and support teacher-led initiatives. They will foster and promote inter- and intra-school collaborations among teachers and students, collect and document evidence of best practices that use the visual arts as a teaching and learning tool. The LT will share expertise, instructional strategies around both arts and inclusive teaching practices, and provide support as needed to VPA faculty and staff in the classroom and at exhibition spaces.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support in the supervision and evaluation of CPP-12 VPA staff, with a focus on visual arts. Participate in the recruitment and hiring of staff.
• Coordinate 2 district-wide art shows with a community partner organization for grades CPP-8 and 9-12.
• Coordinate the Exploratory Arts Program (EAP)- stipend added.. EAP is an inclusion arts program that runs after school featuring classes in visual arts, theater, dance, and music. The coordinator is responsible for coordination of the program including enrollment, hiring teachers, coordinating with our office of student services, and other duties as assigned.
• Work with teachers individually and in teams (modeling and co-teaching) to support best practices in teaching the visual arts, with particular attention to strategies related to inclusion and arts integration.
• Assists arts teachers in designing and implementing effective inclusive teaching practices that are aligned with culturally responsive teaching based upon complex student learning profiles.
• Develops plans for consulting and coaching teachers to increase culturally responsive inclusive practices and curricula.
• Provides ongoing support and training to arts educators on designing student-centered specially designed instruction.
• Assist with curriculum design and development initiatives, implementation of CPS CPP-12 benchmarks and learning expectations, the alignment of curriculum with state and national arts standards, and the development of a district-wide assessment program in the visual arts.
• Assist the Director with the planning and implementation of professional development programs for department staff, with particular emphasis on inclusive practices, authentic assessment methods, and CPP-12 portfolio models. Coordinate the Visual Arts PD.
• Plan and support visual arts teachers as needed with district-wide exhibitions. This often means flexible working hours to accommodate after-school programs and events.
• Prepare reports as requested; assist in the planning, organization, and evaluation of program effectiveness, including student and program data collection and analysis.
• Assist in the supervision and programming of departmental events both in school and out of school, and collaborate with cultural agencies, arts organizations, and community resources.
• Assist with supply ordering for VPA teachers and programming.
• Communicate the department's programs, events, and achievements to CPS families and the community.
• Schedule and coordinate visual arts based professional development activities.
• Coordinate with other district personnel (e.g. administrators, principals, teachers) for the purpose of teacher scheduling, serving as a liaison and resource.
• As a member of the VPA administrative team, address and solve problems as they arise with offerings, teachers, schools or wherever else is necessary.
• The VPA department includes instructional support and operational and administrative support. This position, like all other positions in VPA administration, requires operational and administrative work, as well as the ability to work hours of VPA events and exhibitions, which may be nights and weekends. We work collaboratively to ensure this works with everyone's schedule.

Qualifications:

As the incoming Lead Teacher, you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Experience supporting and supervising educators and working collaboratively with colleagues.
• Experience working and collaborating with others.
• Experience leading instructional improvement and curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Massachusetts licensure in Visual Art required
• Experience in developing and implementing professional learning activities, assessment instruments, research and data analysis, and resource development.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and verbal and written communications skills to convey information to different stakeholders.
• Visual arts educator with at least three years exemplary arts teaching experience; administrative and/or operations experience preferred.
• Experience working with diverse student and teaching populations.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and conducting training programs for a professional staff.
• Experience developing portfolios.
• Experience in educator supervision and evaluation.
• Must be organized, reliable, and possess strong oral and written communication skills.

How to Join Our Team:

Using the link in this posting, please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

At the Cambridge Public Schools, we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end, we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.