Why Our School is Special

If you want to work in a highly successful charter school that supports its teachers, serving a student mix that is among the most diverse in America while enjoying the cultural vibrance of Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City (just 2 miles away), then apply today! We have achieved academic success without burning out our teachers by meshing an effective education program with effective teacher supports and professional development. We are now hiring Special Education Teachers for the 2022/2023 School Year! Positions may be available as a "Special Education Support Role" or as a "Lead Inclusion Teacher" at the Elementary/Middle School Level.

We truly value our faculty and work hard to control other costs so we can focus our resources on supporting them. In fact, throughout our history, we have annually increased faculty salaries by far more than at other public schools and now, among those with similar experience, OUR FACULTY MEMBERS ARE AMONG THE HIGHEST PAID IN NEW JERSEY.

Teacher Responsibilities

Values, Expectations, and Commitment

Teachers must commit themselves to the School’s values and mission. Moreover, appreciating the example of excellent schools which succeed at helping all students achieve at a high level, teachers must hold high expectations for each student and commit themselves to helping every student achieve their full potential.

Student Learning

Every teacher must accept ultimate responsibility for his or her students achieving learning progress that meets or exceeds the School's high standards and must actively develop solutions to problems, reaching out for peer and leader support, and taking advantage of other school resources, as necessary.

Teaching and Assessment

Teachers may make use of school-provided curricular materials, or they may design their own, but they must plan and deliver vibrant and engaging lessons – each with a measureable goal – within the framework of the School’s carefully sequenced, standards-aligned education program and they must administer school-provided formative assessments on a regular basis so instruction can be targeted to their students' needs.

Culture and Classroom Management

Teachers must communicate, and also model for their students, behaviors which befit the high expectations culture and the caring school climate to which we are committed. They must apply School and classroom rules consistently and effectively; make use of preventive discipline; and effectively supervise students both in their classroom and elsewhere on School grounds.

Teamwork, Professional Relations, and Professional Development

Teachers should see themselves as members of a team and should commit themselves to their own and to their peers’ on-going professional development. Teachers will be required to attend professional development sessions, to participate actively in planning meetings, and to become part of a professional learning community where they can lend assistance to, and gain assistance from, their grade-level peers.

Special Needs Students and English Language Learners

Teachers must work collaboratively with the school’s special education and ELL staff to implement the school’s special education and ELL programs and to comply with all state and federal regulations.

Teacher Supports

Teachers are part of a school-wide team that includes many different professionals and they receive career-long coaching and professional development support from their Academy Dean and Dean of Students, their Grade Level or Department Head, and our Coordinator of Special Education.

Teachers work closely with their grade level peers, with whom they engage within professional learning communities (PLCs) assisting one another to solve problems.

Additional teacher supports include:

• A research-based curriculum and supporting curricular materials (you will have the freedom to develop your own, but after a full day in the classroom, you may appreciate not always having to develop learning objectives and curricular resources from scratch);
• High-quality formative assessments, aligned with our curriculum, that will help you immediately identify when students in your class have not achieved mastery of a skill, concept, or knowledge item;
• Full-time reading and math specialists who will be available to tutor students who are struggling to master an essential skill, and social workers AND counselors who will be available to help students struggling with outside problems;
• The staffing of our afterschool program by Academic Tutors, so we can limit the length of our teachers’ work-days;
• Abundant planning periods that provide teachers an opportunity to prepare up-coming lessons during the school day.

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.

Salary $62,000-$82,000

Required Certifications

Candidates must possess a NJ Department of Education CE, CEAS or Standard Special Education Teaching Certificate.

Candidates who do not possess the required NJDOE certification cannot be hired.

• 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