Reading Specialist Elementary Teacher (2024-2025 School Year)

Crossroads Charter Schools is looking for highly effective, highly qualified and highly motivated individuals to join our organization. Ideal candidates will have experience in urban education and be committed to our four core values: High Expectations, Authentic Learning, Creative Culture, and Educational Equity.

Crossroads Charter Schools organization is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to sex, race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other factor prohibited by law.

Job Description: Reading Specialist - Elementary Teacher

Direct Supervisor: Principal, or designee

School Summary:
At Crossroads Charter Schools, we...

• Understand the significant difference between equity and equality. Every student deserves to receive what he/she needs to succeed (equity), not that every student receives the same amount of resources, instruction, attention, etc. (equality).
• Develop school environments where all students are actively and meaningfully engaged in rigorous instruction and authentic learning tasks.
• Interrupt the "school to prison pipeline" - policies and practices that are directly and indirectly pushing the most at-risk students out of school and on a pathway to the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
• Engage families as partners in meaningful ways.
• Build the capacity of diverse teams that are more reflective of our students.
• Nurture an open, collaborative, and trusting environment because the work is enormous, deeply personal, emotional and often difficult.
• Engage in on-going job-embedded professional development through co-teaching and co-planning

Position Summary:

The Reading specialist's primary responsibilities are to provide instructional services to identified students and train, coach, and offer support for teachers in implementing learner-driven approaches. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in both literacy instruction.

The Reading specialist collaborates with other staff to co-plan, co-deliver, and individualize instruction for all students in a class; work together creatively to accommodate student needs, diversity and educational backgrounds of the students in the class; and overcome instructional challenges constructively. The teacher is a hardworking, goal-oriented and enthusiastic professional with excellent subject knowledge and a sound understanding of the Missouri Learning Standards and Common Core State Standards.

Position Responsibilities:

• Provide diagnostic, prescriptive and evaluative services for identified students and assess students to establish proper instructional level placement.
• Provide targeted literacy instruction for identified students.
• Monitor students progress and provides frequent updates to staff and parents
• Assist the staff in the data analysis process with the implementation of the response to intervention (RTI) strategies and identifying trends and gaps in student mastery of content and how to develop targeted plans to address identified trends and needs.
• Collaborate with teachers to identify, share, and coach best practices for reaching all students.
• Provide educators professional learning opportunities to equip staff with the ability to use formal and informal student data to refine instructional strategies and plan and provide appropriate interventions.
• Help ensure the learning environment is dynamic and conducive to high-level learning.
• Research lessons, articles, innovative instructional practices and books in order to assist teachers in designing relevant learning experiences.
• Attend and participate in school meetings.
• Plan, assist, and implement professional development.
• Support educators with analyzing student performance, examining students' educational plans and needs, and assess students' high school, college- and career-readiness.
• Provide follow-up to classroom observations, walkthroughs, coaching, and feedback to staff.
• Assist in the establishment and development of school and district curriculum
• Act in a professional and ethical manner at all times and comply with school policies, procedures, and expectations.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by their supervisor.
• All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established as part of the annual performance planning process or as the result of organizational planning.

Expected Salary - One of your application questions will ask you to indicate your expected salary. To respond to the question, please review the 10-month Compensation plan to indicate your expected salary.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Education
• Valid Missouri teaching certificate
• Minimum 4 years of experience as a classroom teacher preferred to continue professional development
• Excellent organization skills and an ability to coordinate multiple tasks and activities
• Demonstrated success in urban education
• Desire to continue professional development
• Excellent organization skills and an ability to coordinate multiple tasks and activities
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and an ability to keep multiple stakeholder groups, including parents, teachers, staff, volunteers and partners, informed of critical issues, activities and schedules.
• An ability and enthusiasm for promoting the school and its mission to a broad and diverse group of people.
• Excellent work ethic, positive attitude, flexibility and willingness to perform tasks assigned
• Demonstrates ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students and teachers in the school environment and community.
• Must pass extensive background checks.

All applicants must apply on the Crossroads website at: http://www.crossroadsschoolskc.org/careers

Key Working Relationships in Addition to Supervisor:

Teachers, Students, Parents, Volunteers, Office Staff, Support Staff, Assistant Principals, Principals, District Leadership Team, Central Office Team

Both federal and state law requires all public school personnel to submit to and pass a criminal background check prior to employment by the school. Crossroads Charter Schools is required by law to exclude from employment any person who has pleaded to or been found guilty of a felony or crime involving moral turpitude under the laws of the State of Missouri, any other State of the United States or any other country, whether or not a sentence is or was imposed.

Please be advised that Crossroads Charter Schools does not seek information related to the conviction of crimes unrelated to those described in this question. Your conviction of a crime not otherwise listed above is not an automatic disqualification from employment consideration. The school will consider the nature of the offense and the relationship between the offense and the position for which you are applying.