ABOUT US

The Primary School is creating a new school model that brings together all of the adults in a child’s life, including parents, educators, and medical and mental health providers, starting from a very early age. We recognize the entrenched racism that exists within our public systems and the unjust impact this has had on families of color. Our aim is that children and families most impacted by systemic poverty and racism receive the multidisciplinary support they deserve to be well, learn, and thrive. 

Long-term, we hope to create a game-changing model that can be replicated across the country. As we continue to learn and grow, we plan to share what we’ve learned and pursue policy and systems change. We are supported by a growing coalition of philanthropic partners, building on the generous support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Our approach has three defining characteristics:

• We start early. We start working with children as young as 12 months and provide full-time school starting at age three to reach them at a critical stage in development. 
• We partner with parents. We believe that when parents thrive, children thrive, so we support the wellness and growth of parents alongside the growth of their children.
• We integrate services. Our unique model unites health care and education, building a multi-disciplinary team and holistic system of care around a child’s full needs.

In 2016, we opened our flagship school in East Palo Alto, California, with our first class of four year olds. We have grown to serve over 400 children and their families through our Early Family Foundations program, parent wellness program, full-day preschool, and elementary/middle school, which will grow through eighth grade. In 2021, we opened our second site in the East Bay.

ABOUT OUR EAST PALO ALTO SITE

We are continuing to grow our East Palo Alto site and are excited to launch 8th grade for our 2025-2026 school year. In our school program, we currently serve approximately 300 students across two preschool grades (3 and 4 year olds) and kindergarten through seventh grade. Integrated into our program are the other core components of our model including our parent program - partnering closely with parents throughout their child’s development and providing wellness programming for caregivers; our Early Family Foundations program - coordinating early developmental screenings and intervention services; and our medical home partnerships - working with existing health care providers in the community to coordinate care for children.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Middle School Reading Interventionist (co-teacher) is a reading intervention teacher who has demonstrated excellence in differentiating instruction, building relationships with students, and collaborating with colleagues. They will co-teach 7th and 8th grade Language Arts classes with the general education teacher. The co-teacher will engage as a middle school advisor to build connections with students. The co-teacher will collaborate closely with the middle school grade team to support the needs of students who are struggling academically by differentiating planning  to ELA content lessons. In addition, the reading intervention teacher will work with middle school colleagues to plan for a shared reading intervention block and will deliver small group instruction to struggling readers during this intervention time. 

In addition, planning and facilitating inclusive push-in small groups and individualized differentiated instruction based on their IEP. The co-teacher will provide the necessary accommodations and modifications on ELA unit assessments and ELA performance tasks. All Learning Specialists work within the Instructional Support Team to ensure that students receive the individualized instruction they need to meet their learning goals. They will participate actively in the process to design and implement Tier 2 & 3 ELA academic goals for students in their grade level.

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: In-person

RESPONSIBILITIES

Serve as Advisory Lead for a Set of Middle School Students

• Lead a daily advisory block for Middle School students
• Act as the primary point of contact for your advisory families
• Participate in mid-year growth circles in which students, teachers, and parents review and revise student support plans
• Support  students to reflect and set goals at Student-Led Circles twice a year

Co-Teach ELA Core Content Lessons

• Co-teach daily content lessons with the English teacher with a focus on differentiation to small group supports for students who are struggling academically
• Collaborate with English teacher  to backwards map the language arts curriculum and plan for scaffolding the rigor of whole group content lessons and differentiated instruction for small groups and individuals  

Plan and Deliver Small Group Tier 2 Interventions During Intervention Block

• Collaborate with middle school colleagues to create student groups for intervention during intervention block
• Deliver small group instruction intended to accelerate student literacy skills and mastery of grade level standards
• Track student progress towards goals through data driven instructional cycles

Collaborate with Student Support Team

• Participate in COST meetings for middle school students
• Participate in  Instructional Support Team meetings to coordinate supports for students with suspected and identified disabilities
• Gather and compile relevant data for school district referrals and follow the process through to the initial IEP with the  support of the Special Education Manager
• Collaborate with other support staff (SLPs, OTs, Behaviorists, Mental Health Clinicians) as needed to  assure alignment of students’ services and needs

The critical features of this role are described above but are not all encompassing; as our school grows and evolves your responsibilities may shift accordingly.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 3 years of experience as a teacher and hold deep and diverse instructional competence
• Experience working with students in middle school
• Belief  that every child can demonstrate growth and reach their unique potential when they have the right supports in place
• Track record of accelerating student academic and social emotional growth in a diverse classroom setting
• Demonstrated ability to create a transformative classroom culture for all students
• Experience using data to understand student needs and differentiate instruction
• A mindset and practice that  demonstrates trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices
• Experience  building deep and trusting relationships with diverse populations of students and families
• Alignment with our TPS values - excellence, courage, growth, soul and community

A Plus If

• A valid teaching credential (single subject English or multi-subject)
• Degree in Special Education
• Fluent Spanish speaker
• Experience with co-teaching model and/or delivery of targeted reading intervention to middle school students

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

COMPENSATION

Annual salary range begins at $76,220-$117,150 (final salary placement within this range is determined based on a structured pay scale). Compensation is commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health benefits (medical, dental, and vision), 401k retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care FSA, and generous paid time off, including a competitive paid parental leave benefit. TPS will cover 93% of the total premium cost for individual team members in our HMO and PPO plans, and 95% for individual team members in our HDHP plan. TPS also covers 50% of enrolled partners and/or dependents' costs on all three of our medical plans (HMO,PPO, HDHP). Please note that in order to be considered for this position, you must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to offer sponsorship. 

To ensure fair and equitable compensation for all of our employees, The Primary School has a no-negotiation policy on all offers extended. Final offers are determined using role descriptions, job market data, internal parity, and semi-annual benchmarking. Our goal is that this policy, paired with ongoing transparency in our compensation process, will make TPS a more fair, inclusive, and diverse workplace.

HOW TO APPLY

TPS values diversity (please see our commitment to DEI); people of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please complete the online application and submit your most recent resume. These short-answer questions are designed to replace a cover letter, so take your time with them and copy in your answers from a separate document. If you feel that the questions do not accurately capture what you have to offer The Primary School, you are also welcome to attach a cover letter. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis so we encourage you to submit yours soon. We look forward to reading your application!

The Primary School provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. The Primary School complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the organization has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.