Middle School Teacher (5th-8th Grades)

At KIPP New Orleans, we see the gifts in everyone who walks through the doors of our schools. Especially our teachers. Their skill. Energy. Love. Their determination. On the good days, and the hard ones. So we support our teachers to make the most of those gifts in order to build academically excellent classrooms and create unlimited opportunities for all of our students.

The KIPP Difference | Together, a Future Without Limits

• Respect: For our teachers’ innate talent and desire to learn, for their professional growth and the lives they lead beyond our walls.

 

• Support: Our teachers always feel the KIPP Team and Family at their backs, with support to grow and opportunities to lead.

 

• Purpose: Together, we share an ambitious mission to create a future without limits. And we need talented teachers to realize it.

The responsibilities and essential functions of the role include:

Achievement | Teaching & Learning

• Deliver rigorous, standards-aligned instruction using HQIM; communicate daily objectives and success criteria; check for understanding throughout (cold call, turn & talk, exit tickets).

 

• Plan/adapt units and lessons that build conceptual understanding and fluency; script questions, models, exemplars, and anticipated misconceptions; align tasks and rubrics to the depth of standards.

 

• Use data to drive instruction: analyze daily work, interims, and state assessments; reteach, spiral, and extend; maintain small data trackers that inform tomorrow’s plan.

 

• Differentiate and scaffold using diverse strategies (choice, visuals, language objectives, sentence frames); provide accommodations/modifications with fidelity for students with IEP/504 plans; coordinate with DSS/ESL staff.

 

• Structure purposeful practice—independent work, small groups, centers, and peer discourse—that requires evidence, academic language, and grade-level thinking.

 

• Provide timely, actionable feedback (written and verbal) tied to rubrics; maintain accurate, transparent grades and make-up work systems.

 

• Assessment literacy: design/implement common assessments; ensure item alignment and reliability; use exemplars/anchors for calibration.

Hope | Positive Classroom Culture

• Establish safe, joyful routines (entry, materials, transitions, group work) that maximize time-on-task and protect learning time bell-to-bell.

 

• Affirm high expectations and growth mindset; select culturally sustaining texts, problems, and examples that reflect students’ identities and experiences.

 

• Apply school-wide behavior systems consistently and restoratively; use pre-corrections, de-escalation, and restorative conversations; log incidents per policy.

 

• Integrate SEL (explicit skills, mood checks, goal setting) to build belonging, resilience, and self-management; proactively teach replacement behaviors.

Community | School Culture & Partnerships

• Model school values and professionalism; meet deadlines; uphold duty coverage (arrival, transitions, lunch/recess, dismissal, testing).

 

• Build strong relationships with students and families via frequent, strengths-based communication; co-create goals and action plans.

 

• Communicate progress (grades, attendance, behavior, reading levels) through scheduled updates and family conferences with translators/interpretation as needed.

 

• Participate in key events—back-to-school nights, IEP/504 and EL meetings, data nights, testing, and community celebrations; support recruitment and retention activities.

Relentlessness | Growth Mindset

• Set ambitious goals for student mastery and classroom culture; track progress and publicly celebrate growth.

 

• Welcome coaching (observations, practice-based rehearsal) and implement feedback by the next lesson/cycle; reflect on impact using student work.

 

• Engage in PD and PLCs; contribute artifacts (plans, assessments, student work) that show PD-to-practice transfer.

 

• Collaborate to design/refine common assessments and lead/participate in data meetings that produce concrete reteach plans.

Elevation | Belongingness

• Plan and teach for access and rigor for every learner (multilingual learners, students with disabilities, advanced learners, newcomers/SLIFE).

 

• Examine outcomes and discipline data to reduce disproportionality; adjust instruction, grading, and routines accordingly.

 

• Create structures for student and family voice (surveys, feedback circles, classroom leadership roles) and act on insights.

 

• Uphold equitable grading and policies (clear rubrics, opportunities to revise/retake, transparency on late/missing work); ensure materials and displays reflect all students.

Professional & Operational Expectations

• Attendance & punctuality: meet school standards; submit PTO/leave per policy; maintain reliable coverage plans.

 

• Compliance & testing: follow IEP/504 requirements; secure test materials; deliver accommodations; complete documentation accurately and on time.

 

• Planning & grading systems: submit lesson plans, assessments, and grades by network deadlines; keep current make-up/retake logs.

 

• Technology & data privacy: use approved platforms (SIS/LMS, gradebook, communication tools); safeguard student data (FERPA); maintain device/inventory accountability.

 

• Safety & reporting: follow health/safety procedures; complete mandatory reporting; participate in crisis drills and supervision routines.

In support of KIPP New Orleans Schools' commitment to providing a safe and orderly learning environment, all school-based employees are expected to perform the following essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Maintain active supervision of students in classrooms, hallways, common areas, and other school settings as assigned to ensure student safety and well-being.

 

• Be physically present and engaged in assigned work locations during the scheduled workday to fulfill responsibilities requiring in-person interaction with students, families, and colleagues.

 

• Respond appropriately to school emergencies and actively participate in emergency response procedures, including but not limited to evacuations, lockdowns, shelter-in-place, reunification, and other crisis protocols.

 

• Support student and staff safety by implementing established behavioral expectations and utilizing de-escalation strategies when appropriate, consistent with district policies and training.

 

• Maintain situational awareness and communicate promptly with school leadership and emergency personnel during safety incidents.

 

• Participate in required safety, emergency preparedness, and crisis response training.