Everett High School Connections English Language Arts Teacher

Everett Public Schools•Everett, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Everett High School is seeking a highly skilled, student-centered, and emotionally steady English Language Arts teacher to serve in the Connections Program. This is a current vacancy in a specialized in-house alternative setting designed to support students in grades 9–12 who require a more structured, relationship-based, and coordinated academic environment due to social, emotional, behavioral, attendance, or other school-related challenges. The Connections Program provides students with an integrated academic, therapeutic, and behavioral support model. The goal of the program is to help students make meaningful academic progress, strengthen self-regulation and coping strategies, rebuild productive school routines, and, when appropriate, successfully transition back into general education settings. The ELA teacher in this role must be committed to both rigorous literacy instruction and the intensive relationship-building required to support students who may have experienced academic failure, trauma, dysregulation, disconnection from school, or inconsistent access to learning. This position requires an educator who believes that students in alternative settings deserve access to grade-level texts, high-quality instructional materials, explicit literacy instruction, academic language development, and meaningful opportunities to read, write, speak, listen, think, and produce work every day. About the Connections Program: The Connections Program is a small, supportive, team-based program within Everett High School. It is designed to function as a close-knit school community within the larger high school setting. Students in Connections need adults who are consistent, respectful, trauma-informed, and able to balance warmth with clear expectations. The successful candidate must understand that teaching in Connections requires more than content knowledge. It requires the ability to build trust, maintain structure, de-escalate conflict, communicate proactively, collaborate with counselors and support staff, and respond to student needs with discretion, professionalism, and care. This role is best suited for a teacher who is flexible, reflective, resilient, collaborative, and willing to receive and implement feedback. Candidates should be prepared to work with students who may struggle with attendance, task initiation, emotional regulation, peer/adult relationships, academic stamina, and consistent work completion. The teacher must be able to create a classroom environment where students feel safe, respected, held accountable, and expected to learn.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in English, English Education, Literature, Language Arts, or a related field
Valid Massachusetts teaching license in English Language Arts, grades 8–12 or 5–12, as applicable
SEI Endorsement
Demonstrated ability to teach high school English Language Arts using standards-aligned curriculum and assessments
Ability to work effectively with students who have significant social, emotional, behavioral, attendance, and/or academic needs
Strong classroom management skills grounded in positive behavior supports, relationship-building, consistency, and de-escalation
Strong written and oral communication skills
Ability to collaborate with teachers, counselors, administrators, families, and support staff
Willingness to participate in district-required training, including crisis prevention/intervention or Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools training, as required

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in English, Education, Special Education, ESL, Reading, Literacy, Counseling, or a related field
Three or more years of successful high school ELA teaching experience
Experience teaching in an alternative education program, therapeutic program, substantially separate setting, or structured student support program
Dual licensure in Special Education and/or English as a Second Language
Experience working in an urban public school setting
Experience supporting students with trauma histories, emotional disabilities, behavioral needs, attendance challenges, or interrupted schooling
Experience using HQIM such as Savvas and/or StudySync
Experience using student-centered literacy strategies, academic discourse routines, structured writing supports, and data-driven instruction
Familiarity with MCAS preparation, IXL, common assessments, and standards-based grading practices
Bilingual or multilingual skills preferred

Responsibilities

Plan and facilitate daily ELA lessons aligned to Massachusetts ELA standards, Everett High School curriculum expectations, and district-approved high-quality instructional materials.
Provide explicit, structured, and engaging literacy instruction that supports reading comprehension, vocabulary development, academic discourse, writing development, and preparation for required assessments.
Use student-centered strategies to create lessons that engage students in active reading, writing, speaking, listening, collaboration, and meaningful work.
Maintain a classroom environment that is predictable, respectful, trauma-informed, and academically focused.
Establish clear routines, expectations, and systems that support student engagement, emotional regulation, work completion, and productive classroom behavior.
Assess students’ academic strengths and needs through classroom data, student work, common assessments, diagnostics, MCAS-related data, IXL data, and other relevant measures.
Use data to plan targeted instruction, reteaching, intervention, enrichment, and individualized supports.
Collaborate regularly with the ELA Director, Connections Program staff, special education staff, multilingual learner staff, counselors, administrators, social workers, behavior/clinical staff, and other related service providers.
Participate in professional learning communities, department meetings, student support meetings, and program-based meetings focused on student progress, instructional planning, communication, and intervention.
Support the development and implementation of individualized student success plans, behavior plans, academic intervention plans, IEP accommodations, 504 accommodations, and other student support structures as appropriate.
Communicate proactively and professionally with students, families, colleagues, counselors, and administrators regarding student progress, concerns, attendance, behavior, and academic needs.
Follow all school and district communication protocols, especially when concerns involve student safety, mandated reporting, serious behavioral incidents, family communication, or sensitive student matters.
Use language, tone, body language, and classroom responses that promote dignity, de-escalation, conflict resolution, problem solving, and positive student behavior.
Address sensitive student issues discreetly and professionally, working through the appropriate support staff and administrative channels.
Implement inclusive practices and Sheltered English Instruction strategies to support multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
Provide students with consistent opportunities to engage with grade-level texts, academic vocabulary, writing tasks, oral language practice, and evidence-based analysis.
Administer and use common assessments, IXL diagnostics, unit assessments, MCAS-related tasks, midterm and final exams, and other required assessments as directed by the ELA Department and school leadership.
Support students in developing the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral skills necessary for success in high school and transition to post-secondary education, employment, training, or other future pathways.
Participate in district and school-based professional development, including training related to literacy instruction, student-centered strategies, trauma-informed practice, crisis prevention/intervention, behavior support, special education, multilingual learners, and alternative education.
Demonstrate professionalism, emotional regulation, dependability, confidentiality, and a willingness to seek and accept feedback.
Contribute to the overall success, stability, and culture of the Connections Program and Everett High School.