Art Teacher | Elementary School | BTWA ES

Elevate Charter Schools•New Haven, CT

16h•Onsite

About The Position

Booker T. Washington Academy Elementary School seeks a passionate, mission-driven art educator to teach visual arts to K–4 students in New Haven, Connecticut. The role centers on nurturing creativity, technical skills, self-expression, cultural appreciation, and creative confidence in an inclusive learning environment. The teacher collaborates with school colleagues and families, contributes to school culture, and supports the education of the whole child in a historically underserved urban community. The teacher designs and delivers standards-aligned instruction in foundational visual arts techniques, differentiates learning for students with varied needs, assesses artistic growth, and uses culturally responsive and explicitly anti-racist materials and practices. The teacher also builds an organized, joyful studio environment, incorporates social-emotional learning, connects arts instruction with core subjects, and creates opportunities to share and celebrate student work. The position includes participation in professional learning and collaboration, family and community engagement, arts enrichment and school-wide events, and contributions to school routines and systems. The teacher may lead a homeroom or advisory and support arrival, dismissal, lunch, recess, and transitions. The role is full-time and exempt, reports to the School Principal, and is expected to start in SY26-27. The stated salary range is $50,500–$90,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Elevate Charter Schools offers comprehensive benefits to regular, full-time employees; specific benefits are not listed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Valid teaching certification in Art Education or Elementary Education with an arts endorsement; Connecticut certification or eligibility for reciprocity is required.
At least 2–3 years of teaching experience with a strong track record of student engagement and growth.
Ability to create a classroom environment where students feel safe, supported, and inspired to explore creatively.
Reflectiveness and personal accountability for student growth, achievement, and experience.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated commitment to educational equity, youth development, social-emotional learning, restorative practices, and culturally responsive pedagogy.
Strong alignment with the mission and values of ECS and BTWA and belief in every student’s potential.
Positive mindset, strong work ethic, drive for excellence, and ability to thrive in an entrepreneurial, results-driven environment.
Commitment to feedback, reflection, collaboration, high standards, and student-centered work.

Nice To Haves

At least 3 years of teaching experience with a proven track record of student achievement.
Experience in an urban, high-expectations, and/or charter school setting.
Familiarity with elementary visual arts curricula, interdisciplinary planning, and arts integration strategies.
Experience differentiating instruction for diverse learners, including English Learners and students with IEPs.
Familiarity with project-based learning, inquiry-driven instruction, or blended learning models.
Experience organizing student exhibitions, performances, or community arts initiatives.
Experience using the arts to support early literacy, numeracy, and other developmentally appropriate interdisciplinary learning.

Responsibilities

Design and deliver engaging, standards-aligned visual arts lessons in drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, and mixed media.
Foster creative exploration, artistic risk-taking, technical skill development, visual literacy, and appreciation of diverse artistic traditions.
Differentiate instruction for varied developmental levels and learning needs, including English Learners and students with IEPs.
Assess artistic growth using portfolios, rubrics, and student reflections, and encourage self-evaluation and pride in creative work.
Use culturally responsive materials and practices that affirm student identities, celebrate global art forms, and teach through an explicitly anti-racist lens.
Collaborate with classroom teachers to integrate visual arts into core academic subjects and interdisciplinary learning.
Create a joyful, inclusive, organized studio environment that supports belonging, expression, and creative risk-taking.
Build strong student relationships and incorporate social-emotional learning into artistic practice.
Reinforce school values through collaborative projects, critique routines, and classroom norms.
Communicate and collaborate with families to support student creativity and growth and strengthen home-school connections.
Organize and lead school-wide arts events, exhibitions, and showcases.
Participate in weekly professional learning communities, coaching cycles, and peer observations.
Collaborate with grade-level teams and specialists to align curriculum, share practices, and support interdisciplinary projects.
Contribute to a positive adult culture that values feedback, reflection, and collective responsibility for student achievement.
Lead enrichment opportunities such as art clubs, mural projects, or community exhibitions.
Support school routines, including arrival and dismissal, lunch and recess duties, and transitions.
Lead a homeroom or advisory setting that builds relationships, community, and social-emotional development.
Help design and implement school-wide systems, rituals, and traditions, including student exhibitions and demonstrations of learning.
Take initiative on school-wide projects and help elevate enrichment within the school's educational model.
Model professionalism, adaptability, flexibility, innovation, ownership, and a growth mindset.