Middle School Science Teacher -- Founding Years | ECPA

Elevate Charter Schools•New Haven, CT

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men (ECPA) is seeking a mission-driven educator to teach with excellence and help strengthen the culture, systems, and academic model of this dedicated middle school for young men. As a Founding Years Teacher, you will create a joyful, rigorous classroom, refine schoolwide routines, deepen identity-affirming practices, and contribute to the structures that ensure consistency and belonging as the school grows. This role is ideal for educators who thrive in early-stage environments, bring steadiness and creativity, and want to make a lasting impact on the lives of young men in New Haven. The teacher will join a team committed to high expectations and deep care, shaping not only their classroom but the next stage of ECPA’s development.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher
Valid teaching certification or eligibility to obtain required CT certification through reciprocity
2–3 years of successful teaching experience, with a demonstrated track record of strong student achievement
Ability to build a safe, affirming, and intellectually challenging classroom where young men feel supported and pushed to engage deeply in meaningful work
Reflective practice and personal accountability for student growth, achievement, and overall experience
Genuine excitement for working in a Founding Years environment and in a single-gender, all-boys school community
Demonstrated commitment to educational equity, youth development, social-emotional learning, restorative practices, and culturally responsive pedagogy
Deep alignment with the mission and values of ECS and ECPA, including an unshakable belief in the potential of every student to learn, grow, and achieve at a high level
Positive mindset
Very strong work ethic
Inner drive for excellence
Flexibility
Solutions-focused
Energized by the opportunity to build something from the ground up
Thrive in a team-based culture
Believe that collective effort drives school success
Hold yourself, and others, to the highest of standards
Student-centric, “whatever it takes” mentality to create a learning community where all students and stakeholders can grow and thrive.

Nice To Haves

3-5+ years of teaching experience with a strong record of student achievement
Experience in an urban, high-expectations, or charter school setting
Experience in a single-gender and/or founding school environment, ideally with middle-grade learners

Responsibilities

Plan rigorous science learning by intellectually preparing standards-aligned, phenomenon-based lessons that reflect ECPA’s deeper-learning approach and build students’ scientific thinking.
Deliver high-quality instruction that develops core disciplinary skills—modeling, analyzing data, constructing explanations, and engaging in scientific argumentation.
Build strong, affirming relationships that create a classroom where young men feel safe taking intellectual risks, asking questions, and exploring scientific ideas.
Integrate culturally relevant and responsive practices to make science meaningful, identity-affirming, and connected to students’ lived experiences and communities.
Use data and ongoing assessment to differentiate instruction and ensure every learner is known and supported.
Establish a structured, joyful classroom grounded in mutual respect, high expectations, and consistent routines that support productive scientific discourse and collaboration.
Model and reinforce ECPA’s values to help boys grow as scholars, leaders, and responsible young men.
Partner with families to build trust, share progress, and ensure shared ownership of student growth.
Contribute to school life by supporting events, leading a club or enrichment experience, and helping build emerging traditions that strengthen community.
Engage in weekly professional learning, including coaching, co-planning, department work, and grade-level collaboration.
Collaborate with colleagues to build a positive, high-performing adult culture centered on continuous improvement and shared responsibility for student success.
Give and receive feedback to refine instructional practice, strengthen lab and classroom routines, and improve student outcomes.
Lead Innovation Lab experiences —clubs, project-based enrichment, showcases, or community-based projects—that extend learning beyond the classroom.
Support common school routines (arrival, dismissal, lunch, recess, transitions) to ensure safety, consistency, and a positive, identity-affirming school culture.
Lead a homeroom/advisory that builds community, fosters authentic relationships, and supports students’ social-emotional development and sense of belonging.
Help design and implement schoolwide systems, rituals, and traditions, including exhibitions, performances, and public demonstrations of learning.
Shape and refine school-wide systems —academic routines, culture practices, community rituals, and enrichment structures—as ECPA grows into a full 5–8 middle school.
Embrace feedback and adapt with flexibility, modeling a growth mindset as the school evolves.
Take ownership of school-wide initiatives and contribute to special projects that advance the mission in a dynamic, early-stage environment.