International Rescue Committee

Background/IRC Summary: Since 1999, the IRC has developed partnerships with New York City public schools, community-based organizations and local colleges and universities to support the positive development of refugee youth and their communities in New York City. The Youth Education Department provides year-round programming working directly with refugee youth, their parents and families, and their schools.

Job Overview/Summary: The Newcomer Youth Summer Academy (NYSA) is a six-week program that prepares newly arrived refugee youth to succeed at their grade. Up to 130 students from ages 5 – 21 from over 20 countries will participate in academic, creative arts, physical education, and social-emotional learning classes. 

At the Upper School levels (Grades 6-12), Academic Lead Teachers will be responsible for specialized content instruction in English Language Arts. The Upper School English Language Arts Academic Lead Teacher (ALT), in collaboration with fellow NYSA Teachers and the Dean of Instruction, is expected to create engaging, project-based English Language Arts lessons that spark curiosity in diverse topics, develops students’ academic literacy, and meet New York State learning standards. 

ALTs are responsible for creating and submitting culturally relevant daily lesson plans and associated slide decks and materials. Given the student body's varied English language acquisition levels, life, and formal education experiences, the ALT must consistently plan for differentiated, trauma-informed instruction and apply a sheltered instructional approach to guiding English Language Learners. ALTs will contribute to the design of pre- and post- assessments to measure student learning throughout the summer. Throughout their classroom activities, the ALT is expected to contribute to NYSA’s goals of fostering students’ social-emotional development and building a strong sense of community among the students and staff. 

Position term: June 15– August 16, 2024

Hours: 

Pre-program Planning: Between June 15 and July 1 – Up to 10 hours of lesson planning and instructional planning with Dean of Instruction

Training: July 1-3, 2024: Up to 24 hours of training, Foundational online training modules to be completed independently ahead of synchronous staff training dates 

Main Program: July 8 - August 16, 2024: 5.5 hours per day plus 1 evening of parent/teacher conferences. 

Major Responsibilities: 

• Participate in instructional planning sessions, trainings, and all program meetings.
• Plan culturally responsive, trauma-informed lesson plans for a class of approximately 15-25 students, using the sheltered instructional model (SIOP) for instructing Multilingual Language Learners
• Submit detailed daily lesson plans, slide decks, and associated in advance of the date of instruction
• Administer formative and summative assessments, including content area pre-assessments of students, to inform curriculum and lesson design
• Complete all staff program evaluations
• Regularly review student progress and maintain bodies of evidence, including work samples
• Supervise students during lunch
• Complete all required reports on time. 
• Effectively plan for and incorporate Classroom Culture Lead Teacher(s) and volunteer Peer Mentors into classroom instruction
• Finalize weekly progress reports and final report cards for each student

Job Requirements: 

• Master’s degree in secondary English education or related field 
• New York State teaching certification preferred
• A minimum of three years instructing in the New York City Department of Education (or other accredited school system) for relevant age group preferred
• Shown success in planning and delivering culturally responsive, trauma-informed, sheltered-instructional curricula for classes of diverse beginner to intermediate ELLs/multilingual learners strongly desired
• Experience with project-based learning preferred
• Strong cultural competency desired
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team desired
• Fluency in written and spoken English required. Second language proficiency in relevant language highly desirable (Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Fulani, Haitian Creole, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian.) 
• Certification or commensurate experience in Responsive Classrooms or Classroom Mindfulness desired.

Working Environment: 

• NYSA takes place in a centrally located school in New York City. All applicants must be willing to relocate for the entirety of the Academy. 

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: The IRC offers a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. All US employees are eligible for sick time, a 403b retirement savings plans: up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus an 3-7% additional IRC contribution, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

In addition, full-time employees are eligible for 10 US paid holidays, 20-25 paid time off days, disability & life insurance, medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee contribution starting at $135, $7, and $5 per month respectively) and FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs. Part-time employees are eligible for a proportionate amount of paid time off. These additional benefits apply to employees who work at least 6 months within a 12 month time period. 

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