Middle School English Language Arts Teacher - 6th-8th Grade - 2025/2026 School Year

About Mastery:

Founded in 2001, Mastery Schools is a public charter network of 23 K-12 schools in Philadelphia and Camden, serving more than 14,000 students. 

At Mastery, we’re on a mission to provide all students with the academic and personal skills they need to succeed after graduation and pursue their dreams. Student achievement is not just a goal for our organization; it's the reason we exist, and every member of our team is dedicated to securing student success. We are also committed to pursuing equity, actively disrupting systemic racism, and addressing the disparities that limit our students' choices. 

Our culture is built on respect, service, and the belief that the success of our students, their families, and the communities we serve will help us achieve our mission. We foster a positive, open, and inclusive environment where honesty, humor, and continuous improvement are celebrated. 

Join us in creating a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence. Together, we can make a lasting impact.

This role is eligible for signing and relocation bonuses.

New teachers start at $60,000, with Mastery offering up to $82,000 based on experience and education. Salaries range from $60,000 to $106,500, with growth opportunities as your career progresses.

The Opportunity:

In joining Mastery as an English Teacher you will work with your students to foster their development in critical thinking, questioning, critiquing, and understanding the written word. It is well-documented that the opportunity gap in the United States is a literacy gap and by taking on the mantle of an English Teacher you will work daily to set our students up for long-term success and ensure they get a world-class education.

 As an English Language Arts teacher we know you love reading and writing intrinsically and have unwavering belief in holding the bar high for all readers. Ideally, you have familiarity with structured literacy instruction and you are eager to teach the building blocks of strong reading and writing practices.  You and your students engage with robust core curriculum that supports the science of reading, with time spent on rigorous reading and writing aligned to grade level standards. Additionally, teachers should be prepared to lead intervention courses to support unfinished learning to ensure students have all of the skills they need to meet grade level and ultimately graduation requirements to set them up for post-secondary success.

 At Mastery we value Continuous Improvement and want you to learn and grow in your craft.  We utilize a team of Assistant Principals, central-office coaches, and school-based content teams to provide every teacher coaching and feedback. We have professional development or peer collaboration time built into our staff calendar. 

• Commit to ongoing professional development in the spirit of continuous improvement
• Develop and implement rigorous and appropriate lesson plans, assignments, and assessments in cooperation with Mastery school-based leadership and curricular resources developed by Mastery’s Central Office Academic Team
• Work closely with school leaders to analyze student assessment data to measure progress and use data to inform instruction
• Collaborate in grade level teams to discuss student work, share best practices, plan events for joy and humor, and ensure student mastery of standards
• Engage families in their children’s education by building relationships and maintaining regular communication
• Demonstrate genuine interest, belief, and care for students’ personal and academic success
• Commit to professional growth, self-reflection, a receptiveness to feedback, and a desire to continuously improve

• Bachelor’s degree required with a record of personal, professional, and/or academic achievement
• Teacher certification - completed or in process
• Demonstrated expertise in subject area
• Commitment to and experience working with underserved communities
• Determination to drive student achievement and set high expectations for all students
• The ability to motivate, support, and challenge students in a student-centered, standards-driven classroom community
• A positive mindset and a drive for personal excellence
• Solutions-oriented resiliency to respond positively and effectively to challenges
• Outstanding instructional skills driven by data and delivered through rigorous and engaging strategies

• Ability to physically perform the essential duties of the role, and to work in the environmental conditions required, such as: traveling to network campuses; maneuvering in office spaces (including standing, walking, sitting for long periods of time, speaking loudly and clearly, seeing and hearing things both near and far away); stooping, kneeling, reaching file cabinets/shelves; fine finger and hand manipulation in use of computer, chalkboard, dry erase, &/or projectors; filing, faxing, scanning, coping, typing, mailing, and making phone calls; sitting for up to two (2) hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard/mouse, and typing.

Mastery's Benefits Package:

We offer a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth. Some of our most popular benefits include our 403(b) retirement plan for PA employees (with a 5% match from Mastery), enrollment in the State of New Jersey Pension Plan for NJ employees, a robust Employee Assistance Program, mental health and counseling programs, an annual Professional Development Fund, and discounts and perks at a myriad of retailers, travel organizations, insurance providers, and so much more, as well as a Benefits VIP Helpdesk to help you navigate various benefits-related topics. Please go here to see all of our Benefits offerings!

Annual Calendar:

As you plan to make Mastery your new work home, please feel free to review our Calendar for the 24/25 School Year. We like to think our calendar is a benefit of working here too!

Why You Should Apply:

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. Mastery may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.