26-27 School Year: Assistant Teacher/Paraprofessional

About DeKalb Brilliance Academy: Designed with input from nearly 1,000 South DeKalb community members, DeKalb Brilliance Academy is a tuition-free, public K-8 charter school committed to building a fundamentally different kind of education. We currently serve grades K-6 and will add one grade per year (learn more about our founding journey here). Our vision is that each child will know and leverage their unique brilliance to critically analyze the world around them and to design a better and more equitable future. We pursue this vision through our Real-world Project-based Learning, where students learn not only from their teachers and peers, but also directly from scientists, lawyers, engineers, and designers. Our model is ambitious by design—and built to challenge the status quo in service of our students and community. DeKalb Brilliance Academy: where the strength of our community nurtures the brilliance of our children.

About the role

Assistant Teachers are the primary classroom leaders at DeKalb Brilliance Academy. They design and facilitate rigorous, culturally responsive instruction while helping refine the systems, curriculum, and culture of a growing founding school. Assistant Teachers report to our K-2 Department Chair, with additional support from our Assistant Principal and work in close collaboration with grade-level and content teams. This role requires strong instructional skill, commitment to growth, and a willingness to build and iterate alongside colleagues in pursuit of excellence for every student.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate rigorous, culturally responsive instruction across core academic subjects, social-emotional learning, and real-world Project-Based Learning.
• Maintain an asset-based, growth-oriented mindset toward oneself and every member of the school community, using reflection and perseverance to drive student progress.
• Collaborate with peers to plan units, analyze assessments and student work, and continuously improve instruction and curriculum.
• Partner with students and families to create Learning Partnership Plans with ambitious goals in academics, social-emotional development, and community impact.
• Communicate with each family at least once per month about student progress (via phone, email, and/or Dojo).
• Enact school-wide efforts to ensure identity-affirming, supportive school culture for faculty and students.
• Implement school-wide restorative approaches to build community, celebrate when our students and faculty excel, and respond/repair when our community values are not upheld.
• Participate actively in professional learning, coaching, and school-wide initiatives.
• Fulfill additional responsibilities aligned with the needs of a growing founding school, as assigned.

Requirements

• Valid Georgia clearance and paraprofessional certification required.
• In rare cases where candidates are hired without certification, willingness/eligibility to pursue a teaching certification is required.
• Minimum two years previous teaching experience is strongly preferred (preference given if in K-2 and/or reading instruction with explicit science of reading/phonics focus).
• Has demonstrated impact on the growth of students.
• All candidates are required to be able to meet the physical demands of the role (including standing and walking for extended periods of time and lifting heavy objects up to 40lbs).
• Summer training is July 20-31 and the first day of school is August 3.
• School hours are 7 AM-4 PM (students are present from 7:30 AM-3:30 PM M-Th and 7:30 AM-1:30 PM on Fridays).

Benefits

• Competitive salary schedule (based on 194-day calendar, 180 instructional days & 14 professional development days).
• Paid sick and personal days.
• Competitively-priced medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, and life insurance.
• Contributions to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) in accordance with Georgia state law, as well as an additional, optional 403(b) retirement account.