Art Teacher | Founding Years Middle School | ECPA

Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men (ECPA) is New Haven’s first dedicated middle school for young men. Our mission is to develop resourceful, resilient, and responsible young men who think critically, lead ethically, and contribute positively to their communities. ECPA provides a rigorous academic experience that fosters mastery of learning while preparing students to navigate real-world choices with confidence and integrity. Through exposure to entrepreneurial thinking, leadership development, and hands-on learning opportunities, our young men cultivate the skills and mindsets necessary to excel in high school, college, and beyond.

About The Opportunity

Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men seeks an experienced, imaginative, and mission-aligned Art Teacher to build and lead our inaugural visual arts program for grades 5–7. As Connecticut’s first all-boys public charter school, ECPA is still in its founding years, with a small but growing community of young men and a staff committed to building strong routines, meaningful relationships, and a school culture designed specifically for boys. As we expand grade levels and deepen our identity, you’ll help shape the traditions, systems, and learning experiences that will define the school for years to come — including establishing a visual arts program that gives our students a powerful space for creativity, confidence, and self-expression.

Responsibilities

Instructional Excellence

• Design and deliver engaging, standards-aligned visual arts lessons that introduce students to foundational techniques in drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, and mixed media.
• Foster creative exploration and artistic risk-taking while building technical skills, visual literacy, and appreciation for diverse artistic traditions.
• Differentiate instruction to support varied developmental levels and learning needs, including English Learners and students with IEPs, ensuring all students can access and express themselves through art.
• Use portfolios, rubrics, and student reflections to assess artistic growth and encourage self-evaluation and pride in creative work.
• Integrate 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 support interdisciplinary learning and integrate visual arts into core academic subjects (e.g., illustrating narratives, designing math models, exploring scientific diagrams).

Classroom Culture & Student Experience

• Create a joyful, inclusive, and organized studio environment where students feel safe to explore, express, and take creative risks.
• Build strong relationships with students that foster trust, motivation, and a sense of belonging in the art room.
• Incorporate social-emotional learning into artistic practice, helping students develop empathy, perseverance, and confidence through creative expression.
• Reinforce ECPA’s values of character, responsibility, and excellence through collaborative projects, critique routines, and classroom norms.

Family & Community Engagement

• Partner proactively with families through regular communication and collaborative goal-setting to support student creativity and growth.
• Organize and lead school-wide arts events, exhibitions, and showcases that celebrate student work and build community pride.
• Collaborate with families to support artistic exploration at home and strengthen the home-school connection.

Collaboration & Professional Learning

• Participate actively in weekly professional learning communities, coaching cycles, and peer observations to continuously refine practice.
• Collaborate with grade-level teams and specialists to align curriculum, share best practices, and support interdisciplinary projects.
• Contribute to a positive, high-performing adult culture that values feedback, reflection, and collective responsibility for student achievement.

Leadership & Contribution Beyond the Classroom

• Lead enrichment opportunities such as art clubs, mural projects, or community exhibitions that extend learning beyond the classroom.
• Support and facilitate common school routines, including arrival and dismissal, lunch and recess duties, and transitions, ensuring safety, consistency, and a positive school culture.
• Lead a homeroom or advisory setting that fosters authentic relationships, builds community, and supports students’ social-emotional learning and development.
• Help design and implement school-wide systems, rituals, and traditions — including opportunities for student performance, exhibitions, and public demonstrations of learning — that build a strong, affirming school identity.
• Take initiative on school-wide projects and lead efforts to elevate the role of enrichment in ECPA's holistic educational model, demonstrating flexibility, innovation, and ownership in a dynamic school environment while modeling professionalism, adaptability, and a growth mindset.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher
• Valid teaching certification in Art Education or Elementary Education with arts endorsement (CT certification or eligibility for reciprocity 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 in which students feel safe, supported, and inspired to explore creatively
• Strong sense of reflection and personal accountability for student growth, achievement, and experience
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Demonstrated commitment to educational equity, youth development, social-emotional learning, restorative practices, and culturally responsive pedagogy
• Deep alignment with the mission and values of ECPA, including a resolute belief in the potential of every student

Preferred Qualifications

• 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 ELs 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 leveraging the arts to support early literacy, numeracy, and other forms of developmentally relevant and appropriate interdisciplinary learning

Mindsets We Value

Our team is passionately committed to the vision and values of Elevate Charter Schools and Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men. The ideal candidate will have a positive mindset, a very strong work ethic, an inner drive for excellence, and will thrive working in an entrepreneurial and results-driven environment. Additionally, we deeply value, and are actively seeking candidates who demonstrate, the following mindsets and beliefs:

• Mission-Driven: In addition to deeply aligning and embodying the mission and values of ECPA, you believe in the brilliance and promise of all students, particularly students of color, and want to be part of their success story.
• Growth-Oriented: You welcome feedback, are deeply reflective on your personal practices, and are constantly seeking to improve your craft.
• Entrepreneurial: You are flexible, solutions-focused, and energized by the opportunity to build something from the ground up.
• Collaborative: You thrive in a team-based culture and believe that collective effort drives school success.
• Commitment to Excellence: You hold yourself, and others, to the highest of standards and have a student-centric, “whatever it takes” mentality to create a learning community where all students and stakeholders can grow and thrive.

Pay

The salary range for the Middle School Art Teacher position is $50,500 to $90,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Benefits

In addition to competitive compensation, Elevate offers a range of comprehensive benefits packages to all regular, full-time employees at a competitive value.

Physical Requirements

This position requires the ability to perform the following physical activities with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Mobility: Ability to move around the school building and classrooms, attend meetings, and participate in professional development activities.
• Vision: Clear vision to engage with students and stakeholders in a variety of settings and to monitor classrooms/school environments for student safety and well-being.
• Hearing: Ability to hear conversations and presentations in various settings.
• Communication: Clear speech to effectively communicate with teachers, staff, administrators, and families/caregivers.
• Occasional Physical Demands: Ability to lift and carry light materials (such as books and documents), bend or reach to access files or materials, and stand for extended periods during meetings or presentations.
• Stamina: Ability to lead instruction across the school day with sustained energy and focus.

Elevate Charter Schools is committed to providing a supportive work environment and will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.