Head Teacher - Lower School

Head Teacher, 1st Grade

Start Date: August 31, 2026

Salary: $60,000 – $115,000

Schedule:

• 10-month position covered by the Professional Employees’ Federation (PEF)
• Regular schedule: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, with one extended day per week until 5:00 PM for section meetings

About Bank Street School for Children

A leader in progressive education for more than 100 years, the Bank Street School for Children provides students, from nursery through 8th grade, an education that engages their natural curiosity, nurtures critical thinking, and helps to develop a sense of community and social responsibility. Through a teaching approach that is fundamentally hands-on and child-centered, Bank Street students develop the courage and confidence to think independently, work collaboratively, understand themselves and others more deeply, and possess the compassion to make meaning of the world around them.

About the Position

The Bank Street School for Children is seeking a passionate and skilled Head Teacher for 1st Grade. This is a full-time, 10-month position in which the teacher takes primary responsibility for curriculum development, instruction, and assessment across all subject areas, while working closely with an Associate Teacher, subject-area specialists, and families. The Head Teacher will mentor the Associate Teacher and provide guidance for their professional growth. The ideal candidate is collaborative, child-centered, and deeply committed to progressive, equity-focused education with extensive experience teaching at the elementary level.

Key Responsibilities

Teaching and Curriculum Development

• Plan and teach lessons in all subject areas, including math, language arts, social studies, and science, aligned with children’s developmental needs and Bank Street’s progressive curriculum framework
• Design culturally responsive, interdisciplinary curriculum with special emphasis on social studies as the core of classroom life and learning
• Apply knowledge of strategy-based literacy and mathematics instruction; use data to differentiate learning for all students
• Design and maintain a materials-rich classroom environment that reflects the curriculum and the current work of the children
• Create and prepare materials that serve the curriculum
• Lead engaging morning meetings and community-building practices (e.g., Responsive Classroom) that support the social-emotional development of each child
• Use a range of instructional technologies to support and enhance student learning

Student Support and Assessment

• Enable the social-emotional, physical, and intellectual development of every child as a primary professional responsibility
• Meet the needs of the whole class while providing individualized instruction and support
• Collaborate with the student learning and support team, which includes learning specialists and a school psychologist, to support students with diverse learning needs
• Write two comprehensive narrative reports per year on each student’s progress, along with weekly classroom updates to families

Collaboration with Colleagues

• Mentor and provide weekly supervisory support to an Associate Teacher
• Serve as cooperating practitioner for graduate students placed in the classroom; plan cooperatively with the classroom team and hold weekly supervisory meetings
• Meet with graduate students