Bridge Boston has been dedicated to educator development since opening 2011. Originally known as the “Teaching Fellows” program, Bridge has supported over 50 developing educators in their careers over nearly 15 years.
BridgeYou
BridgeYou is a branch of Bridge Boston Charter School BBCS. It is its own Professional Learning “university,” run by the Director of Professional Learning. It is driven to help eradicate poverty and close DEIB gaps in education through professional development initiatives and programming that promotes growth and advancing opportunities for the adults who are connected to BBCS students.
Cohorts including new teachers, TAs, ABAs, tutors, and subs receive coaching in responsive classroom tools, best practices, and more. MTEL prep courses are provided for those interested in achieving all levels of MA teaching licenses.
Resident Teacher Program
The Resident Teacher Program (RTP) is specifically designed by BBCS to provide opportunities for entry level educators who have interest in growing into an effective, best-practice centered, well-prepared lead teachers. The program is grounded in pedagogy, best practices, cultural awareness and real life hands-on learning. The goal is to help people be as prepared as possible to lean into teaching as a new lead with a year of experience from day 1. We do this to fulfill our commitment to diversifying the demographics of current lead teacher populations in the education field.
BBCS employee who complete the Induction Year with success can qualify for 2-3 years of full-time, cohort style, Tuesday courses. Successful completion is measured by evaluations, body of work and observed level of commitment to the process and to one’s own development.
Growth Opportunities at BBCS
Every Wednesday, educators meet to discuss curriculum and lesson planning. We additionally offer weekly professional development & observations focusing on instruction, student data, & best practices. Growth opprotunties are additionally available for specific roles.
Associate Teachers & Academic Tutors
Assistant Teachers and Academic Tutors are provided the opportunity to be further involved in our community for additional hourly compensation. These educators, along with Lead Teachers, support our Extended Day Program, Summer Program, and Acceleration Academies (Winter & Spring Break), lead after-school clubs, coach sports, provide translation services, and more.
Lead Teacher plus
Our Lead Teacher Plus Program supports our highest-performing teachers in modeling instructional practices that result in exceptional student achievement and teaching across our school building.
We offer further leadership opportunities fort these educators to make an impact in our school community:
PROBLEM OF PRACTICE TEAM
Known affectionately as the “PoP Squad,” this team works on an annual basis to identify a single problem of practice that cuts across multiple grade levels and subject areas at Bridge Boston relating to an area Bridge would like for students to achieve.
They work with our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) to build a school-wide scope and sequence of the curriculum and tools to support teachers - rubrics, readings, lesson plans, et cetera.
Once approved, the team designs and leads up to five professional development workshops for departments and grade-level teams, supporting their efforts through data collection and progress monitoring.
LITERACY TASK FORCE
The core responsibility of the LTF is to drive BBCS’ Literacy Response to Intervention (RTI) program - a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. Over the course of the school year, they develop and lead five whole-school professional development sessions on:
The use of data to support teachers in constructing literacy intervention groups
Specific instructional content and strategies to use during small group literacy interventions
Data collection and progress monitoring
The LTF supplements these sessions by creating tools and best practice resources, including lesson templates, videos, and observation/coaching forms, and holding regular office hours for teachers to receive extra support on their literacy interventions.
DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
In addition to their role as lead teachers, Department Chairs serve as the primary coach/supervisor of the teachers in their departments - ELA, Math, Science, Athletics, and Music. This position is responsible for the implementation of curriculum and instructional practices that result in exceptional student achievement and teaching.
With the support of the Chief Academic Officer and Division Directors, department chairs are responsible for instructional coaching, targeted professional development, vertical alignment of curriculum, and coordinating academic intervention for students with high needs.
Our Compensation Structure
Bridge Boston Charter School is committed to recruiting, developing and retaining high-performing teachers. To that end, in 2020 BBCS announced a new teacher compensation system that ensures teachers at Bridge Boston are among the highest paid charter school teachers in the Boston area. The system includes a transparent teacher salary scale that provides qualifying teachers who have met certain state licensure requirements with a competitive base salary based on their years of teaching experience. This salary scale provides qualifying teachers with an 8% increase in salary after their 3rd through 5th year of teaching and a 5% increase after their 7th through 10th year of teaching. Many teachers at Bridge Boston also receive additional stipends on top of their base salary, such as a $2,000 stipend for teachers who assume positions in identified Hard to Fill roles.
Bridge Boston is committed to ensuring that its salary scale remains competitive with other charter schools in Boston, and will therefore review the salary scale on a regular basis and adjust it as needed. As part of its efforts to retain its highest-performing teachers, Bridge Boston has launched a “Lead Teacher Plus” salary scale for teachers that remain in the classroom but take on increased responsibilities associated with coaching and developing educators at BBCS.
BBCS TEACHER SALARY SCALE
join our team
Bridge Boston Charter School is a tuition-free, K1-8 public school serving 335 students in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and the surrounding community– many of whom have experienced social, emotional, and developmental barriers to learning. Bridge Boston’s robust social-emotional program is designed with an eye to supporting students who have experienced trauma in their homes and communities.
Bridge is committed to a positive culture of learning, growing, and working together. We’re seeking applicants aligned with our mission and vision and are passionate about personal and career growth. Sound like you? Reach out to our HR team.