Job Description

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 and their advisor from Graduate Programs three times per semester, depending on their degree program
• Collaborate with subject-area specialists (art, music, library, shop, P.E./movement, Spanish) to design and implement curriculum
• Participate in weekly age-group and all-staff meetings; meet regularly with your division supervisor

Family and Community Engagement

• Hold two formal parent–teacher conferences per year and remain available for additional meetings as needed
• Communicate regularly with families about student progress, classroom life, and school events
• Work collaboratively with parents to increase mutual knowledge and understanding of the children
• Welcome daily classroom visitors and observers as part of Bank Street’s commitment to open, transparent schooling
• Serve as a resource for visiting groups as requested

School Community Responsibilities

• Fulfill community duties including lunch supervision, recess, arrival and dismissal, early morning care, and bus duty
• Support school coverage needs by assisting across the division as needed
• Assist with event planning, class trips, assemblies, and special programs
• Complete all required documentation, records, and administrative tasks in a timely manner
• Contribute to College-wide committee work and divisional and institutional program development and evaluation as appropriate
• Perform additional duties as assigned by a supervisor

Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in Education or a related field
• Extensive teaching experience at the elementary level
• Deep knowledge of and commitment to progressive education
• Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, and social justice
• Strong written and oral communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
• Knowledge of and experience delivering strategy-based literacy and math instruction
• Skill in designing data-driven, differentiated instruction
• Experience developing hands-on, developmentally appropriate curriculum
• Experience leading morning meetings and building classroom community (e.g., Responsive Classroom)
• Initiative, creativity, flexibility, and collaboration
• Warmth, humor, and optimism
• Experience mentoring or supervising Associate Teachers or student teachers
• Familiarity with Bank Street’s approach to integrated, child-centered curriculum
• Experience working with 1st grade students specifically

Bank Street is a leader in education, a pioneer in improving the quality of classroom practice, and a national advocate for children and their families.
Since its beginnings in 1916, Bank Street has been at the forefront of understanding how children learn and grow. From early childhood centers and schools to hospitals and museums, Bank Street has built a national reputation on the simple fact that our graduates know how to do the work that is right for children.
At Bank Street’s Graduate School of Education, students are trained in a model that combines the study of human development, learning theory, and sustained clinical placement to promote significant development as a teacher prior to graduation. Our children’s programs—Bank Street School for Children, Family Center, Bank Street Head Start, and Liberty LEADS—foster children’s development in the broadest sense by providing diverse opportunities for social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth. The Bank Street Education Center disrupts inequity through system-level change to help design better educational experiences for both children and adults. The College further supports and influences positive outcomes for children every day through professional development programs, research projects, and other key efforts engaging educators, intermediary organizations, and government officials at the district, state, and federal levels.