#collegebound

Join Our Team

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in applying to Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School. I hope you’ll find some helpful information in this packet that will answer most of any questions you might have. Clarksdale Collegiate is unapologetically a college preparatory school that exists to prepare scholars in the Mississippi Delta to excel in high school and college. Our school is in its second year of operation in Clarksdale and currently employs almost 40 staff members with an enrollment of 250 scholars from Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

As we look toward the future of full capacity of 675 scholars from Kindergarten through 8th grade in the year 2024, we will be adding several staff to accommodate this growth. If you are interested in joining our team in Clarksdale, please see our website for more information on how to join our team.

If you are someone who interested in making a lasting cultural and educational impact on a community that is desperate for opportunities for success, then look no further than our school and our community. I look forward to meeting you and sharing the impact of our work with you.

Amanda J. A. Johnson, Founder & Executive Director

Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School 1012 West Second Street Clarksdale, MS 38614 clarksdalecollegiate.org

Why Clarksdale Collegiate?

Join a team of committed educators who are working to raise the bar of what is possible in education in the Mississippi Delta and Mississippi’s first and only rural charter school.

Unparalleled Commitment to Teacher Development: We are committed to the support and development of each member of our staff. At the beginning of the school year, we come together for three weeks to collaborate, train, and build our strong culture and curriculum. We also provide 5 full days of professional development during the year, two hours of weekly professional development on Wednesdays, and weekly individualized teacher coaching.

Constant Improvement of School Design: Through an iterative, data-driven process, and constant focus on self-reflection, honesty and growth, we are constantly improving our school design and seeking to grow. All team members play a role in founding and shaping Clarksdale Collegiate.

Character Development: Every Clarksdale Collegiate Team member demonstrates our core values of Curiosity, Optimism, Gratitude, Grit, Self-Control, Social Intelligence, and Zest.

Jubilant Environment: We love our work and it shows every day, in everything that we do. Who are we looking for? Growth Mindset: Learning never stops. Growth happens for everyone, every High capacity individuals excited to work hard to build a day, students and staff alike. We believe there is no failure, structured, ambitious, and only feedback and new opportunity. jubilant school of excellence will thrive. We are a growth-oriented Pathways to Leadership: workplace, and seek individuals We offer teachers the ability to grow into teacher leaders eager to push themselves through our grade level lead role. We believe in the professionally and personally to opportunity to build leadership skills through leading new levels professional development and instructional coaching.

clarksdalecollegiate.org/join-our-team/ Our Mission Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School prepares kindergarten through 8th-grade scholars in the Mississippi Delta to excel in high school and college by providing rigorous instruction within a structured, ambitious, and jubilant school community.

Structured. Ambitious. Jubilant. clarksdalecollegiate.org Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School prepares scholars in the Mississippi Delta to excel in high school and college by providing rigorous instruction within a structured, ambitious, and jubilant school community.

OUR COMMITMENT

We will provide a structured and safe learning environment for all scholars by establishing and consistently reinforcing routines and procedures. We will set ambitious academic and behavioral expectations and work relentlessly to support all scholars in meeting those expectations. We will make learning fun and create space for jubilance throughout the school day. We will provide high-quality instruction on college preparatory standards and use assessments and data purposely to support scholar achievement. We will be constant learners to ensure we become better teachers and leaders for all scholars. We will embrace families as partners by communicating regularly and by making ourselves available.

Clarksdale Collegiate Offers:

College Prep Curriculum Focus on Literacy Character Development Co-curricular classes like art, music, and “Tinkering Lab” Special Education Services Communication with Families Extended Learning Time Monthly experiences that get scholars out of the classroom to expand on the material that they are learning Transportation What are Charter Schools? What are charter schools?

• Charter schools are independent public schools that are held accountable for improved student achievement. • Charter schools are public schools that are free and open to any student. • Charter schools have decision-making powers over key issues like curriculum, finances, and hiring. • Children have different ways of learning, and charter schools offer families a wider variety of options to serve those differences. • Charter schools increase the professional autonomy of teachers to explore innovative ways to educate children. Who can attend public charter schools?

• Charter schools are publicly funded, tuition-free public schools of choice. • Public charter schools have a fair and open admissions process, conducting outreach and recruitment to all subgroups of the community they serve. If enrollment requests exceed the number of seats available, the school holds a public lottery to determine who will attend. • In Mississippi, charter schools serve significantly higher percentages of minority or economically disadvantaged students than the traditional public schools. Who oversees charter schools? How are they evaluated?

• Charter schools are authorized and monitored by the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board. Each year, every charter school must demonstrate academic achievement, as well as fiscal and legal compliance with state laws and regulations, or face closure. • Charter schools must abide by the same high stakes testing policies as traditional public schools. All charter schools are subject to Mississippi’s School Accountability System. This means two things. o First, charter school students are subject to the same high stakes tests and promotional policies as all other Mississippi public school students including federal No Child Left Behind testing requirements. o Second, charter schools are part of Mississippi’s “letter grades” system for all public schools. • Charter schools are governed by a public, volunteer nonprofit board that must comply with open meeting laws, providing a forum for parents and community members to discuss the schools’ operations.

**There are currently 6 authorized public charter schools in Mississippi as of the 2019-2020 school year. Why move to Clarksdale?

“Clarksdale is a community that desperately needs and welcomes fresh faces with fresh ideas…it’s the perfect place for someone that wants to build something . YOU are needed here and the possibilities for impacting the community are great.” --Quotes from Clarksdale residents The Need:

Nearly 36% of persons in Coahoma County, MS are living in poverty. The federal poverty line is $25,750 a year for a household of four. 42% of residents with less than a high school education are living in poverty. This percentage decreases as higher levels of education are attained with a ‘bachelors degree or greater’ going down to 13% of the population in poverty. Almost 20% of the Clarksdale community who have no more than a high school education are unemployed. The unemployment rate decreases with degrees of education attained above a high school education with a bachelors or greater decreasing to 4% of the population. Greater levels of educational attainment lead to lower probabilities of living in poverty and a greater chance of employment. The need for high-quality education is great in Clarksdale.

Be a part of the solution of providing more high-quality educational opportunities for children in Clarksdale!

Clarksdale is… Where Community is Family

There is a lot to be said for the people in a small, close-knit community. Just like families surround each other in times of crisis and celebration, the Clarksdale community quickly takes in newcomers and does so with a level of Southern Hospitality unique to the Mississippi Delta.

Where Culture Runs Deep

Ranked #4 on USA Today’s Best Historic Small Towns, Clarksdale is the Birthplace of the Blues and Rock & Roll, the land where Cotton was King, former home to the Choctaw and Chickasaw people, a cultural hub for Lebanese, Italian, Chinese and Jewish families, the place where the single-row mechanical cotton-picking machine was perfected, home of local pharmacist, former state president of the NAACP and local Civil Rights activist Aaron Henry, former childhood home to Mississippi writer Tennessee Williams, home of the world’s only museum dedicated to blues music - the Delta Blues Museum, and home to live music 365 days a year with dozens of annual festivals. If that isn’t enough for you, get out and explore the agriculture, parks, waterways (including the Mighty Mississippi River) and hunting land that Coahoma County has to offer. You’ll be immersed in a richer concentration of culture than you’ll find in most places.

Where A Little Goes A Long Way

With a median income of $31,540 and median home value of $66,800, Clarksdale is the second most cost-efficient place to live in Mississippi. But don’t think that means there is not a lot for you. Your money goes a long way in Clarksdale’s incredible local restaurants, merchants and businesses, and housing market. If you find something missing in Clarksdale, you are within an hour in all directions of 6 different major Delta towns (and 2 other states), cultural hubs like Oxford, MS; Southaven, MS; and Memphis, TN (with the Memphis International Airport). Expand your drive to three hours and you’ll find yourself in places such as Little Rock, AR; Jackson, TN; Tupelo, MS; Monroe, LA and Mississippi state capital Jackson, MS.

Where Things Slow Down

Life in the South runs at a much slower pace than most other parts of the United States. When moving from a larger city, you might find that it takes you a little while to stop running circles around everyone else. However, once you are able to take a few deep breaths and catch an incredible Delta sunset, you’ll realize that it’s okay to get stuck behind a cotton combine on the highway and you’ll find the charm that makes Clarksdale a place where people move to stay and build families.

Where You Become a Hero

If you are looking for a place where your voice matters, where change can be seen after a short investment, and where opportunity is endless, look no further than Clarksdale. There are opportunities for artists, writers, builders, musicians, athletes, public servants, philanthropists, advocates, and everything in between. You can make lasting change that impacts a community both in your job and in your public, civic life. You can be a part of educating the future of Clarksdale and helping the children of today break the poverty cycle for their future families.

Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States, and seat of the county. The western boundary of the county is formed by the Mississippi River. Located in the Mississippi Delta region, Clarksdale is an agricultural and trading center. It has been home to many blues musicians. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, who founded the city in the mid-19th century. Clarksdale, Mississippi's estimated population is 15,304 according to the most recent United States census estimates. Clarksdale, Mississippi is the 26th largest city in Mississippi based on official 2017 estimates from the US Census Bureau.

A Day in the Life

Our teachers are ambitious educators who do whatever it takes for our scholars to reach their highest potential. We want our teachers to have rich lives within and outside of the school and we work to build a calendar and schedule that supports that. Below is a sample schedule for a first grade teacher.

Arrival and Prep Planning 7:15 Teachers arrive by 7:15 each day. Teachers use time 12:15 Teachers review and prepare for upcoming lessons. before school to prepare for the day. Once per week teachers have a one-on-one meeting with their manager during planning time to continue to work on their development. Staff Morning Huddle 7:20 Each morning, we kick the day off in a short standing meeting, known as staff huddle. During this time we CGI receive important announcements, review key skill 12:45 Teachers facilitate scholars in solving a math word that the staff is prioritizing, and celebrate our team. problem using Cognitively Guided Instruction process.

Scholar Arrival Math 7:30 Teachers welcome scholars at their class door while 1:15 Teachers use Eureka math to teach a Common monitoring breakfast and brain breakfast (work to get Core-aligned math lesson. the scholars thinking right off the bat!). Planning Morning Meeting 2:15 Teachers have another opportunity to work on 8:00 Teachers lead scholars in reading morning message, preparing for upcoming lessons. chanting school and college chants, setting or monitoring goals, and silent reflection. Independent Enrichment 3:15 Teachers work with a small group of scholars who Reading & Integrated Science or need academic interventions while the other scholars work on Code.org for their independent enrichment 8:15 Social Studies activity or participate in homework detention. Teachers teach Core Knowledge Listening and Learning Strand, which includes read aloud and a discussion. Dismissal 4:00 Teachers transition scholars to dismissal and support the dismissal process. Literacy Rotation 1 and 2 9:00 Teachers teach Core Knowledge Language Arts Skills Strand which includes phonemic awareness, phonics, Prep and handwriting instruction. The teacher works with 4:15 Teachers use this time to prepare for the next day. Two half of the class while the other scholars read days per week teachers keep a scholar or small group independently or work on Lexia, a blended learning for remediation until 4:45. literacy program.

Writing 11:00 Teachers teach the writing and grammar components of Core Knowledge Language Arts Strand.

Lunch 11:45 Teachers enjoy their lunch.

clarksdalecollegiate.org/join-our-team/ How Do I Apply?

To apply for employment at Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School, please see our website (clarksdalecollegiate.org) and click on “Join Our Team”. On that page you will find some more information about employment at Clarksdale Collegiate. When you are ready, click “Apply Now” and fill out the form.

Step One: Application Once you have found a role that inspires you, apply using the link below. Here you will submit basic information, a resume, and answer a few short questions.

Step Two: Phone Interview If your application is deemed a strong fit for Clarksdale Collegiate, we will contact you to set up a phone interview via video conferencing. The phone interview will cover your experience, aspirations, and mindsets about education.

Step Three: Performance Task After a successful phone interview, we send you a performance task that is aligned to the work you will do in your chosen role, such as teaching a sample lesson.

Step Four: In-Person Interview Candidates who submit excellent performance tasks will be invited to campus for a formal in-person interview. The day, you will teach a demonstration lesson and, after receiving feedback and debriefing the lesson, you will have the opportunity to reteach the lesson. The day will also include a more comprehensive interview. During this interview, you can expect scenario-based, problem-solving questions to determine a candidate’s self-reflection, commitment to relentless pursuit of results, critical thinking ability, and performance under pressure.

Step Five: Reference Checks The final step in our process are short conversations with the candidate’s references.

Step Six: An Offer To Join The Team Candidates who make it to step six will receive an offer to join the team!

We hope to be fully staffed for the 2020-21 School Year by June 1, 2020

clarksdalecollegiate.org/join-our-team/ 1012 West Second Street Clarksdale, MS 38614 clarksdalecollegiate.org