Teacher - Vocational Tech [Design and Visual Communications], Gr. 9-12 (SY26-27)

The Boston Arts Academy, a public high school for the visual and performing arts, with students in Grades 9-12. It is a joint project of the Professional Arts Consortium, Inc.,comprising the Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston Architectural Center, Emerson College Massachusetts College of Arts, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts) and the Boston Public Schools. Boston Arts Academy serves as a laboratory and a beacon for artistic and academic innovation, preparing a diverse community of aspiring artist scholars to be successful in their college or professional careers and to be engaged members of a democratic society.

This innovative school features a college preparatory curriculum supporting integrated and interdisciplinary teaching and learning among arts and academic disciplines. Students explore the arts in both traditional and new media forms. The Academy’s program is enriched by the involvement of the six members of the Professional Arts Consortium. Both the program and the student body at Boston Arts Academy, reflect the culture, ethnic and linguistic diversity of Boston.

BAA is an autonomous school within the BPS that holds Pilot School status. This allows us autonomy over our schedule, staffing, budget, governance, and curriculum. As a result, we have an Election to Work Agreement (EWA), which outlines the ways in which we leverage our autonomy, with specific attention to additional working days, hours, and other working conditions that fall outside of the BTU/BPS contract. Teachers who choose to work at BAA do so with the understanding that our Election to Work Agreement establishes expectations beyond the standard BTU contract, including additional professional development days, extended learning time, and a commitment to our full inclusion model. BTU members are required to work an additional 146 hours above the contracted time. That time includes attending 2 days of professional development before the BTU start day in August, attending 2.5 additional days of professional development in June beyond the contracted days, and attending a weekly hour department meeting outside of the contracted hours.

Job Overview:

Boston Arts Academy seeks a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Design & Visual Communications Teacher to lead an innovative, industry-responsive program for students in grades 9–12 within a full inclusion studio classroom. This educator will prepare students for success in the evolving fields of graphic design, digital media, and visual communication by teaching contemporary design practices, emerging technologies, and creative problem-solving skills.

The ideal candidate will design curriculum that reflects the rapidly changing professional landscape — including artificial intelligence in design, social media content creation, digital production workflows, branding, and multimedia storytelling. This teacher will also play a central role in developing high-quality work-based learning experiences and ensuring compliance with all CTE Chapter 74 requirements, including Perkins grant planning, Skills Library documentation, and guaranteeing that every student completes at least 100 hours of work-based learning by senior year.

This role requires collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of arts and academic educators to design innovative, interdisciplinary learning experiences that prepare students to be emerging multidisciplinary artist-scholars and global citizens.

Boston Public Schools (BPS) seeks an exceptional Vocational Tech [Design and Visual Communications] Teacher who is highly qualified and knowledgeable to join our community of teachers, learners, and leaders. This is an exciting opportunity for teachers who desire to serve where their efforts matter. In BPS, the teachers and leaders are committed to the vision of high expectations for achievement, equal access to high levels of instruction, the achievement of academic proficiency for all students, and the closing of the achievement gap among subgroups within the schools. BPS is a great place for those who seek to work in an environment that supports their creativity and innovation, and respects their skills and abilities as a teacher.

Reports to: Principal/Head of School

Responsibilities

Teach: Vocational Tech [Design and Visual Communications]

Instruction & Curriculum

• Teach full inclusion Design & Visual Communications courses aligned with Chapter 74 frameworks.
  
• Develop and implement a four-year CTE curriculum that builds technical and creative skills in graphic design, branding, typography, layout, digital illustration, motion graphics, social media content creation, and multimedia storytelling.
  
• Integrate emerging industry tools and technologies, including AI-assisted design tools, digital production platforms, and evolving design software (Adobe Creative Cloud and beyond).
  
• Prepare students to produce professional-quality portfolios for college, careers, and freelance pathways.
  
• Develop and manage innovative work-based learning opportunities, including internships, client-based projects, job shadowing, and industry partnerships.
  
• Ensure all students complete a minimum of 100 hours of work-based learning by the end of senior year.
  
• Build partnerships with creative agencies, media organizations, colleges, and design professionals.
  
• Collaborate with visual arts, performing arts, and academic teachers to design interdisciplinary projects and exhibitions that are presented after school, once a month.
  
• Support school-wide productions, showcases, and exhibitions through visual communication, branding, and media production by collaborating with teams to gather marketing needs and support DVC students in designing marketing materials for shows, social media, and other experiences across the school.
  
• Contribute to the development of innovative experiences for students as multidisciplinary artists.
• CTE Compliance & Program Management
• Maintain compliance with all Chapter 74 CTE requirements.
• Document student competencies in the Skills Library.
• Develop and manage the annual CTE Perkins budget.
• Collect and analyze student performance and credentialing data to support program improvement.
• Student Support & School Community
• Differentiate instruction for English learners and students with IEPs and 504 plans.
• Work with support staff to implement accommodations and modifications.
• Communicate regularly with families about student progress.
• Lead an advisory group of 10–12 students, providing mentorship and advocacy.
• Attend required family meetings and school events.
• Complete general teaching and administrative responsibilities.
• Accountability for Student Achievement

Core Competencies:

Using the Rubric of Effective Teaching, the Office of Human Capital has identified priority skills and abilities that all BPS teachers should possess:

(II-A-1. Quality of Effort and Work, II-D-2. High Expectations, I-B-2. Adjustments to Practice)

• Sets ambitious learning goals for all students, creates cognitively demanding tasks, and models the belief that all students can master challenging material through effective effort
• Assesses students’ understanding regularly with ambitious learning goals in mind and takes ownership of making necessary adjustments to instruction to reach goals despite setbacks
• Passionate and optimistic about their students, their content, and the teaching profession
• Communicating Content Knowledge

(I-A-1. Subject Matter Knowledge, I-A-4. Well-Structured Lessons)

• Demonstrates mastery of and enthusiasm for the content area and the pedagogy it requires
• Demonstrates understanding of how the subject matter applies in real-world settings and connects to other content areas and relevant standards
• Can convey content in creative and engaging ways that align to standards
• Equitable & Effective Instruction

(II-A-3. Meeting Diverse Needs, II-A-2. Student Engagement, II-B-1. Safe Learning Environment)

• Scaffolds and differentiates instruction in order for all students to do complex thinking and rigorous academic work
• Uses instructional practices that are likely to challenge, motivate, and engage all students and facilitate equitable, active student participation
• Builds a productive learning environment where every student participates and is valued as part of the class community
• Cultural Proficiency

(II-C-1. Respects Differences, II-C-2. Maintains a Respectful Environment)

• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected
• Parent/Family Engagement

(III-A-1. Parent/Family Engagement)

• Engages with families and builds collaborative, respectful relationships with them in service of student learning
• Professional Reflection & Collaboration

(IV-A-1. Reflective Practice, IV-C-1. Professional Collaboration)

• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development
• Seeks to participate in and contribute to a collaborative adult learning community.

Qualifications - Required

• Education: Bachelor's degree in audio production
• Employment experience: At least four years of professional experience
• Occupational License/ Industry Certification:Chapter 74 Certification in Design & Visual Communications or ability to obtain certification

• Professional experience in graphic design, digital media, visual communications, or a related field.

• Demonstrated experience with social media content creation, digital branding, or multimedia production.

• Strong organizational skills to manage CTE compliance tasks and work-based learning experiences.

• Experience using industry-standard tools (Adobe Creative Cloud and other relevant and emerging platforms).

• Demonstrated ability to work with students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

• Commitment to culturally responsive teaching and diversity in arts education.

• Strong collaboration skills within multidisciplinary teams.

• Ability to earn a Massachusetts Vocational Tech Teaching License in the appropriate subject (9-14) by achieving a passing score on the subject-specific written and performance exams and achieving a passing score on one of the literacy skills MTELs.
• Ability to earn Massachusetts Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement
• Ability to meet the Standards of Effective Teaching established by the BPS as outlined above.
• Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.

Qualifications - Preferred

• Experience teaching in urban schools and/or an industry setting

• Experience as an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary artist.

• Has OSHA-10 certification or is willing to earn it
• Possesses industry-recognized credentials that are part of the curriculum and the ability to train students to earn those credentials
• BPS values linguistic diversity and believes that candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity. BPS is particularly interested in candidates who are fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, & Somali.
• In order to best serve all students, BPS prefers all core content teachers to be certified in their subject area and one or both of the following: Moderate Disabilities, English as a Second Language (at the appropriate grade level(s)).

Terms: BTU, Group I

Please refer to the BPS website for more information on salary and compensation. Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

The start and end times of BPS schools vary, as do the lengths of the school day. Some BPS schools have a longer school day through the "Schedule A" Expanded Learning Time (ELT) agreement.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics, natural or protective hairstyle, military status, immigration status, English language proficiency, or any other factor prohibited by law in its programs and activities. BPS does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to work or learn. If you require an accommodation pursuant to the ADA for the application process, please contact the Accommodations Unit at accommodations@bostonpublicschools.org.