Lead Kindergarten Teacher

At KIPP Michigan, we are guided by a simple, yet powerful mission:
Together with families and communities we create joyful academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose--college, career, and beyond--so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Currently, KIPP Michigan operates 1 school: KIPP Detroit Imani Academy [Elementary School]. KIPP Detroit Imani Academy is the state of Michigan’s first KIPP school. And the first KIPP school in the city of Detroit. KIPP Detroit Imani Academy opened in the fall of 2022 in the Warrendale neighborhood on the west side of Detroit.

We believe the destiny of students from Detroit are limitless and students should not be bound by their circumstances. Unfortunately, in America, there is still a link between socioeconomic status and educational attainment. KIPP Detroit Imani Academy seeks to eradicate this injustice. KIPP Detroit Imani Academy will become the highest performing school in the city of Detroit; and, to do so, we attract, develop and retain a diverse and talented staff of educators.

Our students and families will choose our schools because our teachers are exceptional educators who work together as a collective to ensure students achieve and thrive. For more data and information about our successes and vision for the future, visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..org

In school year , KIPP Imani launched with Kindergarten and has added grades each year; it will, eventually serve students in grades K-5. The founding team at KIPP Imani has included Grade-Level teachers, Diverse Learning teachers, Paraprofessionals and Elective Teachers. KIPP Imani will also be supported by an operations team and student support team to ensure a strong foundation for the school’s continued founding and growth.

Lead Kindergarten Teachers understand that critical foundations for school and student success are built at the kindergarten level. At KDIA, this means we expect kindergarten teachers to create the conditions for KIPPsters to exit Kindergarten reading. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, we expect instructional excellence and strong culture in all classrooms. To support these aims and beliefs, Lead Kindergarten teachers at KDIA share their classrooms with Co-Teachers.

The purpose of a Lead & Co model is to create a student:teacher ratio that maximizes individualized attention which yields student mastery; especially, at this critical foundational grade.

Our expectations for teachers at KDIA include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Share a commitment to the success of the mission, vision and goals of the KIPP Detroit Imani Academy
• A belief that all students can and will learn and be successful at our schools
• Demonstrate genuine concern for the students and the staff by maintaining high personal standards and strong work ethic
• An understanding that organizational success is accomplished in collaboration and cooperation with teammates
• Maintain standards of professionalism and ethical behavior/decision-making that help create a results-driven culture of joy and belonging amongst teammates
• Being consistent and reliable; attendance is an essential function to assure the proper operation of KIPP Detroit Imani Academy
• Practice a growth mindset about oneself and all others at the school, including seeking help and engaging in self-reflection in order to constantly refine one’s own teaching
• Set specific, ambitious growth targets for all students and identify and leverage all necessary resources to ensure they meet them
• Use best practices to backwards plan weekly and daily instruction that is tightly aligned to prescribed unit objectives and student needs as demonstrated by assessment data
• Assess students daily, weekly, and at the ends of units and analyze shared assessment data through school-wide systems
• Use best practices, including differentiation with instructional technology and other techniques, to execute engaging instruction at a level rigorous for all students
• Collaborate throughout each day with grade level and content teams, sharing responsibility for student mastery
• A commitment…