Faculty, BEAM Summer

The mission of BEAM is to create pathways for students from low-income and underserved communities to become scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists. Led by staff with these same technical backgrounds, BEAM believes that pathways to STEM careers are created through community, individual support, and access to advanced work that typically lies outside most school curricula. We work to directly support students and to transition them to other supportive enrichment programs that enable their future success.

BEAM's model provides continuous support from middle school through college graduation, including intense academic summer programs for middle school students (after 6th and 7th grade), weekend classes and mentoring, and STEM-focused support through college. Our program includes not just access to learning advanced math but also support finding and applying to other opportunities, including support with college admissions and financial aid.

In addition to our academic content, bringing students into community is a key part of our mission and all of our work is designed to support that goal.

BEAM has grown from a small summer program serving 17 students in the summer of 2011 to a year-round, national program, serving 420+ students at six summer program sites and 600+ students in year-round programming in New York City and Los Angeles this school year. In addition, our BEAM National pilot program now reaches over 500 elementary‑aged students in seven different states, working to create a new nationwide pathway modeled on our local work.

With our strategic plan, our team has committed to transforming the organization from a successful startup to a more mature and scalable organization that can drive change across the country.

BEAM Summer Away is a cornerstone of BEAM’s 10-year Pathway Program, providing a residential math experience where students grow as problem solvers, learners, and community members.

• Pure Topics: Abstract ideas such as graph theory, combinatorics, number theory, tessellations, and symmetry. Focus is on reasoning, proofs, and stretching mathematical imagination.
• Applied Topics: Connect math to the real world through circuits, programming, data, voting theory, or modeling. Show students how math explains and solves practical challenges.
• Strategic Math Thinking: Contest‑style puzzling that builds creative problem‑solving techniques, pattern recognition, and systematic reasoning.
• Solving Big Problems: Deep, collaborative problem sets that build endurance, pattern hunting, case analysis, and introductory proof structures. This is BEAM’s only semi‑scripted course.

We are looking for math and STEM educators who love working with middle schoolers and are excited to join a residential community. This role encompasses teaching, community engagement, and partnership with counselors and site leadership. Faculty design and teach their own courses, participate fully in camp life, collaborate with academic coaches, and help maintain a supportive, structured environment.

• Design engaging, student‑centered math courses aligned to BEAM Summer Away offerings.
• Prepare daily lesson plans, problem solutions, and materials in advance.
• Adapt instruction for the specific learners in your classroom.
• Incorporate practices that support multilingual learners using visuals, structured reasoning, and language‑accessible explanations.
• Maintain pacing expectations and collaborate with coaches when adjustments are needed.
• Establish and maintain classroom norms and routines that promote student inquiry, persistence, and collaboration.
• Use restorative, respectful redirection aligned with BEAM’s behavior expectations.
• Partner with TAs during class for student support, behavior management, and transitions.
• Apply the BEAM behavior escalation process and involve leadership when needed.

• Participate in coaching cycles including observations, debrief meetings, and implementing feedback.
• Attend academic collaboration sessions to align on pacing, goals, and instructional priorities.
• Work…