Teaching Artist, RE:ALIZE Program – Part Time/Temporary Role 

Job Number:

24000320 

Posting Date

: Jul 29, 2024, 10:16:30 PM

Primary Location

: West Side-936 North Ashland Avenue (Wells Community Academy HS)

Position Type: Temporary Position

Overtime Status

: Non-exempt

JOB DESCRIPTION ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Department of Arts Education (DAE) champions high-quality arts education by providing arts learning opportunities for students, strengthening teacher and administrator capacity, and promoting policies that expand equitable access to the arts for all students.

The CPS Department of Arts Education and Wells Community Academy High School partner to present RE:ALIZE, the premier early college arts program in Chicago. Drawing Juniors and Seniors without robust arts access at their home schools to Columbia College Chicago and the Wells campus, RE:ALIZE provides a two-year sequence of standards-based, culturally relevant, rigorous coursework and currently offers pathways in Theatre or Visual Arts. In addition to completing 12 college credits in their artistic discipline through Dual Enrollment courses, RE:ALIZE students will participate in weekly workshops facilitated by a Teaching Artist, and complete work-based learning opportunities within their field. Each student graduates as an artistically-minded, analytical lifelong learner whose RE:ALIZE experience culminates in the presentation of a Senior Portfolio.

Job Summary:

RE:ALIZE program Teaching Artists will serve as advanced practice interdisciplinary arts educators focused in either theatre arts or visual arts. This role will serve as a mentor teacher for a cohort of 20 CPS students participating in the RE:ALIZE program, providing weekly workshops for their students, and working collaboratively with those students to promote the artists’ habits of mind, and making connections among the students’ Columbia College theater and visual arts courses and each student’s lived experiences. Over the course of their two-school-year commitment, each Teaching Artist will have the opportunity to work in partnership with the Wells Arts Department Educators, supporting arts-integrated experiences for the Wells community with their finger on the pulse of Chicago’s art scene.

This part-time/temporary position will be compensated for time worked on an hourly basis. The work schedule for this role will consist of an estimated 16 – 25 hours per week for an anticipated period of two school years, including summer training, from July 2024 – June 2025 and July 2024 – June 2025. Due to the part-time/temporary nature of this work, this is not a benefit-eligible position. Teaching Artists will report to the RE:ALIZE Program Manager.

The RE:ALIZE Teaching Artist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Develop and implement curriculum for RE:ALIZE workshops that complement learning from Columbia College Chicago and develop and implement arts integration plans in collaboration with Wells instructors
• Maintain a regular schedule of onsite workshop hours and student mentorship and support with a cohort of 20 RE:ALIZE students and arts integration implementation with the Wells student community
• Embed interdisciplinary contemporary arts practice in the school through collaborative projects, site-specific works, and sharing your practice with the Wells/RE:ALIZE community
• Engage the Wells community in at least one collaborative project, showcase or exhibit per school year
• Work with the Program Manager and Program Coordinator to leverage the skills and knowledge students obtain during their coursework at Columbia College and their RE:ALIZE workshops at Wells.
• Facilitate student-directed projects that will allow student participants further personal development in their chosen art form, activate student voice and agency, cultivate the artists’ habits of mind through art making, and challenge them to think critically about the work they are making
• In collaboration with the Program Manager, ensure the successful implementation of visiting artists, and professionals into day-to-day workshops to support student experience and success
• Collaborate with the Department of Arts Education to align instruction and learning activities to the district’s major initiatives and strategies, including CPS Instructional Core, Illinois Arts Learning Standards, Arts Professional Learning foci, and other key frameworks
• Attend and contribute to summer staff development workshops, new student orientation, regularly scheduled staff meetings, and other professional responsibilities
• Participate in bi-weekly planning sessions with the Program Manager to ensure programmatic alignment and progress monitoring
• Participate in, and contribute to, monthly staff meetings
• Maintain and share documentation of RE:ALIZE-related projects and activities with program administrators and students
• Participate in school-based or district training, and/or contribute to occasional professional development workshops either on-site at Wells or district-wide, as needed
• Supervise workshop spaces while students complete independent projects in order to support student-specific projects, safety, and adherence to general school expectations
• Supervise students during transitions between workshop spaces with respect to the security and safety protocols of Wells H.S.
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the RE:ALIZE Teaching Artist must possess the following qualifications: 

Education Required: 

• High school diploma or GED equivalent
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an artistically related field from an accredited college or university preferred

Experience Required: 

This opportunity is open to professional, interdisciplinary artists who live or work in the City of Chicago. The selected artist must have a demonstrated commitment to working with and for the benefit of students. Artists will be selected by how they meet the following criteria. 

• Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience working with high school students either as a teacher, teaching artist, or artist in residence, including the following, is required:
• Experience designing and developing customized curricula and programming for high school and/or college students
• Experience leading and executing large-scale projects and/or programs
• Artistic merit and professional qualifications demonstrated in a dynamic portfolio of past work including, but not limited to, community-based projects, social practice, arts education, exhibiting or developing performances and/or public art
• Experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders
• Professional experience in the above areas at Chicago Public Schools, is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Capable of consistently demonstrating a professional and positive demeanor while ensuring confidentiality in matters related to both students and the RE:ALIZE program.
• Dedicated to providing every child with access to high-quality education, supporting their ability to achieve at high levels, and fostering student’s artistic process while encouraging the creation of artistic products.
• Strong communication skills (speaking, listening, and writing), including prompt communication with program administrators
• Strong leadership and team-building skills
• Ability to communicate effectively and synthesize complex concepts into compelling curriculum, projects, and student experiences
• Ability to collaborate effectively and professionally with a wide variety of stakeholders, including (but not limited to) CPS teachers, DAE, RE:ALIZE, and other CPS staff, and CPS student participants
• Ability to provide technical support for workshop technology and assist students with digital tools, as needed

Program Timeline & Working Hours:

• Entire 2-year commitment: July 2024 to June 2026
• Training: Expected to begin in mid-July 2024, and additional details will be provided. Teaching Artists can anticipate working 15-20 hours per week until the program begins on August 26th.
• During the CPS School year (according to CPS calendar): ~16-25 hours of onsite responsibilities per week, as described below.

The RE:ALIZE program will run Monday – Friday at Wells Community Academy (according to the CPS school year calendar) for two hours each afternoon (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm). The Teaching Artist will be expected to be present at Wells during the following scheduled hours throughout the CPS school year:

• 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm twice per week (depending on their workshop assignment and Columbia College’s class schedule)
• 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm each Friday to facilitate workshops, support the completion of challenging Columbia College assignments, provide mentorship, and/or supervise guest lecturers or field trips for RE:ALIZE students, dependent upon need.
• 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm one to two times per week, depending on workshop assignment and Columbia College’s class schedule, to support arts integration, attend team meetings, and other large-scale projects at Wells.
• Up to an additional 5 hours of flexible time may be used to support curricular planning, meetings with staff, prep for performances and exhibitions, and field trip supervision. Scheduling of this time will be determined in collaboration with the Program Manager.

Compensation:

• Teaching Artists will be paid between $33.00 – $45.00 per hour, depending upon years of professional experience and education.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency – Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 – Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.

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