26-27 School Year: 6th Grade Science Teacher

DeKalb Brilliance Academy; Decatur (GA); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid sick and personal days

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Contributions to Teacher Retirement System

Job summary

DeKalb Brilliance Academy in Decatur is seeking a Lead Teacher dedicated to facilitating rigorous, culturally responsive instruction for grades K-6. This role emphasizes collaboration with peers and families, ensuring that every student thrives academically and socially.

The ideal candidate possesses a Bachelor’s degree, valid Georgia teaching certification, and a commitment to project-based learning. Benefits include competitive salary, paid sick days, and contributions to the Teacher Retirement System.

Qualifications

• Valid Georgia teaching certification required.
• Minimum two years previous teaching experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated impact on growth of students is essential.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate rigorous, culturally responsive instruction across core subjects.
• Collaborate with peers to improve instruction and curriculum.
• Communicate with families about student progress.

Skills

Instructional leadership

Culturally responsive instruction

Collaboration

Data-driven instruction

Emotional intelligence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Georgia teaching certification

Job description

Overview

About DeKalb Brilliance Academy: Designed with input from nearly 1,000 South DeKalb community members, DeKalb Brilliance Academy is a tuition-free, public K-8 charter school committed to building a fundamentally different kind of education. We currently serve grades K-6 and will add one grade per year. Our vision is that each child will know and leverage their unique brilliance to critically analyze the world around them and to design a better and more equitable future. We pursue this vision through real-world project-based learning, where students learn not only from their teachers and peers, but also directly from scientists, lawyers, engineers, and designers. Our model is ambitious by design—and built to challenge the status quo in service of our students and community.

DeKalb Brilliance Academy: where the strength of our community nurtures the brilliance of our children.

About the role

Lead Teachers are the primary classroom leaders at DeKalb Brilliance Academy. They design and facilitate rigorous, culturally responsive instruction while helping refine the systems, curriculum, and culture of a growing founding school. Lead Teachers report to Assistant Principals and work in close collaboration with grade-level and content teams. This role requires strong instructional skill, commitment to growth, and a willingness to build and iterate alongside colleagues in pursuit of excellence for every student.

Responsibilities

• Instructional Leadership: Facilitate rigorous, culturally responsive instruction across core academic subjects, social-emotional learning, and real-world project-based learning. In this role, teachers teach 1 section of project-based learning/ELA with their homeroom, and 3 sections of science (one with their homeroom and two with other classes).
• Maintain an asset-based, growth-oriented mindset toward oneself and every member of the school community, using reflection and perseverance to drive student progress.
• Collaborate with peers to plan units, analyze assessments and student work, and continuously improve instruction and curriculum.

• Community Collaboration: Partner with students and families to create Learning Partnership Plans with ambitious goals in academics, social-emotional development, and community impact.
• Communicate with each family at least once per month about student progress (via phone, email, and/or Dojo).
• Enact school-wide efforts to ensure identity-affirming, supportive school culture for faculty and students.
• Implement school-wide restorative approaches to build community, celebrate when our students and faculty excel, and respond/repair when our community values are not upheld.
• Participate actively in professional learning, coaching, and school-wide initiatives.

• Other Duties: Fulfill additional responsibilities aligned with the needs of a growing founding school, as assigned.

What Teaching Looks Like at DeKalb Brilliance

Teaching at DeKalb Brilliance is demanding and deeply purposeful. As a founding school, teachers are asked to do meaningful, high-impact work that challenges the status quo—with real support built into the structure of the day. Teachers at DeKalb Brilliance:

• Teach a standards-aligned core curriculum that integrates real-world, career-connected projects (you will not be starting from scratch).
• Plan collaboratively with peers during daily planning period and weekly early-release time dedicated to collaboration, student work analysis, and professional learning.
• Use student data regularly, with support from a dedicated coach with a strong track record of student success, to refine instruction and close gaps.
• Build strong classroom cultures grounded in identity affirmation, restorative practices, and high expectations.
• Receive the materials needed to be successful, including curriculum for every subject (for Lead Teachers to adapt and improve), classroom supplies, and teacher/student laptops.

While the work is harder than the status quo, teachers are not asked to build in isolation. We believe challenge should be purposeful, supported, and shared - and we invest accordingly.

Requirements

Experiences

• Valid Georgia teaching certification required. In rare cases where candidates are hired without certification, willingness/eligibility to pursue a teaching certification is required.
• Minimum two years previous teaching experience is strongly preferred (preference given if in K-3 and/or inclusive of culturally-relevant project-based learning).
• All candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree. Higher salaries are awarded to those with Masters degrees.
• Has demonstrated impact on the growth of students.
• All candidates are required to be able to meet the physical demands of the role (including standing and walking for extended periods of time and lifting heavy objects up to 40 lbs).

Who Thrives at DeKalb Brilliance

DeKalb Brilliance Academy is a great fit for individuals who are:

• Purpose-driven: have deep reverence for the brilliance of our children and unwavering commitment to empowering our children to have impactful legacies in our communities.
• Community-minded: have ability to work collaboratively with peers and manage up to improve the work of everyone around them.
• Emotionally intelligent: knows how to care for themselves, collaborate with others, use tools to regulate their emotions under stress, and approach difficult situations with others with empathy and compassion.
• Equity-minded: understand how specific behaviors, laws, and institutions limit the rights and freedoms of people and work with our community to take collective action to make our world fairer for everyone.
• Strong project and time managers: have ability to adapt and persevere to deliver consistent and timely results to reach our goals.
• Have a founder's mindset: is a creative problem solver, enjoys building from the ground up.

This role is not for educators seeking comfort or predictability—it is for those who want to build something new, more just, and more powerful than what currently exists.

Benefits

We believe demanding work requires meaningful support. DeKalb Brilliance invests in its teachers through competitive compensation, planning time, and high-quality coaching.

• Competitive salary schedule (please make sure you are on the correct tab).
• Compensation based on a 194-day calendar, 180 instructional days & 14 professional development days.
• Paid sick and personal days.
• Competitive medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, and life insurance.
• Contributions to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) in accordance with Georgia state law, plus an additional optional 403(b) retirement account.

Statement of Non-Discrimination: DeKalb Brilliance Academy is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying for employment. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.