Elementary 3-5 Teacher

KairosPDX; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 57,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Nine weeks building closure breaks

Public Employees Retirement System (P<

Health insurance and paid holidays

Job summary

KairosPDX is hiring a full-time, year-round Elementary 3-5 Teacher for Summer 2026 in Portland, Oregon. The role requires commitment to equity-centered education and collaboration with families and staff to support the whole-child development through inquiry-based, anti-racist practices.

The position is part of KairosPDX’s Learning Academy network, rooted in community partnerships and culturally responsive approaches, with ongoing professional development and a focus on progressive pedagogy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree; Master’s degree preferred
• Valid TSPC license for the grade level taught
• Highly Qualified Teacher Status under No Child Left Behind Act
• 1–2 years of elementary teaching; 3–5 years preferred
• Experience with children from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds
• Demonstrated classroom management ability
• Current Food Handlers Card and CPR/First Aid Certificate required

Responsibilities

• Work with a team to advance the school's academic mission
• Discipline students using fair routines and district-approved behavior support techniques
• Plan and prepare the learning environment for academic and non-academic needs
• Assess progress across academic, social, emotional and cultural domains
• Align curriculum and assessment with the Common Core
• Co-plan instruction with grade team to maximize learning
• Document and maintain educational records showing student progress over time
• Regularly communicate with families about the program and student progress
• Attend KairosPDX staff and family events

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Time management

Conflict resolution

Differentiated instruction

Culturally responsive teaching

Family collaboration

Constructivist teaching

Public education advocacy

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's degree preferred

Job description

About KairosPDX

KairosPDX is a nonprofit organization committed to delivering excellent, equitable education to underserved children, their families, and their communities. Through innovative pedagogy, strong community collaboration, and meaningful family partnerships, we work to close Portland's persistent achievement and opportunity gaps in measurable and sustainable ways. Our mission is to eliminate racial disparities in academic achievement and opportunity by cultivating confident, creative, and compassionate leaders.

About KairosPDX

KairosPDX is a nonprofit organization committed to delivering excellent, equitable education to underserved children, their families, and their communities. Through innovative pedagogy, strong community collaboration, and meaningful family partnerships, we work to close Portland's persistent achievement and opportunity gaps in measurable and sustainable ways. Our mission is to eliminate racial disparities in academic achievement and opportunity by cultivating confident, creative, and compassionate leaders.

Working at KairosPDX

KairosPDX is currently seeking candidates for a full-time, year-round Elementary 3-5 Teacher position, starting Summer 2026. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, including people of color, to apply.

KairosPDX launched its flagship program, the Learning Academy, a public charter school sponsored by Portland Public Schools, in 2014. Located on N. Gantenbein Avenue in Portland, the school utilizes a combination of direct instruction and inquiry-based learning to maximize student outcomes. Our culturally responsive approach integrates mindfulness, restorative practices, studio art, STEM, music, and fitness to support the development of the whole child throughout the day.

In 2021, KairosPDX launched the Training Academy, which prepares leaders across multiple sectors to lead equity-centered, transformational change. Grounded in a framework of belonging and the neuroscience of love, the Training Academy provides professional development in rehumanization practices for educators, administrators, early childhood professionals, organizations, and businesses.

The Early Learning Academy, launched in 2022 as a Preschool for All pilot site, is designed to affirm and celebrate Black identity in young children and their families. It is rooted in the belief that culturally specific early learning experiences empower children to actively shape their lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities. We value creativity, curiosity, and collaboration, and we prioritize listening, observing, and reflecting alongside children and families. The arts and sciences are central to our approach, serving as essential tools for expression, identity, and storytelling across generations.

Across our Learning Academies, four core tenets guide our work: (1) inquiry-based instruction, (2) cultural affirmation, (3) anti-racist education, and (4) creativity and play. These principles inform how we engage with data, reflection, feedback, and continuous improvement.

'Kairos' means a special moment in time, and we believe we are creating that moment for children and families every day. KairosPDX is grounded in the core values of Respect, Responsibility, Excellence, Honesty, and Service. We are committed to continuous growth and collaboration in the service of our students and community.

At KairosPDX, staff are expected to be deeply invested in our mission and to actively contribute to building strong systems, cultivating school culture, and communicating our work with families and the broader community. Our team works collaboratively to support the whole child-academically, socially, emotionally, and culturally using research-based practices, established curriculum, and students' interests to inform instruction.

Overall Staff Responsibilities

• To eliminate the prolific racial achievement and opportunity gaps by cultivating confident, creative and compassionate leaders;
• Practice the values of KairosPDX in professional conduct and daily interactions:
• respect, responsibility, honesty, excellence and service to community
• Incorporate the beliefs of KairosPDX in all approaches and instruction
• Every child is uniquely capable, innately curious and inherently creative,
• Character and agency are essential to achievement and are developed through relationship and service to others,
• A multi- cultural context delivers a strong sense of self and is a requirement for participation in our global society,
• Children must be supported in the context of their families;
• Support multicultural practice, instructional and inquiry based approaches that are:
• Actively anti-racist - confronting bias in all of its forms,
• Education for social justice - acknowledging history and studying the present to make informed decisions regarding a more equitable future,
• Pervasive - Examining practices in all levels of school culture and organization,
• Personal -Beginning with the necessary consideration of self as a cultural being,
• Critical Pedagogy - Pursuing multiple perspectives, anticipating contradictions and challenging assumptions,
• Empowering - Providing children the ego strength to challenge racist societal views,Helping children think deeply about themselves and others.

Core Position Responsibilities

• Work with a team of colleagues to further the academic mission of the school;
• Discipline students in a fair and consistent manner, using clear routines and expectations as well as school approved behavior support techniques;
• Interpret, plan and work toward the goals of the learning community;
• Plan and prepare the environment for the academic and non-academic needs of children;
• Assess for progress in the academic, social, emotional and cultural domains of student development;
• Align curriculum, instructional strategies, and student assessment to the Common Core;
• Co-plan instruction with grade team towards maximizing learning for all students in the grade
• Document and maintain educational records for each child in the classroom in a way that communicates student progress over time;Utilize disaggregated data to inform differentiated instruction and plan for strategies to eliminate student disparities;
• Responsible for planning for and developing the growth and achievement for academic, social, emotional as well as cultural identity outcomes;
• Work with a team of colleagues and families to provide a nurturing and positive climate that encourages student responsibility, leadership and intrinsic motivation;
• Communicate regularly with families concerning the school's program and their child's progress (including quarterly family conferences, and annual home culture visit);
• Participate in supervising students during recess and other non-class times and
• Assist in planning and supervising field trips (both local trips and overnights).

Additional Responsibilities

• Attend several KairosPDX staff and family events
• Participate in professional development to facilitate growth of each student, staff member and the organization overall
• Participate in continuous improvement practices including observations, reflections and collaborations
• Perform other related duties as needed and assigned.

Salary And Benefits

• Salary Range: Dependent on experience, ranging from $57,228 - $111,359
• Benefits include: Up to nine weeks of building closure breaks, paid sick/personal leave days, paid holidays, participation in Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), employer contribution for health insurance, professional development opportunity.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree; Master’s, preferred
• Valid TSPC license for the grade level(s) taught
• Documentation of “Highly Qualified Teacher Status” under the No Child Left Behind Act
• At least one or two years of experience teaching in an elementary classroom; three to five years of experience preferred
• At least one or two years relevant experience working with children from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds
• Demonstrated ability to manage a classroom
• Training in early education and/or human development, preferred
• Experience working with children ages 5 to 11, preferred
• Training and/or experience with at least one special population such as children with disabilities, Talented and Gifted children, and/or English Language Learners, preferred

Knowledge & Skills

• Effective interpersonal skills in managing and interacting with diverse groups of stakeholders
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to manage conflict through equitable decision-making and effective problem solving
• Willingness to learn about and adapt to KairosPDX culture
• Open to learning and practicing a constructivist approach to teaching and learning
• Commitment to culturally relevant practices
• Commitment to professional reflection and ongoing collaboration
• Commitment to implementing teaching practices that maximize student learning
• Share KairosPDX’s stance that excellent public education is a civil right of all children and families
• Possess a passion for helping each child reach his or her social, emotional and academic potential including a commitment to differentiated instruction and ongoing assessment
• Current Food Handlers Card and CPR/First Aid Certificate required (cost paid by applicant);
• Ability to pass a criminal background check.
• Experience working with diverse populations, specifically people of color; and
• Passion for KairosPDX’s mission.