Biology Teacher SY26-27 (California)

Job Description

Job Description

Biology Teacher, SY26-27

at Summit Public Schools (View all jobs)

Who We Are:

What if every student graduated high school fully prepared to take their next step toward a fulfilled life?

At Summit Public Schools, our mission is to collectively prepare a diverse community of young people with the skills, knowledge, and habits to attain economic empowerment and success in a chosen, concrete next step toward a fulfilled life.

Summit is a leading network of public schools serving over 3,300 students across 10 schools in the Bay Area and Washington state. We are committed to ensuring that every student graduates ready to pursue a future of purpose and opportunity. In 2025, 99% of our graduates were accepted to a four-year college, and Summit alumni continue to persist in and complete college at 2 times the national average.

We are looking for exceptional, mission-driven educators who reflect the diversity of our students and are passionate about preparing young people for meaningful, empowered futures. Join us!

The Summit Model:

Summit’s research-backed model makes teaching and learning at a Summit school unlike any other.

At Summit, our teachers mentor the same group of students each year in advisory groups, which allows them to build strong relationships based on deep trust over multiple years. Mentors meet 1:1 with each student regularly to coach students toward their personal goals, and meet daily as a mentor group.

During Project Time, teachers teach universal skills through real-world deep learning projects, using their subject-area expertise to help students apply their knowledge to the world around them. Through our research-backed curriculum, Summit gives teachers the tools they need so that they can focus on teaching and become the best deep learning (i.e., project-based) teachers in the world.

We are deeply committed to continuous improvement at Summit, both as an organization and for our individual faculty. With dedicated days of professional development built into the academic year, regular coaching sessions with a school leader, and a culture of honest, actionable, and timely feedback, we equip our teachers with the tools necessary to improve their practice and tackle challenging issues. We also prioritize developing leaders from within and have invested in multiple career pathway programs for our teachers and school leaders.

Summit has intensive collaboration structures built into our weekly schedules. Teachers collaborate at the grade and subject levels, forming regular communities of practice to support each other in continuously improving as deep learning teachers and mentors.

By design, our schools are small communities where every student is known. They are intentionally heterogeneous and reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate. As a teacher, this will require being culturally responsive and creating equitable learning pathways for all students.

What You’ll Do:

• See sample teacher schedules here. A student school day is around 8-8:30am to 3-3:30pm, depending on the specific school. Teachers' days shall begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and end no later than 5:00 p.m. on any given workday.

• Project Time: Teach 90-minute blocks in high school or four 55-minute blocks in middle school, per day of project time. Most teachers teach one course for the entire grade (e.g. 9th Grade Biology), and see each section twice per week. Teachers offer students deep learning experiences that develop cognitive skills and apply their content knowledge to real-world situations. Teachers facilitate discussions in the classroom, coach students in applying their cognitive skills, and give students feedback. Between teaching blocks, teachers analyze student data, build lesson plans, support school culture, and other personal development activities. Summit teachers build lesson plans through a deep understanding of student progress data, which determines the group and individual supports needed for their students to succeed.

• Mentor Time: Build deep relationships and sense of community when teachers meet with their small group of mentees daily for their entire time at Summit. Daily, teachers meet with their mentor groups, work on habits of success as a group, and check in one-on-one with their mentees. Mentors coach and advocate for their mentees both inside and outside of the classroom, and strive to support them as they develop their sense of purpose as they become self-directed learners.

• Self-Directed Learning Time and Interventions: Facilitate Self Directed Learning time and daily literacy or math interventions, which don’t involve lesson planning. During this time, teachers provide student support, monitor progress, and check in with individuals or groups of students.

• Collaboration & Professional Development: Twice a week, teachers participate in all-faculty after-school meetings where community decisions are made, professional development takes place, and faculty collaborates as a grade-level team or subject-level team.

What You Need:

• Commitment to uphold Summit’s values and to ensure all students receive a rigorous, equitable education that prepares them for success and fulfillment beyond high school.)

• A strong commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) by embedding these values into daily practices, interactions, and decision-making.

• Teaching Credential in California or another US state.

• Bachelor’s Degree (a Master’s Degree in Education is preferred, but not required).

• Clear health and background check.

• Teaching experience in your subject is preferred, but not required.

Who You Are:

• You want to be a world-class deep learning (i.e., project-based) teacher.

• You thrive while collaborating and are excited to work with mission-aligned, high-performing colleagues. You find positivity in shared successes.

• You’re excited to teach Summit’s common curriculum and assessment system, which was designed for teachers and by teachers in partnership with learning scientists.

• You care deeply about working in intentionally heterogeneous schools and are ready to support all diverse students to reach a fulfilled life.

• You’re eager to engage in professional development and be developed as a practitioner in a network that is committed to continuous improvement.

• You have a growth mindset and see feedback as a positive

• You are passionate about serving as a mentor and advocate for a group of students that you’ll follow year to year. You’re open to having hard conversations to support students.

In addition to joining a highly motivated team and engaging in meaningful work, you’ll have access to a comprehensive suite of benefits including a retirement plan, 12 paid holidays, and 3 weeks of organization-wide closures during the year. You and your dependents will have access to multiple health, dental, and vision plans at 25% cost (we cover the other 75%) and employee life and disability insurance at no cost. Our compensation policy strives to be equitable and transparent. The salary for this position starts at $63,718 and goes up to $99,987 commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Summit is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly intertwined with education. We are ALL better when we are able to bring our whole selves to work and honor each other’s voices across identities, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals who are members of historically marginalized communities. Spanish language proficiency is a plus.