---
title: 'English as a Second Language Teacher at Rocketship Public Schools'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/english-as-a-second-language-teacher-rocketship-public-schools-nashville-mskjcneb4fnf'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-20'
---

# English as a Second Language Teacher at Rocketship Public Schools

- **Company:** Rocketship Public Schools
- **Location:** Nashville, TN
- **Compensation:** $54k–$79k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-20
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/rocketship/43b31776-73d3-40cf-81ca-85bcfaff1036

## Job description

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

The ESL Teacher (Specialist) will work in the Language and Learning Lab to ensure our ESL students achieve excellence in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Additionally, the ESL Specialist will work closely with a variety of ESL experts and Rocketship team members to collaborate in designing key components of the Language and Learning Lab, then execute on that compelling vision. Specialists are responsible for working with students in sheltered blocks for additional support and intervention in speaking, listening, reading , writing, phonics and decoding,   and reading comprehension. To do this effectively, the Specialist uses formative and summative data from WIDA to create lesson plans that meet each child's needs while maintaining close communications with classroom teachers and families regarding the child's progress. Additionally, the ESL Specialists will conduct a deep-dive analysis of annual WIDA data, then report the outcomes and action steps to teachers and school leaders on professional development days

ESL Specialists report to an Assistant Principal.

Location: Rocketship United Academy - 320 Plus Park Blvd, Nashville TN 37207

Essential Functions

- The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
- Administer WIDA assessment to all ESL Students and serve as test coordinator for the test
- Create progress monitoring tools for speaking, listening, reading and writing, then use the   tools to document each student's progress on a weekly basis
- Ensure the school is language-rich by labeling the school with language notations across each space
- With a team SLs and experts, the ESL Specialist performs 6-week data analyses and produces 6-week action plans that correspond with Rocketship's other formative assessment cycle
- Participate in Unit Planning meetings with classroom teachers to ensure Universal Design and ELL Principles are implemented into the Unit, then into daily plans
- Hold bi-monthly community meetings/open houses for families
- Report progress to families on a 6-8 week basis
- Design daily lessons that instruct students to achieve excellence in speaking, listening, writing, reading, public speaking and presentations
- This requires explicit vocabulary and idiom instruction.

Required Qualifications

- Commitment to Rocketship's mission, vision, and goals
- Previous experience managing and/or teaching groups of elementary-age students is strongly preferred
- Basic computer skills including troubleshooting and an ability to communicate about technical difficulties
- Fluency in English
- Bachelor's Degree
- TN Elementary K-6 teaching credential or a full credential to transfer in from out of state
- TN English as a Second Language K-12 Endorsement (to be ESL Specialist)

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy.  For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.

## About Rocketship Public Schools

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Rocketship Public Schools is a national nonprofit network of high-performing public charter elementary schools serving underserved communities, focused on closing the achievement gap through personalized learning, talent development, and community partnerships.
- **Entity Type**: Private (nonprofit charter school network; not publicly traded)
- **Headquarters**: Redwood City, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2006
- **Founders**: John Danner and Preston Smith

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: K-12 public education (charter schools)
- **Target customers**: Students and families in low-income communities (pre-K through 5th grade), B2C (publicly funded, tuition-free)
- **Mission or purpose**: "To catalyze transformative change in underserved communities through a scalable and sustainable public school model that propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community."

## Products & Services
- **Public Charter Elementary Schools**: A network of high-performing, tuition-free public elementary schools (pre-K to grade 5) operating in California, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Washington D.C. The model includes personalized learning, content-specialized teachers (STEM/Humanities), Learning Lab (adaptive technology), enrichment classes, and family engagement. [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/about/our-mission-and-model/)
- **Teacher Residency & PD Launchpad**: Professional development programs offering real-time coaching, instructional frameworks, and dedicated weekly PD for teachers. [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/join-our-team/)
- **Career Pathways**: Clear advancement opportunities from teacher to school leader, with roles in integrated special education, school support, leadership, and network support (HR, IT, finance, strategy, etc.). [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/join-our-team/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not applicable (nonprofit organization)
- **Key Metric**: 33,567 total lifetime students served (as of 2023-2024); network of 23+ schools across four regions
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly listed as a funded startup; funding comes from public per-pupil revenue, grants, and philanthropic donations. The network is recognized as a "gap busting" charter network by the Stanford CREDO study (2023).
- **Growth Signals**: The 2023 Stanford CREDO study found Rocketship students gained the equivalent of 5–7 months of additional learning in a single school year; expansion beyond California into Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Washington D.C.; ongoing hiring for 2026-2027 school year with signing bonuses (e.g., $5,000 for 5th Grade Math Teacher). [rocketshipschools.org](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/) and [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/rocketship)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proven academic impact**: Data from Stanford CREDO shows outsized learning gains for low-income students, positioning Rocketship as one of the charter sector's most effective networks.
- **Specialized teacher model**: Teachers focus on either STEM or Humanities, enabling deeper expertise and collaboration, unlike traditional elementary generalist model.
- **Strong family engagement**: Home visits before each school year, parent input on school naming and enrichment, and a culture of partnership that increases accountability and support.
- **Personalized learning at scale**: Combination of whole-group instruction, small-group tutoring, and adaptive online learning, driven by real-time data on student mastery.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling model**: Expanding to serve more students across current regions and potentially new markets, while maintaining high fidelity to the Rocketship model.
- **Talent development**: Investing heavily in teacher coaching, residency programs, and clear career ladders to retain and grow educators.
- **Community power**: Deepening parent and community organizing to advocate for high-quality public school options and policy change.
- **Whole-child education**: Integrating social-emotional learning, character values (persistence, empathy, responsibility, respect), and enrichment classes alongside core academics.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Join a team committed to educational equity in low-income communities, with a strong sense of purpose and partnership among teachers, parents, and leaders.
- **Career growth**: Clear pathways from teacher to school leader, with internal promotion and support for leadership roles; network support roles offer diverse functions (HR, IT, finance, strategy).
- **Professional development**: Weekly coaching, real-time feedback, instructional frameworks, and dedicated PD time through programs like Teacher Residency and PD Launchpad.
- **Exceptional benefits**: Competitive health, dental, and vision coverage; retirement plans; signing bonuses for certain roles (e.g., $5,000 for 5th Grade Math Teacher in Tennessee).
- **Work environment**: Hybrid/onsite roles depending on position (e.g., school-based roles are onsite; some network support roles may be hybrid). Emphasis on collaboration, data-driven instruction, and a supportive school community.
- **Locations**: Schools in California (Bay Area, Sacramento), Wisconsin (Milwaukee), Tennessee (Nashville area), and Washington D.C.

## Sources
1. [rocketshipschools.org - Join Our Team](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/join-our-team/)
2. [rocketshipschools.org - Homepage](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/)
3. [rocketshipschools.org - Mission & Model](https://www.rocketshipschools.org/en/about/our-mission-and-model/)
4. [jobs.lever.co - Rocketship Careers](https://jobs.lever.co/rocketship)

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