Summary & Overview of Summer Academy

SEZP’s mission to dramatically improve educational opportunity for Springfield students is marked by our Empowerment Academy programming. Empowerment Academies are an initiative to provide targeted, small-group academic support to middle and high school students during school breaks. This year, Summer Academy will provide targeted support to students across both academics and social emotional learning.

For Empowerment Academies, a select number of students at each school will work in small intervention groups led by highly effective, dedicated educators. The small group size and targeted instruction will allow students to receive intensive, personalized academic support tailored to their specific needs. The academy opportunity will also enable teachers to hone intervention delivery skills to more effectively carry out intervention beyond the summer vacation experience. Summer Academy will also provide ample and robust non-academic opportunities for students and staff through on-site programming, field trips or off-site experiences, and other support that students and staff need throughout the summer.

Schools in SEZP will run individualized Summer Academy programs that focus on the particular needs of their students. Dates, times, and program expectations will vary. Please consult your school leader for specific details.

General Responsibilities

• Implement strategies for building an equitable, anti-racist, high-quality and caring Summer Academy culture
• Thoroughly plan for all intervention lessons/treatments, programs, or trips
• Actively drive at for at least 90% class attendance rate each day among all students
• Build strong and supportive relationships with students in your care
• Track attendance each day
• Monitor student response to intervention treatments throughout the weeks
• Adjust interventions according to student data
• Teach or work the required number of hours specified in the school-based academy schedule each day
• Attend all academy professional development sessions (to be determined by your academy leader) and be in attendance 100% of each day of the academy with your students
• Carry out any additional responsibilities specific to each school’s unique schedule of additional supports and experiences (e.g., morning circle, community building, awarding of incentives) 

General Requirements

• Committed to actively dismantling racism and inequity in the classroom by holding all students to high expectations, delivering rigorous, grade-level instruction with appropriate scaffolds, aggressively monitoring for understanding, and ensuring all students have an active voice as a learner
• Demonstrated techniques for building relationships with students & families
• Demonstrated ability to work in a complex environment

Compensation: Rates of pay will vary across programs and roles. Please consult your school leader for specific details.

• $50 per hour for teachers and coordinators, depending upon program expectations and attendance incentives

Work Schedule: 

• Daily and weekly schedules will vary by program location
• 3-6 week summer programming starts on or around July 2026

About the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership: 

While Massachusetts is consistently ranked as one of the top states for education results in the country, we have one of the highest and most persistent opportunity gaps. The Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) - established in 2015 as a collaboration between Springfield Public Schools (SPS), the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and the Springfield Education Association (SEA) – seeks to improve the longitudinal life outcomes of the more than 2,500 students in our 8 middle schools. 

SEZP combines district-based public education with the flexibility of autonomous school models, granting schools meaningful control over curriculum, staffing, scheduling, and budgeting—while maintaining clear accountability for student learning and growth.

Across all of its work—including school improvement and educator preparation—SEZP is guided by three core values:

• Access: Expanding access to strong learning environments, skilled mentors, and clear pathways for students and educators
  
  
• Belonging: Building communities where people are known, supported, and accountable to one another
  
  
• Opportunity: Preparing students and educators to learn, lead, and thrive over time

NONDISCRIMINATION EMPLOYMENT STATEMENT

The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy related conditions, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status.

NOTICE OF SEX NONDISCRIMINATION

Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex and prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and its regulations, including in admission and employment.

Inquiries about Title IX may be referred to the Springfield Public Schools’ Title IX Coordinator, titleix@springfieldpublicschools.com, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights at https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr, or both.

The Springfield Public Schools Title IX Coordinator is Jeremy Saint Laurent, Chief Legal Counsel of Legal Services, 1550 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103, 413-787-7100 ext. 55325, titleix@springfieldpublicschools.com.     

Springfield Public School’s sex nondiscrimination policy and grievance procedures can be located on the Springfield Public Schools website, www.springfieldpublicschools.com/non-discrimination

To report information about conduct that may constitute sex discrimination or make a complaint of sex discrimination under Title IX, please refer to titleix@springfieldpublicschools.com

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