PPSD Written Application Materials Overview
PPSD's Vision and Mission are at the heart of a selection model that is driven by the Providence School Board’s Beliefs and Commitments.
PPSD teacher candidates will be measured against the five PPSD domains of effective teaching and the PPSD five teacher competencies, both of which are grounded in academic research on teacher effectiveness in urban environments.
The résumé and cover letter are the core of the candidate's written application. Documents can be created and uploaded in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, or plain text formats though PDF is strongly recommended since this is the only format that guarantees candidates all content and formatting of their materials will be visible to hiring teams. These documents will be evaluated both for content and for English language mechanics.
Résumé guidance
Any format is acceptable, providing it shows the candidate's education (including undergraduate and all graduate degrees with course of study and any awards earned) and clearly delineates professional progression detailing responsibilities and achievements for each position. The résumé should show not only what position a candidate held at any point in time but what was expected and what was achieved while in that position.
Candidates are encouraged to emphasize and explain instances where they have undertaken significant responsibilities and challenges, highlighting any measurable successes that present evidence of the five PPSD teacher competencies. While candidates are not required to limit the length of their resumes, they are encouraged to seek a balance between exposition and brevity. Extensive additional guidance on teacher résumé writing is available on the internet.
Cover letter guidance
While the résumé is a comprehensive delineation of a candidate's activities and achievements, the cover letter gives the candidate more latitude to select and draw attention to specific beliefs, methods, and achievements. It also presents an expanded opportunity to demonstrate not only mastery of English language mechanics but also critical thinking skills necessary to organize and present information, ideas, and conclusions. Candidates are encouraged to bear the five PPSD teacher competencies in mind when crafting their cover letters.
