Founding Core Advisor
Full-Time • $70,000 • Start Date: August 2026
The Opportunity
Most teaching jobs ask you to implement someone else's vision. This one asks you to build your own.
ARCHS is hiring founding Core Advisors to help launch Milwaukee's first Gold Standard project-based learning high school. We open our doors in Fall 2026 with 80 students and a team of four educators. By year four, we'll serve 160 students—and the culture, curriculum, and systems will be shaped by the people who start with and stay with us.
If you've ever thought "I wish my school did it this way," this is your chance to make it happen.
Why ARCHS?
On Milwaukee's South Side, 62% of high school students are chronically absent. One in five students can read on grad level, and one in 10 can do grade-level math. These aren't students who don't want to learn—they're students who haven't found a school that meets them where they are.
ARCHS is our answer. We use Gold Standard project-based learning—the Buck Institute model—where students tackle authentic problems in a trimester’s time. A student might research housing discrimination for history credit, interview community members, analyze census data for math, and present findings to the alderman's office. Real work. Real audiences. Real impact.
Our values—Interdependence, Dignity, Exploration, Advocacy, and Self-awareness (IDEAS)—aren't posters on the wall. They're how we make decisions, handle conflict, and build relationships. We practice restorative justice, not punitive discipline. We build community first, because students who feel seen show up.
The Role
Core Advisors are the heart of ARCHS. You'll:
• Lead an advisory of 20 students — serving as their primary adult advocate, mentor, and coach throughout their time at ARCHS
• Teach in 85-minute blocks — with classes capped at 22 students in mixed-grade configurations (9/10 combined or 11/12 combined)
• Design Gold Standard PBL experiences — 6-8 week projects where students investigate authentic problems and present to real audiences
• Guide independent projects — connecting students with Milwaukee Public Library resources, community experts, and professional mentors
• Practice restorative justice — facilitating circles, building community, and responding to harm with repair rather than punishment
• Co-create our school — as a founding team member, you'll help design curriculum scope and sequence, assessment systems, advisory structures, and school traditions
What We're Looking For
Required:
• Valid Wisconsin teaching license (or actively enrolled and progressing toward licensure)
• Minimum 3 years successful classroom teaching experience
• Bilingual Spanish-English proficiency
• Demonstrated commitment to student-centered, inquiry-driven instruction
Preferred:
• 5+ years classroom experience
• Experience with PBL, competency-based grading, or portfolio assessment
• Training or experience in restorative practices
• Connection to Milwaukee's South Side community (ZIP codes 53204, 53207, 53215, 53221)
Compensation & Benefits
• $70,000 annual salary — approximately 20% above Milwaukee Public Schools
• Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) — employer contribution to your pension
• Comprehensive insurance — health (HDHP with HRA/HSA), dental, vision, life, disability
• Generous time off — 4 weeks vacation + sick leave + 10 holidays
• Daily planning time — 85 minutes every day for preparation, collaboration, and professional growth
• Professional development — paid summer training including PBL Works certification
The Honest Truth
Startup schools are harder than established ones. There's no playbook. No "we've always done it this way." You'll be building the plane while flying it.
But if you've ever felt constrained by systems you didn't design, frustrated by decisions made without teacher input, or hungry to try something different—this is your chance. The founding team that starts with us will shape ARCHS for decades. We're looking for builders, not tenants.
How to Apply
Submit your resume, cover letter, and three professional references through WECAN. To access the job posting, click here or search vacancy ID 252240.
In your cover letter, please tell us:
• What draws you to project-based learning?
• Why do you want to help build a new school rather than join an established one?
• What's one thing you'd want to create or change if you had the chance to start fresh?
Our selection process includes a phone screen, pre-work assignment, teaching demonstration, and panel interviews. We're committed to a bias-mitigating process that evaluates candidates on demonstrated skills and alignment with our values.
ARCHS is committed to building a diverse founding team that reflects the community we serve. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who identify as Latino, bilingual, and/or from Milwaukee's South Side. We are an equal opportunity employer.
Questions? Contact Bounrod Xiong at bounrod@archsmke.org or (414) 369 – 2445.