cover letter tips

In our opinion, each cover letter should be tailored to the school and to the position for which you are applying. You will want to rely heavily on information you glean from the school's website (Mission Statement, DEIJ Statement, pedagogy, etc.) and from the specific job description (essential job functions, qualifications, etc.).

In the opening paragraph, include the full position title and the formal name of the school. You can use an abbreviated version of the school’s name and the position title afterwards. In addition, please mention that you are partnering with Strategenius! This can be as simple as saying, “With the support of the good people at Strategenius, I am excited to submit my application for ….” or “I am partnering with Strategenius in this process.”

In the next (or in an early) paragraph, we ask you to draw connections between the school's values and mission with your values to demonstrate and show personal/cultural alignment. This is the "why you are applying to the school" paragraph. Note that because the aligned values are probably consistent from school to school based on what you're looking for in a community, this paragraph can be tweaked easily from school to school and still be tailored to the target school.

In the next 2-3 paragraphs, we ask you to identify at least 2-3 essential functions or qualities from the job description and give examples of how you have demonstrated those qualities and skills, showing that you are qualified to perform the required tasks. These are the "why you should hire me" paragraphs. Don't worry about essential functions or qualifications you DON'T have (no one's perfect) -- those can be growth areas! Again, if you're focused on a particular position (e.g., Middle School English teacher), you can recycle large portions of these paragraphs because there will be common functions from school to school. You'll just tweak the language to mirror the job description of the target school (showing the search committee that you've studied the job description).

If the school serves a specific student community (e.g., students with language-based challenges or specific learning profiles or single gender or residential/boarding, etc.), be sure to address your experience with or understanding of this community. Similarly, if the position is focused on a specific segment of a school community (e.g., middle school, learners with special needs), the same applies.

Finally, for Strategenius and our member schools, equity, justice and belonging are core values. We strongly recommend that you include a paragraph about your passion and demonstrated commitment to this work. Give examples and show more than tell.

If your cover letter goes over one page, DON’T SWEAT IT! If it goes over two pages, take a closer look and edit if necessary. Sometimes, you need to say what you have to say. If you have time, ask a friend to read it and give feedback.

PROOFREAD! Spellcheck. Grammar check. Watch for common mistakes like Its vs. It’s; Your vs. You’re; Their vs. There; Student’s vs. Students’.