Teacher Special Education Director
Job Description
Harlem Village Academies
Harlem Village Academies is a K-12 charter network committed to the ideals of progressive education. Based in Harlem, HVA is also the demonstration site for the Progressive Education Institute.
The Opportunity
Join an incredible community of educators who are passionate about progressive pedagogy while embracing a sense of urgency, a strong work ethic, and accountability for student learning. We select individuals who share our vision and are willing to put in the hard work to achieve it.
Responsibilities
The Special Education Director at Harlem Village Academies will manage a team committed to supporting special education students. The Director will build strong relationships with Education Support coordinators to ensure students with IEPs receive their mandated services and will provide the network with guidance on complex special education topics. S/he will also escalate any cases at risk of non-compliance to the Committee on Special Education (CSE) chairperson.
Our ideal candidate is a smart, passionate special education administrator with a proven track record of successfully managing special education teams. The Director understands the necessity of staying up-to-date on special education compliance topics, as well as maintaining relationships with special education stakeholders at the city and state levels. Our ideal candidate is genuinely warm, kind, and thrives on a results-driven team.
- Ensure all students with IEPs receive their mandated services
- Provide ongoing coaching to all Education Support coordinators throughout the year (individually and as a group) on elements of an effective ICT classroom
- Collaborate with Education Support coordinators to provide a PD plan for paraprofessionals at the start of the year. Present or co-present PD sessions as appropriate
- Liaise with the CSE to address out-of-compliance cases across the network
- Collaborate with Education Support coordinators to review initial referrals to special education
- Collaborate with families to ensure we are best supporting the needs of all of our students, including but not limited to sitting in on PPTs and/or doing some other parent/family facing work
- Meet with Education Support coordinators to confirm Annual Review dates by the first week of school
- Work with Education Support coordinators to determine students in need of re-evaluation and establish re-evaluation dates throughout the year
- Meet with all Education Support coordinators to confirm mandated 3-Year Review dates by the second week of school
- Support the MDR, FBA/BIP point-person to ensure HVA is fully compliant
- Support Special Education coordinators in obtaining related service providers across the network
- Support Special Education coordinators in establishing Child Study team meetings and schedule at the start of the year
- Perform other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
- 3-4 years of experience as a special education teacher
- 2-3 years of experience in a special education leadership role (department chair, grade level team leader, or dean)
- 2-3 years of experience coaching special education teachers
- Strong leadership, project- and time-management abilities
- Ability to use data to inform practice, with a clear understanding of the metrics that lead to student achievement
- A team player with a strong work ethic and consistent follow-through
- Ability to build lasting and meaningful relationships with team members, students, and families
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Master’s degree
