Teacher Special Education Teacher
Job Description
A successful Digital Pioneers Academy Middle School Special Education Teacher will ensure that all DPA students feel known, loved and respected. Teachers who are aligned with DPA’s values believe that all students can achieve at high levels. Teachers will hold primary responsibility for implementation of Digital Pioneers Academy’s curriculum, creating corresponding Humanities experiences and ensuring the success of its students.
Teachers will provide rigorous educational experiences to propel student intellectual growth and mastery of learning standards. Teachers’ investment in building culture and character will prepare students to lead productive lives meeting the demands of the post-secondary arena and job market.
We attract leaders in teaching with a successful track record of developing authentic relationships with students, families and professional peers. With a collective mission to develop the next generation of innovators, our teachers will develop ours students to not only consume, but create the digital economy.
Responsibilities
DPA will hire teaching professionals who:
- Have demonstrable experience raising achievement for urban students;
- Have experience working with students who have disabilities (cognitive, emotional or physical);
- Cultivate a classroom environment in which students express a love for learning;
- Teach daily support classes in math, science, life skills, and/or literacy;
- Infuse and encourage student demonstration of creative thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, scholarly writing, constructive dialog, cultural competence, strong decision making and creative solutions;
- Participate in collaborative content development, coursework and activities to ensure that accommodations are met in inclusive settings;
- Oversee the drafting, implementation, and maintenance of IEPs and 504 plans;
- Assess data and adjust instruction based on the data;
- Have a strong understanding of, assessment of and accountability for students’ mastery of academic standards;
- Develop intervention plans with classroom teachers to ensure that student learning goals are clear and measurable and then track student success in meeting these goals;
- Effectively use technology in teaching and learning;
- Differentiate methodology to accommodate learning differences;
- Co-lead child study team meetings;
- Teach basic academic and life processes skills;
- Serve as an advisor to a group of students;
- Have experience working in schools, preferably for a charter school;
- Demonstrate commitment to professional development and learning best practices of effective teaching; and
- Actively participate in over 12 hours of planning and professional development a week.
In this full-time role, the Special Education Teacher will focus on a cohort of students, in a semi-self contained model. Through this structure, partner teachers are able to co-plan personalized, context-specific interventions and targeted, holistic supports that carry through for their students across all core content areas.
Qualifications
Our middle school teachers are results oriented and strive to improve the minds and lives of students in and out of the classroom;
- Proven track-record of high achievement in the classroom
- Minimum of two years teaching experience in an urban public school or charter school setting
- Mastery of and enthusiasm for academic subjects; (especially core subjects of English Language Arts (ELA), Math, Science and Social Studies)
- Evidence of self-motivation, diligence and willingness to be a team player
- Strong interpersonal skills and high moral character
- Passionate about literature or math and learning
- Bachelor’s degree with an outstanding record of academic achievement and leadership is required; Master’s degree is preferred
- Belief in and alignment with Digital Pioneers Academy’s core beliefs and educational philosophy is non-negotiable
DPA follows a semi self-contained model, students are divided into cohorts and each cohort has two primary partner teachers: a STEM teacher who teaches math, science, and computer science and a Humanities teacher who teaches ELA, social studies, and leads intervention. Two teachers are responsible for educating a homeroom of up to 30 students. Compared to the conventional approach, this means that teachers are teaching 1 additional content area than what is typical, but their student load is ¼ to 1/5 the conventional load.
Through this structure, partner teachers are able to co-plan personalized, context-specific interventions and targeted, holistic supports that carry through for their students across all core content areas.
Compensation and Benefits
Digital Pioneers Academy offers a highly competitive salary based on experience and an excellent and comprehensive benefits package.
