Instructional Support Middle School Dean, Special Education
Job Description
Positions Report to: Instructional Leadership Team
Start/End Date: 2020-2021 School Year
Hours: 7:40 am – 4:15 pm + some out of school time responsibilities
Compensation: East Harlem Scholars Academies offer a comprehensive benefits package.
FLSA Status: Exempt
Who We Are
East Harlem Scholars Academies are community-based Pre-K to 12 public charter schools operated by East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP). EHTP began in 1958 as a children’s reading group and has since grown into a multi-dimensional educational program that includes five charter schools. East Harlem Scholars Academies are committed to providing youth in the neighborhood with the academic excellence and supports needed to thrive. We challenge our students with a demanding academic program, and challenge ourselves to examine issues of racism and identity and model the learning and dialogue needed to ensure a more equitable future for young people of color.
For more information about Scholars Academies, please visit us at www.eastharlemscholars.org.
What Sets Us Apart
EHTP aims to serve as an agent of change and thoughtfully contribute to the national fight for racial equity. Through our organization-wide commitment to anti-racism work, we prepare our scholars to effect change, challenge the status quo, and thrive in the world around them. Furthermore, as staff members we face our own racial identities and conscious and unconscious biases. With this in mind, all of our professional development, curriculum, organizational materials and processes are designed with a goal of racial justice. To read EHTP’s Racial Equity Statement, please click here.
The Work and Why it Matters
East Harlem Scholars Academy is deeply dedicated to creating inclusive learning environments that support the development of all students. The Dean of Special Education (referred to as Inclusive Learning) at East Harlem Scholars Academy Middle School will oversee special education and academic intervention programs at the school. This person will be responsible for ensuring that students are receiving the services and supports they need and are entitled to by law. He or she will be the school’s liaison with the Committee on Special Education and will ensure the school’s compliance with special education regulations and policies.
Who You Are
- You have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher and hold appropriate NYS Special Education Certification
- You have a minimum of three years of experience in relevant educational positions
- You hold yourself to high professional and ethical standards
- You enjoy and/or have experience working with diverse populations of students and communities
- You believe that every student can and will learn when provided with a quality education
- You have demonstrated success in raising the achievement levels of traditionally at-risk students
- You are willing to be flexible in your role and adapt to school and student needs
- You are committed to continuous improvement and learning through professional development
What Success Looks Like
- Manage the execution of all aspects of student 504 plans and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs,) including: coordinating all related services, testing accommodations, assistive technology, academic goal tracking, quarterly progress reporting, and holding all annual and re-evaluation meetings
- Perform education assessments of students, including observations, review of educational history, conferences with teachers and an evaluation and analysis of student academic performance and learning characteristics
- Manage all special education needs of students including initial referrals and Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) management
- Collaborate with the Behavior Support Team to complete Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans of students with IEPs or students in the Initial Referral process
- Manage all aspects of the Initial Referral process to assess student eligibility for Special Education Services, including the coordination of evaluations, family communication and collaboration with the Committee of Special Education
- Secure, schedule and manage service providers for all necessary IEP mandates, including crisis paraprofessionals
- Lead the Student Support Team in the coordination of all Academic Intervention Services using a data-driven referral process and authentic Response to Intervention model
- Oversee professional development opportunities for all staff as it relates to inclusive education, academic and behavioral intervention
