SY26-27 Academic Specialist

Academic Specialist 

Role Type: Full-Time, 12 month

Location: Washington, DC

FLSA Status: Exempt

WHO WE ARE

DC Prep is a high performing network of public charter schools serving over 2,100 preschool through 8th-grade students across six campuses in Wards 5, 7, and 8. We’re proud of  the high bar we set for ourselves to achieve results–our students deserve our best! We recognize that how we support our students to be successful is just as important as the results we achieve, which pushes us to reflect on questions such as: 

• How can we facilitate our students’ academic, social, and emotional development?  


• How can we support our team members’ professional growth and personal ability to do this work long-term? 


• How can we engage our students’ families as our own? 

While this work is hard, it’s worth it – we believe in the transformative power of education, the can-do-itness of our students and staff, and the joy that comes from engaging in meaningful work with people we care about and trust!  

Here’s how we drive results: 

• Rigorous academic focus.  Our Preppies receive the highest level of academic preparation through standards-based instruction, daily targeted interventions, and meaningful assessments.

• Social-emotional learning. We have always had a dual mission of academic and social-emotional skill development.  Our research-based SEL curriculum is integrated into daily instruction, helping students leverage their personal values to strengthen their self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making skills and create a school-wide culture of empathy and reflection.

• Commitment to reflection and refinement.  Our results tell us that we are moving in the right direction, but there’s further to go to ensure that every student receives a transformative education. As a team, we regularly reflect on our programmatic model to see what’s working and where we can get better.  

Are you interested in learning more about the DC Prep Way? If so, check out our website to find out more about what we’re working towards and how we’re doing it.

OVERVIEW

The Academic Specialist is charged with modeling and building a positive, productive and joyful learning environment to ensure a high-quality experience for all children, most specifically for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The Academic Specialist collaborates frequently with members of the special education department and leadership team to design rigorous specialized instruction for students on their caseload. An effective Academic Specialist is highly data-driven and relentless in designing specialized instruction that holds high expectations for students with disabilities while meeting a wide range of academic needs in collaboration with co-teachers.  As a key member of the school leadership team, the Academic Specialist functions on a 12 month schedule as a teacher-leader and reports to the campus Special Education Coordinator. 

WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU’LL DO

You absolutely love to teach and have a strong track record of differentiating instruction that supports your students in making academic leaps and bounds. You are unwavering in your belief that ALL students can–and should–pursue rigorous academic goals.  Your colleagues know you as a team player and model teacher and think of you as the “go to” in your school when they want to know “What else can I do to support this student academically?”.  Because of your content knowledge, strong instructional delivery and commitment to data driven instruction, you are able to clearly identify exactly what a student needs at a particular moment in order to make significant academic gains. Additionally, you have a track record of working collaboratively with others to ensure that every student in your classroom is making academic progress.   Above all, you’re passionate about the need for students from underserved communities to learn without limits, the importance of addressing the intersection of race and public education in the U.S., and the transformational power of talented, mission-aligned people working together to advance a goal.  You’re open to feedback, eager to grow, and bring your best to everything you do. You look for joy in your day-to-day and want to work with others who do, too! 

Does this sound like you?   If so, you’ll bring these characteristics to the Academic Specialist role and be responsible for:  

• Providing Tier 3 interventions to students with IEPs


• Designing and implementing literacy and math instruction for multiple special education pull-out groups daily


• Designing and delivering standards-aligned, student-centered instruction to meet rigorous academic goals for students with disabilities




• Using data to develop rigorous IEP goals for each student on your caseload


• Designing and implementing high quality specialized instruction for students with disabilities across multiple grade levels


• Creating and refining service delivery schedule for specialized instruction


• Monitoring progress of specialized instruction to inform refined services or goals for students on your caseload


• Communicating regularly with families regarding student progress toward IEP goals




• Providing instructional leadership to other members of the school community to ensure specialized instruction is aligned with all other student services




• Serving as a member of the Multi-Disciplinary Team for students on your caseload to report out on progress with families and other service providers


• Collaborating with general education teachers, special education inclusion teachers, and Academic Intervention Fellows to ensure specialized instruction is aligned with grade-level curriculum and content


• Providing expertise to school community regarding academic interventions by serving as a member of the SST team




• Maintaining compliance for all students on your caseload




• Writing and updating Present Levels of Performance and IEP goals on an annual basis


• Writing and submitting quarterly IEP progress reports


• Communicating with other related service providers to ensure appropriate service delivery

QUALIFICATIONS

Educational background and work experience

• 2+ years of lead teaching experience as an Interventionist or Special Education Teacher in an urban public school with a record of high student achievement


• Bachelor’s degree from a competitive college or university required. Concentration or advanced degree in special education or literacy/ math intervention preferred

Skills and characteristics

• Desire and willingness to support student achievement in traditionally under-served communities 


• Passion for connecting with students and families in support of student success 


• Extraordinary oral skills to effectively communicate with varied audiences  


• Comfort with and ability to write efficiently and effectively as part of a culture where curriculum writing, email communication, and documentation are critical 


• Superior analytical skills and sound judgment to make critical decisions autonomously 


• Capable of thriving in circumstances involving ambiguity and nuance 


• Meticulous organizational ability in order to set priorities, organize workload, handle multiple responsibilities and meet deadlines 


• Emotional constancy and extraordinary interpersonal skills to ensure purposeful and professional colleague relationships 


• Positive attitude, maturity, and personal stability sufficient for a demanding position 


• Deep belief in DC Prep’s mission, values and commitment to diversity 

WORKING AT DC PREP

DC Prep's faculty and staff are passionate, talented, and uncompromising with a mission to make sure all students succeed at a high level. Every aspect of our organization and program is designed – and continually refined – to ensure that goal. DC Prep students spend approximately 25% more time in school than other DC public school students. DC Prep’s supportive, stimulating, and professionally rewarding learning environment continuously develops and motivates high-performing educators. DC Prep's staff and school leadership promote meaningful relationships between faculty and students, enable excellent teaching, and foster professional collaboration. The end result: great outcomes for students.

CAMPUS LEADERSHIP TEAM

DC Prep’s organizational structure provides support and expertise that enables the best possible teaching and learning at each DC Prep campus. A central Home Office oversees all non-instructional aspects of education, freeing up school leaders to focus on instruction and culture. With supervision from the Senior Directors, Chief Academic Officer and other members of the Home Office Academic Team, Principals and their leadership teams build unique and close-knit communities at each school site focused on the twin elements of rigorous academics and character education. Members of this team typically include a Principal, Assistant Principals, Student Support Coach and a Special Education Coordinator. Leadership Team members are on duty during regular school hours and on call nights and weekends to handle parent communication, staff after school activities, and/or to complete administrative work.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Highly competitive salary 


• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability insurance; maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; and a 403b retirement plan

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• DC Prep teachers are on duty at their assigned campus Mondays through Fridays from 7:15 am to 4:15 pm and must be prepared to receive students in the classroom at 7:30 am.  On Wednesdays, DC Prep staff report until 5:00 for Professional Development. 




• Occasionally, staff may be required to report to a different campus for professional development or all network event.




• All DC Prep staff perform clerical duties related to instructional supplies, student reports and records, attendance reports, assessments, etc.


• DC Prep staff regularly perform morning, lunch, and afternoon duties as assigned by their principal


• Additional responsibilities may arise during the school year.  This could include: attending staff and student field trips, after school events, family-teacher conferences, home visits, and other events involving parents and students, as needed. This list is not exhaustive. DC Prep will communicate mandatory events outside of school hours with ample notice.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role.  All of these physical requirements should be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness to DC Prep’s vision.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Must be able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time


• Must be able to spend the majority of the day standing or mobile throughout the classroom, as well as talk, hear, grasp, reach and lift up to 30lbs with or without accommodations


• Ability to concentrate in active and noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings


• Must be able to have repetitive wrist/hand/finger movement to work on computer and/or related office equipment


• Ability to handle potential high stress conditions

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. They may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

JOIN US

Do you believe that Learning Has No Limits? Are you eager to join a supportive, innovative, and collaborative community of educators? Are you committed to growing your strengths as an educator through individualized professional development and coaching? Apply today!

We’re an equal opportunity employer and hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We strongly encourage diverse candidates to apply.