Special Education Teacher-Coordinator at ESF PCS

Special Education Teacher/Coordinator

Major Duties and Responsibilities

All staff members of Education Strengthens Families Public Charter School work collaboratively in a family literacy model providing educational opportunity to parents and children of immigrant families enrolled in the school. The school serves 32 preschoolers, 32 toddlers and 30 infants at any given time.

The Special Education Teacher/Coordinator will work in small inclusive classes with 4 to 10 students, some of whom may have identified special education needs, while others may simply need more creative and careful instruction. The Teacher/Coordinator will work with children birth up to 5 years and their parents. It is expected that the Special Education Teacher/Coordinator will need to spend the majority of the time with the preschool program of 3-4 year olds.

Other duties may include:

Assessing student developmental needs and language/literacy achievements

Providing specialized instruction per students’ IEPs, and assisting teachers in differentiating instruction and implementing accommodations in the general education classroom to align with the school-wide family literacy curriculum and Creative Curriculum

Collaborating with the infant/toddler and preschool managers to ensure that all children are screened within 45 days of matriculation and coordinating referrals when necessary

Managing administrative assignments effectively and with a high level of professionalism and integrity

Participating in interdisciplinary team meetings for all students/families

Coordinating eligibility and the development of Individualized Education Plans for students with identified or suspected special needs, coordinating with related service providers, and monitoring progress toward IEP goals

Writing and developing special education reports and collecting data required by the State to assure school compliance including the use of state required Special Education Data System (SEDS).

Modeling and contributing to a school culture of respect, integrity, inclusion, and high expectations for all.

About Education Strengthens Families Public Charter School

The Education Strengthens Families (ESF) Public Charter School’s mission is to provide a high quality education for adults and children that empowers families through a culturally sensitive family literacy model. ESF’s model builds upon its 20 years of successful experience in providing family literacy services through the Even Start Multicultural Family Literacy Program.

“I had very little education and felt very isolated when I came to the Even Start program (now ESF). Now I speak English, have my GED, and work as a computer instructor. I am able to communicate with my daughter’s teachers, am on top of her homework, and get involved in school activities. My daughter loves school and gets straight A’s, thanks to the great beginning we had together at Even Start.”-Berta Perez, former student, now an ESF computer instructor.

ESF assists families, like Berta and her daughter, at the intersection of a new life in the United States. Such families are in great danger off “falling through the cracks” due to under-education, isolation, poverty, domestic violence, or lack of English skills. The students enrolling in the first family literacy level typically have less than a 6th grade education and 74% of all parents do not have a high school diploma. Children have limited parent-child verbal stimulation, higher than average risk of developmental delay, limited access to reading materials, and/or need to learn a new language. 95% of families are eligible for free/reduced lunches. ESF helps parents to gain critical literacy, English, parenting and job skills and children to acquire the language, literacy and other skills needed for school.

A strong predictor of child success in school is a parent’s literacy level. ESF English classes, using fun, interactive, non-traditional methods, help parents make high gains on the CASAS literacy exam. 71% of parents who studied 60 hours or more improved a national Educational Functioning Level, with an average gain of 8 points. Nationally, adult students improve an average of 3 to 5 points after 100 hours of instruction.

ESF children also gain vital language, literacy and developmental skills. 100% of preschool children who post-tested (including those with special needs) met or exceeded nationally expected gains on the Brigance exam.

ESF parents greatly increase their involvement in their children’s education by attending parent-teacher conferences, reading books with their children, increasing the number of books in their homes and participating in school and community activities. Parenting classes teach read aloud, language development and positive discipline techniques. These are applied during Parent and Child Together Time at the center and at home. ESF families read 7,120 books during the annual Spring Reading Challenge, an increase of over 4,000 books from last year.

ESF is a leader in the family literacy field, sharing its best practices at conferences related to adult, early childhood and family literacy. Two teachers have been named Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year. Last year staff provided eight external workshops to train other educators locally and nationally including workshops on Interactive Educational Activities and Teaching Pronunciation at the National Center for Family Literacy Conference.

Qualifications

Ideal candidates for the special education position will have experience working with young children 0-5 years and their parents. Candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and certification in special education and must be able to communicate in Spanish and English. We prefer special education candidates with a strong background in promoting language and literacy development as well as positive behavior support for young children.

In addition, teacher candidates should possess an unyielding belief that with the appropriate supports, coupled with high expectations, all children and adults can significantly improve their academic skills, and can succeed at school and beyond.

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying, please send your resume, a cover letter, and salary requirements by e-mail to: info@evenstartdc.org

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