Early Childhood Instructional Specialist

Description

                         Early Childhood Instructional Specialist - SPED Preferred

Full-time/ 11 month

An instructional specialist is an instructional leader with a demonstrated track record of improving student achievement and stellar interpersonal skills. The Instructional Specialist’s primary responsibilities will be demonstrating effective instructional practices and deep content knowledge in bilingual education, collaborating with the PK Assistant Principal to develop and implement plans for RTI Tier I and Tier 2, coaching teachers via observation and feedback cycles, supporting curriculum, staff development, and the successful implementation of departmental initiatives. The instructional specialist has the experience and content knowledge to implement effective student interventions, design an equitable and aligned curriculum, and coach teachers on their instructional practices. The instructional specialist is an expert in content, data, and supports tracking and analysis in order to improve student achievement. As a member of the school coaching team, the instructional specialist is responsible for communicating effectively with staff to set the tone for the building and model a culture of leadership, respect, and high achievement for both students and staff.

Primary Responsibilities

Collaboration

• Abide by the DC Bilingual Leading and Learning framework. 
• Collaborate with the coaching team to promote the school’s mission and vision. Promote respect for culturally and linguistically diverse families and children. 
• Participate in all school-wide initiatives to promote family engagement in all school activities. 
• Work collaboratively and professionally with families and other staff to promote the general health and well-being of all students. Support grade-level team(s) assigned by attending meetings, supporting the work and owning the student data, and co-planning and collaborating with grade-level teachers.

Intervention

• Assess the needs of students and support teachers in creating and implementing an instructional plan for RtI. 
• Work directly with high-needs students to provide targeted instruction or intervention. Provide assessment support to teachers.
•  Support with special education, including but not limited to attending IEP meetings, delivering SI hours, and supporting the writing and creation of IEPs.

Coaching

• Collaborate with the PK Assistant Principal, Principal and SPED coach and coordinator to coach classroom culture and all contents for assigned teachers. Observe teacher practice and provide feedback according to the DCB Six-Step Coaching model and other coaching models in order to improve teacher practice and increase student achievement. 
• Support teachers in curriculum planning, development, and implementation. Responsible for providing data-supported targeted feedback and curriculum support to PK teachers in order to improve teacher practice and increase student achievement. Work with the PK Assistant Principal to coach teams and develop a coaching schedule that promotes academic achievement. 
• Collaborate the PK Assistant Principal to conduct CLASS observations and providing targeted feedback to teachers in order to improve student-teacher interactions as formally measured by OSSE CLASS evaluators.

PD & Curriculum Development

• Collaborate with the PK Assistant Principal to research and develop an equitable (along lines of race, ethnicity, sex, sexuality, religion, ability, and more) curriculum, materials, assessment, and instructional practices for PK content programs, with the collaboration of the coaching team. 
• Supports the design and facilitation of August Training for new and returning teachers. Plan and facilitate targeted professional development for vertical team meetings. Collaborate with the coaching team to determine goals for PD, teacher growth, and student achievement in PK.
• Collect data, to be used as evidence on Teacher Evaluations. 
• Develop action research and participate in departmental efforts to translate accepted research into practice. 
• Use research to promote alignment between early childhood programs.

All Staff

• Adhere to the No Nonsense Nurture expectations for managing student relations and behaviors. 
• Meet all expectations as outlined by the DC Bilingual Leading and Learning Framework. Abide by the DC Bilingual 7 Agreements. 
• Demonstrate dedication to the Professional Learning Community (PLC) by supporting school-wide initiatives and programs. 
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education or equivalent. 
• DC Praxis Passing Score. 
• SPED Certification preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to work with students and families from diverse backgrounds. Preferred two or more years of experience (preferably in an urban or culturally diverse setting).

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, walk, and use his/her hands. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. The specific vision abilities required by this job may include close vision.

DC Bilingual is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is a drug-free workplace. Salary is competitive and is commensurate with experience. DCB provides a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, short-term disability, and staff preference when enrolling their child(ren) into DC Bilingual.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education or equivalent. 
• DC Praxis Passing Score. 
• SPED Certification preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to work with students and families from diverse backgrounds. Preferred two or more years of experience (preferably in an urban or culturally diverse setting).

Salary : $75,000 - $90,000