Associate Director, Integrated Special Education
Remote
Network Support – Coaching and Curriculum /
Remote
At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.
Position Description
Reporting to the Senior Director of Integrated Special Education (ISE), the Associate Director of ISE is an organizational leader responsible for driving forward the quality of and vision for Integrated Special Education within Rocketship. This leader will further establish Rocketship as the premier national model for meaningful inclusion among charter schools and traditional districts. By partnering with other organizational leaders, supporting vision implementation, coaching a high-performing team, and ensuring excellence in compliance, this leader will have a profound impact on the nearly 10,000 Rocketeers in our network, including approximately 10% of students currently receiving special education services. This role is D.C., TN, or MKE/Chicago based supporting across regions.
The following are essential functions related to the position:
Implement vision and Instructional Model for Integrated Special Education:
- Implement Rocketship’s vision and approach to Integrated Special Education in collaboration with all key stakeholders; ensure high-quality outcomes for students with unique learning and behavioral needs within present and envisioned future scale of the network; fortify Rocketship Education’s continued presence as the premier national model of meaningful inclusion and leader in the field for effective, efficient and high-quality services for students with special needs.
- Develop an effective approach to curriculum, instruction, and assessment which leads to rapid growth for students with disabilities; ensure exceptional outcomes for students with unique learning and behavioral needs; model and sustain a culture of high performance and service orientation among team members.
- Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Sr Director of ISE, providing support to maintain the high achievement levels of all Rocketeers.
- Serve as an ambassador of Rocketship Public Schools internally and externally – from school directors to funders to authorizers; create deep partnership by communicating proactively, knowledgeably and passionately about Rocketship Education’s mission and core characteristics, as well as Rocketship’s vision for inclusive special education and services.
- Maintain a close working relationship with other members of the Network Support Team (NeST—Rocketship’s centralized office that operates in support of its schools and regions), school directors, and all school staff (teachers, school leaders, support staff, etc.) to ensure exchange of best practices, coordination of efforts, data driven decision-making, and general support for the special education department.
Support a High-Performing Team:
- Support and coach regional special education leaders to ensure successful implementation
- Design and execute professional development opportunities related to special education for a range of audiences (school leaders, special education teachers, general education teachers, paraprofessionals, etc.); design and lead regular team meetings and routines, which inspire team leaders to support the vision for these services in Rocketship schools; facilitate learning and sharing of best practices related to special education across Rocketship’s regional teams.
Ensure Excellence in Compliance and Operations
- Create, enforce, and maintain policies, systems and procedures across the network that meet the highest standards of compliance; stay abreast of current special education policies and best practices for all regions and demographics; ensure all internal special education policies and procedures meet and exceed federal, state, local authorizers; and, meet LEA guidelines and recommendations; provide on-site support to schools regarding any compliance matters pertaining to students, authorizers or otherwise.
Required Qualifications
- A deep belief in the mission and educational model of Rocketship Public Schools and our inclusive approach to serving students with disabilities with the ability to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, flexible and autonomous environment;
- A minimum of 3 years of successful experience managing special education and compliance initiatives with a track-record of successful instructional expertise in realizing high levels of student achievement in a complex, multi-site environment;
- 4 additional years of successful teaching/instructional expertise with a record of strong achievement results
- Experience navigating cross-functional organization relationships and achieving results through influence and collaboration,
- Knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations associated with special education and successful application across multiple cases;
- Experience working with students with a full range of disabilities (learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, etc.) and with elementary-age students (strongly preferred).
- Strong pedagogical, culturally responsive, and personalized learning skills to effectively innovate upon the current approach and systems to achieve greater student achievement outcomes and opportunities, whilst constantly thinking about, innovating upon and implementing new strategies and approaches to our meaningful inclusion approach in order to always ensure that the Rocketship model offers our Rocketeers and families the most robust learning experience;
- Valid Special Education teaching credential or administrative license; Master’s degree in Special Education or related field strongly preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
- Moderate-Severe background expertise and track of increased inclusion and decreased behaviorD.C., TN, or MKE/Chicago based with Special Education background and expertise within Sped Law and EdCode
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 position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.
Compensation:
Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.
Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy. For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.
