Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 52 schools serving more than 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

The Director of Special Education acts as a visionary and leads the continuous growth and development of our Special Education and ENL programming in Camden. Beyond compliance the Director of Special Education safeguards that our schools provide equitable opportunities for all learners, through innovative and supportive programming, inclusive policies, and supported daily instructional and operational practices. Directors of Special Education are viewed as  instructional, operational, and compliance experts in all areas of Special Education and English Language Learner programming, as given such, are provided opportunities to inform best practices with other regional leaders around Special Education and ENL programming in each region. They are viewed as a regional leader, serve as key partners to the ASUP and ACOO roles in each region, and are informed and able to provide relevant and accurate data and supporting information around major drivers of school culture and success. These drivers are inclusive of, but not limited to: school policy, external partnerships, staffing considerations, budgeting determinations based on the needs of the region and needs of individual students, curriculum design and implementation, and coaching and professional development of Special Education and ENL staff.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Data Analysis, Budgeting and Planning:

• Collect, analyze and present student achievement data using measures to identify trends, areas of strength and areas for improvement.
• Analyze student work and interventions to identify both student, teacher and support staff areas of support.
• Track progress of training for each special education coordinator on caseload.
• Make decisions based on opportunities presented in the data.
• Collaborate with the Data & IT Team to create or procure a data platform to house enrollment data, IEP data, staffing data and progress monitoring information.
• Examine historical special education and English language learner data to predict staffing needs and costs throughout the year and year over year.
• Implement planning procedures to accommodate the growth of Uncommon’s special education and English language learner student population and staff.
• Build out structures to support the most thorough and post-secondary educational outcomes for students with disabilities and English language learners.

Regional and School-based Management and Development:

• Lead and manage a team of associate directors for special education and English Language Learners and Related Services, dependent on region size.
• Train, support, and coach Regional and school-based administrators in the areas of special education, English language learner instruction, and at-risk student services.
• Train, support, and coach general education teachers in the areas of special education, English language learner instruction, and at-risk student services.
• Provide direct management to a group of school-based special education coordinators.
• Lead all aspects of professional development of school-based special education teachers and English New Language Teachers.
• Coordinate, in collaboration with the Uncommon Schools Content Development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Teams, the development of content related to instruction for special education and English language learners.
• Coordinate, in collaboration with the Uncommon Schools Recruitment Team, the recruitment of full-time and part-time staff.
• Consistently review and collaborate with regional leadership (ASUP & ACOO) the data and student population needs for continued innovation efforts, inclusive of program expansion, curriculum improvements, and innovation in instructional practice

External Partner Engagement:

• Maintain our relationship with each external districts of residency, and our authorizer, on matters related to special education and English language learners.
• Maintain relationships with related service providers and agencies for speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision, hearing, and paraprofessional services.
• Represent our schools at meetings and conferences with large national organizations and funders.
• Serve as the region’s primary liaison with outside counsel for legal matters regarding special education and English language learners.

Compliance and Risk Management:

• Ensures that students receive the instruction and services required by IDEA, Section 504 or the Rehabilitation Act of 1974 and Title II of the ADA Act of 1990.
• Maintain IEP database (e.g., IEP Frontline or ED Plan) for all IEP functions.
• Provide regional and school based support to special education coordinators in the following areas:
  • Conducting “Child Find” activities in accordance with State and Federal law.
  • Identifying incoming students’ needs for special education, English language learner instruction, and at-risk student services as indicated by family questionnaire responses.
  • Reviewing the results of intake assessments of new students to identify students in need of special education, English language learner instruction, and at-risk student services.
  • Pre-referral and referral processes for special education, English language learner instruction, and at-risk student services.
  • Coordinating classroom observations and testing (i.e. psychological) as needed.
  • Providing information to and from IEP Teams as needed.
  • Participating in the development and maintenance of IEPs by the CSEs.
  • Implementing IEPs, including managing the provision of direct services by the CSE.
  • Ensuring that all general education teachers know, understand, and implement all classroom accommodations and modifications required by IEPs.
  • Providing special education, English language learner instruction, and at-risk student services.

Experience Requirements:

• 5-6 years of experience of directly related experience
• Bachelor’s Degree 
• Must be certified in special education in NJ (or another state with intent to transfer)
• Must have leadership certification or willing to obtain in 1-2 years depending on program availability
• Must have taught special education and had direct experience with coaching 
• Proficiency in reading and writing Individualized Education Plan

Skills Required:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong supervisory and leadership abilities.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Strong time management; ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and meet project timelines.
• Ability to maintain a calm, professional demeanor in the face of complicated demands and external pressures.
• Proven track record to coordinate and work independently as a leader and as part of a team.
• Outstanding Excel skills.
• Ability to lead a budget.

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent.  Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in Camden, NJ is between $97,800 to $122,200 and generally, we expect that qualified candidates in this location will be made an offer between $97,800 and $110,000. The starting pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, certification, and location. Because we value staff staying in their roles over time, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students.  As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.