Assistant Director of Special Education - Camden

Company Description

About KIPP TEAM & Family

KIPP TEAM & Family is our network office that includes support teams - such as Leadership Development, Recruitment, Advocacy, Facilities, Finance, HR and more - dedicated to empowering our schools and ensuring the success of KIPP students throughout New Jersey and Miami. Our schools are part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. The first KIPP New Jersey school opened in Newark in 2002 and since then our school network has expanded to educate 8,135 students in grades K-12. By 2025, KIPP New Jersey will provide a world-class education to over 10,300 students across fifteen schools in Newark and five in Camden. 

In 2018, we grew our KIPP community in response to a need for high-quality school options for students in Greater Miami’s Urban Core communities. That led to the creation of KIPP Miami, which currently educates more than 1,000 students in four schools, with plans to reach 5,800 students by 2025. By offering highly effective educators with strong bonds to families, more time in school learning, services that support a variety of student needs, and a culture focused on achievement, our students in New Jersey and Miami are on the path to and through college, career, and choice-filled lives.  

Job Description

Here’s what you need to know:

The Assistant Director of Special Education serves as a member of our K-12 regional Special Education team, working hand in hand with schools to execute high quality special education programming that supports all learners to achieve academic and social-emotional progress. The Assistant Director works in partnership with the Director and Managing Director of Special Education to enhance special education programming for all students enrolled at KIPP NJ through implementation of a continuum of programming, purposeful academic intervention and related services to improve academic and life outcomes for students with disabilities. The Assistant Director is responsible for increasing the leadership capacity of school-based leaders (including Heads of Schools, School Leaders, and Assistant Principals) by deepening everyone’s subject matter expertise, compliance to state and federal IDEA regulations and supporting the implementation of the Network’s vision for Special Education. 

The Assistant Director of Special Education will…

Coach and develop Special Education Leaders

• By working with special education leaders in  a caseload of schools school, build our school-based leaders’ special education content knowledge and instructional leadership capacity -- this may include engaging in walk-throughs, student work analysis protocols, coaching O3s, leading and monitoring team meetings, supporting PD implementation, and more
• Ensure that every one of our schools is creating equitable experiences for all students by increasing support at high-needs campuses when needed, and partnering with other regional stakeholders in order to drive rapid improvement in key academic systems and processes. 
• Analyze data and student work from major assessments with instructional leaders at each school and make recommendations about responding to misconceptions and implementing instructional next steps.
• Serve as a point person for the instructional, compliance, and programmatic elements of the Special Education program at your caseload of schools. 

Support the Implementation of the Network’s Vision for Special Education

• Champion the vision of inclusive education for all students enrolled at KIPP NJ. This includes supporting teams to ensure students are in their least restrictive environment and providing meaningful opportunities to engage with grade-level peers both academically and socially. 
• Monitor programs, including instruction, to ensure that students make progress towards individual and grade wide goals and make and communicate changes and improvements to content as needed.
• Monitor and support in the implementation of network wide systems and procedures to ensure compliance with NJ state law and IDEA regulations and communicate areas for improvement to teams. 
• May be asked to provide specific modifications to curriculum and assessments for students with disabilities K-12.
• Review and respond to assessment data by deploying coaching support to places most in need and/or making adjustments and modifications to curriculum materials.

Lead and Engage in Professional Development

• As a resident content expert, lead professional development for leaders and teachers in accordance with the annual professional development strategy, includi