You are viewing a preview of this job. Log in or register to view more details about this job.

Middle School Learning Specialist

Brilla Public Charter Schools
Learning Specialist - Middle School

About Brilla Charter Schools
Brilla Public Charter Schools is a network of K-8th grade schools that currently serves nearly 1,800 students from Mott Haven, University Heights, and other neighborhoods in the Bronx. The network is growing from its current four elementary and two middle schools to five elementary and five middle schools educating some 4,000 students in the Bronx and Paterson, NJ. The Charter Management Organization (CMO) for Brilla Schools Network is Seton Education Partners, an organization inspired by the Catholic educational tradition, that also manages the Seton Teaching Fellows missionary program and El Camino, an after-school Catholic faith formation program. At the heart of the Seton educational mission is our dedication to help students become young men and women of good character and spirit who are prepared for excellence in high school, college, and beyond. 
Brilla combines a Classical approach to education – an emphasis on an ennobling and content-rich curriculum, inductive inquiry-driven instruction, and virtue formation that fosters an encounter with Truth, Beauty, and Goodness – with co-teaching practices and individualized online instructional support. We approach the formation of our students holistically and maintain high academic expectations. Ours is a joyful community that honors the dignity of each student, our staff members, and the families we serve.
Position Overview
The primary responsibility of the Learning Specialist is to support a range of students across 1-2 grade levels in literacy and/or math. Supervised by the Student Services Manager, the Learning Specialist plays a unique role as a collaborator with teachers on various teams, as a family liaison, and as a small group and individual instructor of students with varying learning needs. Learning Specialists support every child in the grades they serve and foster deep connections with their colleagues and students. Successful Learning Specialists consistently help students achieve academically and socially: collecting, analyzing, and implementing data-based strategies for both the students on their caseload as well as students that have been identified as needing additional support. The Learning Specialist is in current possession of special education certification. 
This position requires a positive, flexible, solutions-oriented, organized, and innovative educator who aims to challenge the status quo of the current educational landscape in urban areas. Brilla Learning Specialists must have a deep passion for student-engaged learning, a desire to accept, implement, and seek feedback, and a proven ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks and responsibilities, while inspiring outstanding achievement in children in a joyful and collaborative work environment.
The Learning Specialist will be a highly motivated collaborator who goes above and beyond prescribed duties in support of the principal, teachers, and their students, while also taking initiative to solve problems and address challenges. A successful Learning Specialist will be a positive and supportive presence on the campus, committed to the demonstration of Brilla’s Core Virtues, calm and confident despite any adversity, and deeply dedicated to the Brilla mission. The Learning Specialist will work to ensure that all aspects of the Brilla mission are executed with fidelity, excellence, and joy. 
Core Competencies & Responsibilities
Learning Specialists Set the Standard
  • Coordinating knowledge of students, instructional content, and curricular resources to design differentiated units and lesson plans aligned to the Common Core standards.
  • Differentiates instruction for students as an integral aspect of planning and teaching.
  • Considers the needs of each child when designing lessons that will address the goals set on the student's IEPs.
  • Evaluates academic achievement and progress towards learning objectives through detailed data analysis of student performance on a wide variety of metrics; Utilize student data collected to drive instruction and intervention
  • Plans, prepares, and implements lesson plans that utilize a variety of instructional strategies and differentiated teaching based on the diverse and individual needs of the students.
  • Designs and provides direct instructionally services to IEP students in a positive enriched environment.
  • Attends all IEP meetings and complete SESIS expectations through encounter attendance entry.
  • Creates and revises lesson plans to provide daily small group instruction that is tightly aligned to IEP goals and the general education curriculum
  • Assists in the development of standards-driven IEPs, keeps organized case files on each scholar with an IEP or 504, ensures all services are in compliance with mandates, attends IEP meetings, and collects multiple sources of data on scholar progress to goals and standards.
  • Coordinates and monitor related services for scholars with IEPs.
  • Provides teachers and staff with academic differentiation strategies and interventions for struggling scholars.
  • Serves on the school-based Scholar Services Team (attend weekly meetings, manage incoming teacher referrals, monitor recommended plans, and help determine scholars who need an evaluation for special education services).
  • Reviews and scaffolds instructional materials for students identified with learning needs while still maintaining the appropriate level of rigor and complexity to meet and exceed goals and standards.
  • Cultivates students’ higher order thinking skills, including their ability to analyze, create, synthesize, and evaluate, through differentiated instruction.
  • Internalizes, and teaches rigorous, Classical curricula that adhere to national and state standards and align with Brilla’s aggressive student growth targets
  • Models the Brilla Mission through consistent professional dress, demonstrating core virtues, execution of professional norms, and enthusiastic, regular engagement in ongoing professional development and community-building.
  • Creates a joyful learning environment that honors the dignity of all scholars while still pushing them to achieve more than they think possible.
Learning Specialists Honor the Team
  • Collaboratively plans with general education teachers to identify strategies to instruct students in rigorous academic subjects using a variety of strategies
  • Provide applicable strategies and resources for classroom teachers to improve the learning outcomes of students who receive differentiated services
  • Support students with differentiated learning needs by providing push-in and pull-out supports to improve student achievement outcomes
  • Forge and maintain productive, collaborative, and collegial working relationships with leaders, co-teacher(s), other teachers, staff members, parents, and community members
  • Contribute to a positive classroom and school culture and environment through consistent implementation of behavior management strategies, attendance at Brilla-sponsored Culture Events, and regular, professional communication
  • Attend regular, mission-critical programming including summer development sessions, data days, parent workshops parent-teacher conferences, and other opportunities
  • Commit to be available by phone after school hours until 7:00pm each workday to address any student or family questions or concerns (cell phone provided by school)
  • Perform other duties as assigned
Learning Specialists Make it Count
  • With support from the Student Services Leader and in conjunction with the Committee for Special Education set aggressive, measurable student goals and regularly evaluate student progress towards mastery
  • Reflect on and analyze student academic and character achievement in order to inform and differentiate instruction 
  • Maintain accurate and complete student files and academic records
  • Demonstrate preparation and skill in working with students from diverse cultural, economic and ability backgrounds
  • Organize and manage time and commitments efficiently to maximize productivity and intentionality throughout the school day and school year
Learning Specialists know It Starts with Them
  • Create and revise high quality Individual Education Plans for students receiving special education services 
  • Embody courage, justice, wisdom, and self-control, while championing a positive, flexible attitude and solution-based approach to challenges
  • Reflect and seek to understand both individual strengths and areas for growth, committing to continuous personal growth and professional development as an individual, teacher, mentor, and leader
  • Challenge assumptions and beliefs about teaching and learning in order to best meet the needs of students and the mission of the organization 
  • Seek to grow both professionally and personally as an educator of students with varying learning needs by deepening content mastery, independently reading current literature, and improving in pedagogy 
Qualifications
  • The confidence that education can awaken the imagination to limitless possibility, stir the heart to love what is good, and inflame the mind to seek understanding of truth.
  • An unwavering, confident, and enthusiastic commitment to the educational mission of the Brilla Schools Network in service to the school community.
  • A relentless dedication to providing all students with an academically robust, inspiring, and joyful learning experience.
  • Certification in Special Education.
  • Strong competence in behavior management, instructional skills, oral and written communication, organizational skills, and interpersonal relations.
  • Restorative Practitioner and/or Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification or licensure (preferred).
  • Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) certification (preferred).  
  • High Energy Level and a Caring and Engaging Personality
  • The belief that education can awaken the imagination to limitless possibility, stir the heart to love what is good, and inflame the mind to seek understanding of truth.
  • An appreciation for the continuing development of character and virtue in children and adults, alike.
  • Demonstrated proficiency leading students from diverse cultural, economic and ability backgrounds.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 
  • Ability to work well in a team.
  • Ability to build, monitor, and maintain systems that improve organizational efficiency.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment; flexible, able to work independently as well as taking direction as needed.
  • Appreciation for Classical liberal arts educational tradition (preferred).
  • Spanish and/or French language proficiency (preferred). 
​Brilla provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees.
The base pay range for this position is 69,000 - 98,500 per year. Pay may vary within the stated range, depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A sign-on bonus for some roles may be provided as part of the compensation package subject to executive leadership approval, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, depending on the position offered.