SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, SY24-25

The Inspired Teaching Demonstration School is accepting applications for special education teachers for SY2024-25. The school is seeking self-motivated, dynamic, and thoughtful individuals with proven progressive, inquiry-based teaching skills to join the faculty. The Inspired Teaching Demonstration School serves PreK3 – 8th grade. 

At the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School, a professional learning community of master teachers and teacher residents ensures that a diverse group of students achieve their potential as accomplished learners, thoughtful citizens, and imaginative and inquisitive problem solvers through a demanding, inquiry-based curriculum. With its clear mission and prominent location in Washington, DC, the school serves as a model of instruction for students and training for teachers, with the goal of becoming a leader in changing the way teachers are prepared and supported and students are educated nationwide.

THE ROLE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER

Inspired Teachers possess the beliefs, skills, and accomplishments that lead all students to achieve at high levels. To establish a true professional learning community, all adults in the building are considered educators, as they all interact regularly with students. As such, a firm belief and grounding in the philosophy and values of the school's mission is crucial for every employee. It is of the utmost importance that every member of the school’s staff believes that all children can learn and contribute to the vitality of their learning community. This combined with a deep care for all students is the foundation for our work. Master teachers take on the additional responsibility of promoting the school’s mission by hosting and supporting resident teachers, as described in detail below.

The Inspired Teaching Demonstration School highly values and respects teaching as a profession and teachers as professionals. The school culture places a premium on teacher autonomy and expertise and in turn, expects professionalism and a high level of responsibility from the teaching staff. The school works hard to ensure teachers have a positive and productive work culture, including collegiality among staff, appropriate supports for teaching (including adequate supplies for every classroom), and a respect for teachers as individuals and professionals.

Responsibilities include:

• Co-teach core content subjects with a general education teacher, including co-planning, developing differentiation strategies, and co-facilitating learning and lessons.

• Facilitate specialized instruction for students with IEPs outside general education through research-based interventions and methods (training provided).

• Draft IEP present levels, goals, and progress reports in Special Programs.

• Assist in the implementation of policies for identification, evaluation, and placement of students with disabilities.

• Assist in the development of positive relationships with parents of students with disabilities.

• Case manage assigned students, including parent communication, documentation, and ensuring implementation of IEPs across all classes.

• Adopt a restorative justice orientation toward discipline by holding all children to high behavioral expectations in a dignified, clear way; viewing misbehavior as an opportunity for learning and forgiveness and not a transgression to be punished.

• Share schoolwide responsibility for supervision by performing assigned duties punctually.

• Work closely with Director of Special Education to meet all deadlines and maintain school compliance.

• Other duties as assigned by Principal or Head of School.

The successful Special Education Teacher:

• Demonstrates experience as an effective teacher.

• Is committed to and experienced with meaningfully assessing student learning.

• Has a willingness to embrace teaching the whole child.

• Shows potential for leadership in and beyond the classroom.

• Engages in holistic, asset-based approach to problem solving.

• Has a commitment to reflective practice.

• Shows a commitment to the teaching profession.

• Fits with the school's organizational culture and mission.

• Demonstrates the ability to thrive in an innovative environment and an interest in being part of a team that builds the systems that support a growing school.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful applicant will demonstrate knowledge and experience in special education, as well as in the field of progressive, constructivist education.

All Inspired Teachers must:

• Have a demonstrated ability to implement the school's philosophy of teaching and pedagogy – and be willing and able to share their experiences, ideas, and strategies with all colleagues.

• Demonstrate a deep commitment to reflective practice, an ability to give and receive feedback openly and without defensiveness, and a desire to constantly question and improve their teaching practice.

• Be deeply committed to creating a school that not only provides an excellent education for the student, but that creates an open, trusting learning environment for the teachers.

• Have a strong ability to persevere in the face of ongoing challenges. Teaching anywhere – but even more so in an urban setting in a growing school – is a demanding profession, regularly requiring one to go above and beyond, to solve problems quickly and in the moment, and to find the positive in difficult situations. We look for these qualities in all of our staff.

We require teachers to meet the requirements for Highly Qualified Teacher status in the District of Columbia. Requirements include:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a related field. Master’s degree in Special Education preferred.

• 3 or more years of special education teaching experience or equivalent relevant work with children will be preferred.

• Passing of Special Education and/or content Praxis exams.

• Ability to establish strong, trusting, and authentic relationships with a wide variety of individuals, including new and experienced teachers, parents and families, and a diverse local community.

• Clear, concise, and persuasive writing and speaking skills.

• Integrity and a sense of humor.

• Experience in experiential, exploratory, arts-integration, and/or workshop model preferred.

• Experience with restorative justice and/or Responsive Classroom preferred.

• Experience with LindaMood Bell, EdMark, Wilson, or Eureka preferred.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

ITDS offers a comprehensive compensation package that is based on the following values:

• Competitive: Our salary scales are competitive with other DC single-campus charter LEAs

• Support the whole educator: Compensation is not just financial and we invest in the many aspects of working at ITDS that bring value

• Consistent and Equitable: Our goal is to provide comparable salaries for the same work

• Sustainable: We are careful planners and stewards of our public dollars, making sure we can meet all of our obligations, especially salaries, into the future

The school’s benefits package includes health care (multiple plan options), retirement plan (employer match available), Flexible Spending accounts, generous PTO, supplemental insurance through AFLAC, and pre-tax public transportation/Metro benefit. ITDS also offers extra-curricular and committee stipends, professional autonomy, multiple pathways for professional growth and support, and opportunities for whole educator care and wellness.

The Inspired Teaching Demonstration School is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring and encourages applicants from all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, marital status, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected status. All employment decisions are made solely on the basis of the individual’s qualifications as related to the requirements of the position being filled. The school's Title IX Coordinator is Jessica Hiltabidel (jessica.hiltabidel@inspiredteachingschool.org)

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

With its clear mission and prominent location in Washington, DC, the school serves as a model of instruction for students and training for teachers, with the goal of becoming a leader in changing the way teachers are prepared and supported, and students are educated nationwide.  At the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School, students learn through an academically challenging, standards-based curriculum that supports and builds the four “I”s: Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity. Within its walls, young people learn and achieve at high levels without having to surrender their intellectual curiosity and passion for learning.  

The school focuses on developing student potential in four areas: Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity. Students master content in Reading & Literature, Communication, Math, Science, and Social Studies—and have the ability to apply their knowledge to relevant and current situations, problems, and experiences; students develop the skills of a researcher, using their intellectual curiosity to pose and solve problems; students exhibit the skills of divergent thinkers, with the courage to create, the willingness to approach problems with a joyful spirit, and the ability to play; and students develop the skills and dispositions necessary to function as members of a democratic society.

Teachers are held to a high standard of excellence and professionalism. Teachers demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the subjects they teach; draw on an extensive repertoire of authentic and engaging strategies for instruction and assessment, steeped in the knowledge of how children and adolescents learn; contribute to a vibrant and active professional learning community; and forge strong and positive relationships not only with students, but also with community stakeholders, including families.

As a demonstration school, staff works to disseminate our instructional approach by inviting education influencers to visit the school, and disseminating the model outward via preparation of Teaching Residents, conference presentations, and other opportunities to speak in the community.

The school is a place where children, adolescents, and adults thrive and find joy in their work.

• The physical space communicates a genuine focus on learners.

• The emotional space requires an approach to academics and discipline that focuses on helping children and adolescents develop compassion, empathy, respect for others, self-discipline, and problem-solving skills.

• The intellectual space of the school asks teachers and students to act as leaders, share opinions and ideas, identify problems and generate solutions, and collaborate and work together as a community so that everyone experiences success.

• The school emphasizes parent and community involvement. Parents play an active and important role in the school - volunteering in classrooms, creating special events for families, supporting student learning, and contributing to the positive climate.

Primary methods of instruction include inquiry and active learning, where the teacher serves as facilitator and coach to support student learning. Instruction includes an emphasis on social-emotional learning, and classrooms are characterized by student-centered organization styles such as differentiated instruction, collaborative groups, and child-initiated play.