Special Education Teacher

SALARY: Based on experience salary schedule, plus benefits

LOCATION: 3628 W Pierce St, Milwaukee, WI 53215

REPORTS TO: Collaborative Leaders

Escuela Verde Vision and Mission

Escuela Verde, part of the TransCenter for Youth network of schools, cultivates a community that is participatory, just, sustainable and peaceful. We live our vision through:

• Graduating high school students prepared to live happy, healthy, meaningful lives;
• Collaborating with the community to create a strong sense of place and skills to flourish without harm;
• Providing staff who model our vision and embrace education as liberation;
• Engaging youth by adhering to an ecopedagogical praxis;
• Developing biliteracy and honoring linguistic and cultural identities by engaging in translanguaging practices; and
• Offering immersion opportunities for those interested in transformative education.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Director of Special Education, the Special Education Advisor develops and provides specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities; Evaluates and assesses student progress against instructional objectives; follows state mandated due process procedures and functions as IEP Manager to assigned students. Special education teachers will also work collaboratively to co-plan and implement general education curriculum with general education advisors. As a member of a Teacher Powered School, Special Education Advisors hold some collaborative leadership duties and are a part of the decision-making of the school. Grounded in constructivism, Advisors are primarily generalists who support and advise 9th-12th grade students to not only meet their academic goals, but also to provide opportunities for students to actively engage in community-based opportunities and experiences in preparation for life after graduation. While the primary role of an Advisor is to act as a coach, mentor, facilitator, or guide for independent project-based student learning, this position also includes leading workshops and coaching staff as the expert in the subject area hired for.

Ideal Candidate

• Current WI Cross-Categorical Special Education License (801) Licensure issued by Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction 
• Bilingual in Spanish strongly preferred
• Belief in constructivist pedagogy

• View of students as capable learners
• Understanding of Project Based Learning 
• Ability to create a classroom environment that is inclusive, multicultural, and equitable
• Democratic mindset that puts all school members (advisor, students, and parents) on equal terms
• Belief in restorative practices as a method for problem-solving
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as leadership may deem necessary from time to time.

Duty/Responsibility: Advising & Teaching Students

• Provide appropriate learning experiences for students with exceptionalities  in a variety of educational settings. 
  • Establish rapport and hold high expectations for dignified interactions with students, parents, staff and the community. 
  • Use restorative practices to keep the school environment conducive for learning; uphold student safety and dignity.
  • Co-plan and co-teach lessons in high school math, reading, writing and social skills, utilizing collaborative planning methods with regular education staff.

• Plan and lead all-school activities and specialty weeks throughout the year
• Attend community nights, parent nights,  presentation nights and specialty nights throughout the year
  • Plan, design, and implement 2 SPED-specific Family Nights for families with children with IEPs.  

Duty/Responsibility: Non-Instructional Tasks 

• Collaboration with Staff
  • Contribute to a culture that promotes learning and growth 
  • Actively participate in staff meetings & decision making 
  • Adhere and be an active participant in our discipline process including having direct involvement with student issues, being part of restorative practices processes as well as discipline committee meetings, contacting parents, and properly documenting discipline issues
  • Communicate proactively and promptly with staff, make adequate preparations for time off
  • Commit to using restorative practices with other staff members
  • Maintain openness to giving and receiving feedback from the professional learning community
  • Attend overnight strategic planning week in February
• Personal Growth
  • Create and follow a professional PD plan, which includes Educator Effectiveness goals 
  • Plan, design, and implement 4 professional development sessions (SPED-specific) training per year.
  • Attend at least one conference/professional development opportunity per year
  • Conduct, compile and analyze action research related to student learning and engagement
  • Maintain overall healthy lifestyle (body and mind) in an effort to model a healthy lifestyle for students and to be an effective community member
• Ground decision making and implementation of equity work in data and best practices for students 
• Establish and maintain community relationships in service of students and for the promotion of the school
• Understand that new/additional responsibilities may arise and will require advisors’ willingness to collaborate
• Become familiar with and follow safety protocols and procedures.

 

Duty/Responsibility: Case Management

• Manage IEP Caseload: monitor, initiate, and write all paperwork for: 
  • Evaluations (as needed)
  • Re-evaluations (averaging 10-20 hours per typical evaluation for special education teacher (as needed)
  • Annual IEP compliance meetings 
  • 30-day review/revise meetings 
    • Initiate invitations; set up meeting dates in collaboration with families. 
    • Assist in collection of data for providing appropriate classroom interventions.
      • Maintain accurate and complete student records and prepare reports on students and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
      • Initiative, design, and manage Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans as needed

• Develop Transition plans
  • Plan Employability and Career Technical skill workshops/opportunities.
  • Connect students and families to community resources and transitional services. 
  • Organize post-secondary training opportunities (visits, career fairs, speakers) for students.

Duty/Responsibility: Special Education Services

• Meet and monitor IEP minutes for students on caseload.
• Regularly communicate with the IEP team and guardians/families to develop and implement Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). 
• Providing support to paraprofessionals in work with students (curriculum, philosophy, training).
• Modify and provide accommodations of the general education curriculum for students with exceptionalities based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.
• Work with curriculums and community partners to implement social/emotional learning for diverse learners. 
• Teach positive and restorative behavior, as determined by the students’ individualized education programs by employing techniques in an overall positive behavioral support system.
• Develop plans for effective communication, monitoring, and follow-up of students in inclusive classroom settings.
• Provide crisis intervention, as needed, for students and those in inclusive classrooms.
• Meet and collaborate regularly with the Special Education Team to discuss student performance and develop weekly goals.
  • Provide direct and indirect instructional support to students in a positive environment.
  • Co-plan and co-teach lessons in high school math, reading, writing and social skills, utilizing collaborative planning methods with regular education staff.
  • Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of academic skills, especially related to IEP goals.

Education and/or Experience

• Licensure issued by Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (or eligibility for such licensure) in subject area to be taught; ability to obtain within one year
• Bachelor’s Degree

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Language Skills

Ability to speak effectively to other employees of the organization. Spanish speaking is a plus.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

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 job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects, tools, or controls and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach above shoulders. 

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. This role will be in-person, in the community, and based at Escuela Verde, 3628 W Pierce St, Milwaukee, WI 53215.

Equal Employment Opportunity

TransCenter for Youth (Escuela Verde) is an equal opportunity employer and believes in equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. Accordingly, all employment decisions are based on the principles of equal opportunity. These decisions include recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, discipline, compensation, benefits, training, and other personnel actions involving persons in all job titles and shall occur without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), age, ancestry, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender identity, arrest and conviction records, the use or nonuse of lawful products off the employers’ premises during nonwork hours, declining to attend meetings or participate in communications about religious or political matters, or any other characteristic protected by law.