Freedom Preparatory Academy Charter Schools

Special Populations Teacher - Middle School Special Education

ABOUT US

Freedom Preparatory Academy Charter Schools (www.freedomprep.org) is a K-12 charter school in Memphis, TN. Our mission is to prepare all students in grades PK-12 to excel in college and in life. Freedom Preparatory Academy opened in August of 2009 with a class of 96 6th graders. We now serve over 1300 students in grades PreK-12. In just eight short years, our students have exceeded local and state averages in math and local averages in English language arts on the state exam.

We have three core beliefs that drive our mission: Every child deserves the right to a high quality public education, a foundation in character development is essential, and direct exposure to an array of opportunities and experiences provides each child with the self-confidence and social knowledge to compete globally. We will accomplish our mission through a highly structured, academically rigorous environment where students will master the core subjects, develop advanced academic skills, and demonstrate the school’s core values of: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Excellence, and Community.

JOB TITLE:  Special Populations Teacher - Middle School Special Education

ACCCOUNTABILITY: Head of School

POSITION SUMMARY

The Special Education Teacher is accountable for the success of all students.  However, the Special Education Teacher will focus primarily on meeting the needs of special education students through the use of integrated comprehensive services. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Freedom Preparatory Academy welcomes teachers who are relentless in their aim to see student growth and who want to hone their skills as effective teachers in the classroom. Below are some of the tasks required of teachers:

• Embody the characteristics that the school wishes the students to uphold, especially respect, responsibility, integrity, excellence, and community
• Teach at least three to four classes each day
• Document all syllabi, lesson plans, assignments, and other curricular materials
• Work closely with the Director of Special Populations, Head of School and Dean of Students to develop and implement strategies for all students to reach success
• Reinforce school-wide rules and expectations in the classroom and lesson planning
• Communicate effectively and maintain strong relationships with students, families and colleagues
• Assist in the design and implementation of research-based curriculum
• Maintain the school culture of high academic and behavioral expectations through continuous reflection 
• Use detailed data analysis of student performance to inform best practices
• Assist in student arrival and departure, transitions between class periods, and lunch periods
• Complete other tasks as assigned by the Head of School
• Schedule students for pull-out services only on an as-needed basis
• Maintain a log of all students on IEPs and 504s and follow all mandated timelines
• Ensure compliance with all state and federal special education requirements
• Review student IEPs with general classroom teachers and offer detailed recommendations on successful techniques for meeting accommodations
• Review intake assessments of new students
• Develop flexible groups for students within individual classes with the assistance of teachers
• Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop IEPs designed to promote students’ academic, physical, and social development
• Employ special education strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory
• Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children’s progress, and to determine their priorities for their children and their resource needs

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

Education:                   

• Bachelor’s Degree required. 
• Master’s Degree preferred.

Experience:                 

• Three to five years of urban teaching and educational leadership experience is preferred
• Successful manager of an urban classroom who has used structure, incentives, and high expectations to drive student success
• Experienced classroom teacher with demonstrated, quantifiable and objective student performance gains that surpass state or local averages
• Ability to work with a variety of learning abilities, including those with low skill level in a heterogeneously grouped classroom setting

Skills:

• Energy and entrepreneurial spirit for a transformational charter school
• Unwavering in pursuit of excellence even in the face of difficult opposition and challenges
• Results-driven educational leader with a commitment to standards-based curriculum and the use of data and assessments to drive instructional decisions
• Good problem-solving ability and good judgment
• Familiarity with cultural diversity
• Ability to work collaboratively with staff, families, and community members
• Ability to be creative, resourceful, and reflective
• Possess strong interpersonal skills
• Professional demeanor, strong work ethic, detail-driven work style with excellent organizational skills

Character Traits:

• Alignment with the Freedom Prep mission and a desire to transform the lives of underserved children in Memphis
• Self-awareness
• Adaptability
• Discretion and confidentiality
• Professional maturity and demeanor
• Inspiring and influential role model

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Stand, walk or bend over, kneel, crouch, reach overhead, grasp, push, and pull.  Move, lift and/or carry up to 30 pounds to shoulder height.
• Repetitive use of hands (i.e. fine manipulation, simple grasping, and power grasping).
• Demonstrate normal depth perception.
• Sitting, walking or standing for extended periods of time.
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, operate standard office equipment, and use a telephone
• See and read a computer screen and printed matter with or without vision aids.
• Distinguish colors.
• Read and understand rules and policies, labels, and instructions.
• Verbal communications, including the ability to speak and hear at normal room levels and on the

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. This is a salaried position.

START DATE
An exceptional candidate will assume a full time no later than July 2018. The position will remain open until filled. 

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
Freedom Preparatory Academy is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced team of educators.  We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.  We are an equal opportunity employer.