Dean of Special Education (SY23-24)

Grade Level: Elementary 

Start Date: July 1, 2023

About UP Education Network

UP Education Network is a school turnaround organization whose mission is to rapidly transform chronically underperforming district schools into extraordinary schools that sustain high achievement over time. UP transforms schools into exceptional learning environments in partnership with families and communities. Students in UP schools cultivate sharp minds, share their kind hearts, and explore their path and potential. UP graduates succeed on the path to college and pursue their passions. Today, UP is the largest nonprofit school network in Massachusetts and is privileged to serve a highly diverse group of more than 2,500 PK-8th grade students across five schools in Boston and Lawrence. All of our school based staff are district employees and receive district benefits. 

Role

The Dean of Special Education reports to UP Academy’s Principal and serves on UP Academy’s Leadership Team.  The dean is responsible for the management and development of teachers in special education classrooms. They plan professional development oversees staff orientation and takes responsibility for the academic program in place at UP Academy.

Specific Responsibilities

• Manage and evaluate all special education teachers, special education paraprofessionals, and Related Service Providers 
• Ensure compliance of special education and ELL programs with applicable laws and regulations
• Ensure compliance with all IEPs
• Provide formal and informal feedback on observations, lesson plan review, and more
• Facilitate weekly meetings to analyze student work, review information regarding classroom assessments, and plan for instruction
• Ensure student mastery of state, city, and school academic and behavioral standards
• Use assessment data to refine curriculum and inform instructional practices
• Develop, design, implement and participate in an annual four-week staff orientation and training.

Qualifications

• A strong belief in UP Education Network’s core values: Students, Community,
• Humility, Resilience, and Humor
• Bachelor’s degree is required, Master’s degree is preferred
• A valid Massachusetts Teaching License as a Special Education Administrator, all levels
• Current authorization to work in the United States – A candidate must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment
• At least three years experience as a Special Education teacher required, 2+ years experience in school leadership preferred

Compensation and Benefits

• Your salary is commensurate with experience; UP Academy follows the salary scales of each UP Academy’s host school district.  As an employee of UP Academy and your respective school district, you will receive the same access to personal and sick days, health insurance, and dental insurance as others within your union. 

Working at UP Education Network

We know that great staff members directly lead to the success of our students.  At UP, your career is shaped by:

• Opportunities for immediate impact: UP offers a chance to bring best practices found in high-performing schools to students previously enrolled in struggling schools, and to rapidly unlock the potential of these students
• Talented, mission-driven colleagues: Our staff is enthusiastic, dedicated, and willing to do “whatever it takes” to put every student on the path to college
• Collaboration and teamwork: Staff members collaborate and work closely together on grade-level or content area teams, using data to track student performance as well as guide instructional practice
• Consistent professional growth and development: Members of our staff typically have bi-weekly check-in meetings with their managers where they receive targeted coaching and support and the entire staff participates in weekly professional development sessions during the school year, kick-started by extensive training in August.  

We encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for any open position in which they feel qualified. We believe that we have a responsibility to recruit, retain, develop, and reward a diverse and talented staff. Our students must be exposed on a daily basis to a diverse group of powerful role models - in their teachers, their school leaders, and their supporters in the network office. With this in mind, we are committed to recruiting the most talented individuals from the widest possible range of backgrounds to join our creative, mission-driven team.