Director of Exceptional Education
Supervisor: Executive Principal
Type: Full-Time, 12-Month, Salary
Position
In accordance with the Explore! Community School mission and values, the Director of Exceptional Education is instrumental in the development of Explore! Community School, leading students and staff to ensure that all students are supported to achieve at high levels. Explore! knows that schools are as great as their people so we are seeking a diverse team of smart, passionate, driven educators who believe that all students can learn at the highest level. We look for teachers and leaders who are genuinely warm and kind, thrive in an entrepreneurial culture, care about having fun at work, have a track record of high performance, and are committed to high-quality, progressive instruction for all students.
About Explore! Community School
At Explore!, we always begin with our mission: to foster the independence, critical thinking, and creativity of a diverse community of learners so they are fully prepared to become confident, conscientious leaders who change the world. To achieve our mission we emphasize interactive, hands-on, project-based learning to build upon our rigorous, standards-based curriculum and ensure learning is authentic, meaningful, and fun. We focus on the whole child, nurturing the social and emotional development of Explorers while fostering their academic excellence. Currently serving 550+ students in K-8, we anticipate growing to 700 students over the next several years. Explore! occupies a beautiful new facility in Nashville; a 90,000 square foot building constructed in 2019 in partnership with the city of Nashville as a key component in the new Envision Cayce development. Explore! Community School is an educational outreach of the Martha O’Bryan Center, Nashville’s oldest anti-poverty nonprofit that has been serving the city and Davidson County for over 100 years.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Compliance and Collaboration
- Ensure compliance across all grade levels and file holders, including meeting protocols and records maintenance requirements with district, state, and federal laws
- Serve as the liaison for the MNPS Department of Exceptional Education, related service providers, and vendors
- Coordinate with MNPS regarding parent concerns or legal action that is brought against the school or staff members, in collaboration with the Executive Principal
- Support and collaborate with colleagues to share best practices in service of students receiving Exceptional Education services or being identified for Exceptional Education testing
- Serve as the administrator for TN PULSE, responsible for training on the effective use of the tool; assisting staff with troubleshooting issues; and monitoring weekly for compliance
- Work in partnership with teachers and leaders to provide direction, support and expertise related to Exceptional Education and any related family communication
- Determine the staffing structure of the Exceptional Education Department, in collaboration with the Executive Principal
- Coordinate the hiring process of external candidates for teacher and paraprofessional positions, including screening, demo lessons, reference checks and recommendations for hire
- Develop the onboarding process for new staff members
- Organize daily coverage for teachers and paraprofessionals, due to staff absences
- Mediate minor conflicts or personnel issues that arise within the Exceptional Education Department
- Serve as the liaison with related service providers, including scheduling, background checks, and compliance
- Plan or lead professional development on strategies for Exceptional Education students, teachers or staff
- Develop a co-teaching model to support higher levels of teaching and learning across the community, including students with disabilities
- Design paraprofessional training, including asynchronous modules
- Collaborate with teachers to plan and implement creative, organized, and engaging lessons based on Tennessee State Standards
- Support with differentiation of instruction to ensure all students have access to the General Education curriculum
- Evident passion for Explore’s mission, matched with a strong work ethic, and a belief that all students, including those with special needs, can achieve academic success
- A minimum of 3-5 years of Exceptional Education teaching experience required
- Bachelors degree required, Masters degree preferred
- Holds or is eligible to secure a valid TN State teacher certification
- Demonstrated strong classroom and time management skills
- Strong organizational skills with unrelenting attention to detail and follow-through
- Possess the energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure success
- Maturity, humility, sense of humor, and love for students, staff, and families
- Commitment to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community
- Proven ability to work as a member of a team with a commitment to his/her own learning and professional development
- Additional skills that enhance students’ academic experience (e.g. multi-lingual, musician, carpentry, etc.) highly sought
As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.