SY 25/26 Special Education Coordinator - DC Prep

Special Education Coordinator

Start Date:July 2025

Role Type: Full-Time, 12 month

Location: Washington, DC

FLSA Status:Exempt

WHO WE ARE

DC Prep is a high performing network of public charter schools serving over 2,100 preschool through 8th-grade students across six campuses in Wards 5, 7, and 8. We’re proud of the high bar we set for ourselves to achieve results–our students deserve our best! We recognize that how we support our students to be successful is just as important as the results we achieve, which pushes us to reflect on questions such as: 

• How can we facilitate our students’ academic, social, and emotional development?  
• How can we support our team members’ professional growth and personal ability to do this work long-term? 
• How can we engage our students’ families as our own? 

While this work is hard, it’s worth it – we believe in the transformative power of education, the can-do-itness of our students and staff, and the joy that comes from engaging in meaningful work with people we care about and trust!  

Here’s how we drive results: 

• Rigorous academic focus.  Our Preppies receive the highest level of academic preparation through standards-based instruction, daily targeted interventions, and meaningful assessments.

• Social-emotional learning. We have always had a dual mission of academic and social-emotional skill development.  Our research-based SEL curriculum is integrated into daily instruction, helping students leverage their personal values to strengthen their self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making skills and create a school-wide culture of empathy and reflection.

• Commitment to reflection and refinement.  Our results tell us that we are moving in the right direction, but there’s further to go to ensure that every student receives a transformative education. As a team, we regularly reflect on our programmatic model to see what’s working and where we can get better.  

Are you interested in learning more about the DC Prep Way? If so, check out our website to find out more about what we’re working towards and how we’re doing it.

OVERVIEW

Program Implementation and Evaluation

• Manage the Special Populations caseload for a campus (IEP, 504, ELL)
• Collaborate with others to design high-quality IEPs and 504 plans with appropriate accommodations  aligned to student data
• Design and implement testing accommodations schedules for school-wide assessments (e.g. ANET, NWEA, PARCC, ACCESS) as well as classroom-based and individual assessments
• Consistently monitor and evaluate progress toward individual and school-wide goals for students on caseload, in collaboration with SPED teachers, general education teachers and external related service providers 
• Participate in SST to support development of high-quality interventions and fidelity to child find process, manage crisis response for students on caseload including postventions and implications for supports 

People Development

• Coach and supervise an Academic Specialist, Behavior Specialist, Licensed Clinician, and Academic Intervention Fellows, as well as manage external related service providers
• Collaborate with other campus leaders to lead weekly professional development sessions, provide input to department meetings and coach teachers 
• Manage the Language Access Coordinator 
• Manage Special Education Staff to write high-quality Present Levels of Performance, annual IEP goals, and quarterly progress report comments for students on caseload

Wrap-Around Services

• Identify, plan, and implement strategies to address barriers to learning including, attendance concerns, behavior issues, and social adjustment

• Participate in coordination of annual summer program for all DC Prep students to include remediation and student learning extension
• Assist in coordination of extended student support services, including tutoring

Stewardship

• Understand IDEA and Section 504 law and implications in DC Prep’s LEA
• Articulate child find procedures and process at DC Prep and speak knowledgeably about intersections with SST process
• Complete all necessary documentation within appropriate timelines required to maintain compliance for students on caseload, specifically for initial eligibility determination timelines and child find timelines
• Prep for and facilitate effective MDT/ 504 meetings
• Manage evaluation completion for students in initial and triennial eligibility process in conjunction with Director of Special Populations and external contractors
• Learn and effectively use Special Programs to document IEP, Eligibility and Referral paperwork (OSSE-mandated system for IDEA compliance)
• Write high-quality annual 504 plan goals

School Community

• Fully embrace DC Prep’s mission, vision, and values and promote them to students, staff, other faculty, parents, and members of the outside community

• Communicate regularly with families to develop a supportive home-school relationship and to reinforce school expectations and student discipline. Address parent concerns in a professional and timely manner

• Encourage, support, and maintain parent buy-in for school-wide behavior and social emotional programming

• Actively encourage parents to participate in school activities such as parent meetings, field trips, policy council and as classroom helpers
• Model and support the DC Prep Way of purposeful and rigorous academic instruction combined with instilling and reinforcing behaviors that lead to academic and life success 
• Maintain positive, constructive and professional relationships with students, their families, and colleagues
• Communicate regularly with families of students on Special Populations caseload to update them on progress toward IEP goals and grade-level standards 

General Leadership Team Responsibilities 

• Build strong relationships with families and support and leads family programming
• Engage in SST when relevant to discuss student need and student support; support teachers on assigned grade level with developing and implementing student support plans
• Lead grade level team meetings when necessary to align on student expectations, routines and events

Administrative Duties

• Participate in working groups of staff and teachers to plan, problem solve, and support one another on an ongoing basis
• Attend and participate in staff and other school activities and meetings as appropriate
• Liaise with Home Office staff in carrying out organizational goals as necessary
• Other appropriate tasks as needed

QUALIFICATIONS

Educational background and work experience

• Minimum of 3-5 years special education teaching and leadership experience in an urban school community 
• Familiarity with urban primary school students, ideally having worked directly with students in preschool-8th grade
• Prior experience as a Special Education Coordinator preferred
• Prior experience teaching or leading in a fully inclusive Special Education setting
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

Skills and characteristics

• Desire and willingness to do “whatever it takes” to support student achievement in traditionally under-served communities 
• Passion for connecting with students and families in support of student success 
• Extraordinary oral skills to effectively communicate with varied audiences  
• Comfort with and ability to write efficiently and effectively as part of a culture where curriculum writing, email communication, and documentation are critical 
• Superior analytical skills and sound judgment to make critical decisions autonomously 
• Capable of thriving in circumstances involving ambiguity and nuance 
• Meticulous organizational ability in order to set priorities, organize workload, handle multiple responsibilities and meet deadlines 
• Emotional constancy and extraordinary interpersonal skills to ensure purposeful and professional colleague relationships 
• Positive attitude, maturity, and personal stability sufficient for a demanding position 
• Deep belief in DC Prep’s mission, values and commitment to diversity 

WORKING AT DC PREP

DC Prep's faculty and staff are passionate, talented, and uncompromising with a mission to make sure all students succeed at a high level. Every aspect of our organization and program is designed – and continually refined – to ensure that goal. DC Prep students spend approximately 25% more time in school than other DC public school students. DC Prep’s supportive, stimulating, and professionally rewarding learning environment continuously develops and motivates high-performing educators. DC Prep's staff and school leadership promote meaningful relationships between faculty and students, enable excellent teaching, and foster professional collaboration. The end result: great outcomes for students.

CAMPUS LEADERSHIP TEAM

DC Prep’s organizational structure provides support and expertise that enables the best possible teaching and learning at each DC Prep campus. A central Home Office oversees all non-instructional aspects of education, freeing up school leaders to focus on instruction and culture. With supervision from the Senior Directors, Chief Academic Officer and other members of the Home Office Academic Team, Principals and their leadership teams build unique and close-knit communities at each school site focused on the twin elements of rigorous academics and character education. Members of this team typically include a Principal, Assistant Principals, Student Support Coach and a Special Education Coordinator. Leadership Team members are on duty during regular school hours and on call nights and weekends to handle parent communication, staff after school activities, and/or to complete administrative work.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Highly competitive salary 
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability insurance; maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; and a 403b retirement plan

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• DC Prep teachers are on duty at their assigned campus Mondays through Fridays from 7:15 am to 4:15 pm and must be prepared to receive students in the classroom at 7:30 am.  On Wednesdays, DC Prep staff report until 5:00 for Professional Development. 
• • Occasionally, staff may be required to report to a different campus for professional development or all network event.
• All DC Prep staff perform clerical duties related to instructional supplies, student reports and records, attendance reports, assessments, etc.
• DC Prep staff regularly perform morning, lunch, and afternoon duties as assigned by their principal
• Additional responsibilities may arise during the school year.  This could include: attending staff and student field trips, after school events, family-teacher conferences, home visits, and other events involving parents and students, as needed. This list is not exhaustive. DC Prep will communicate mandatory events outside of school hours with ample notice.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role.  All of these physical requirements should be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness to DC Prep’s vision.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Must be able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time
• Must be able to spend the majority of the day standing or mobile throughout the classroom, as well as talk, hear, grasp, reach and lift up to 30lbs with or without accommodations
• Ability to concentrate in active and noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings
• Must be able to have repetitive wrist/hand/finger movement to work on computer and/or related office equipment
• Ability to handle potential high stress conditions

JOIN US

Do you believe that Learning Has No Limits? Are you eager to join a supportive, innovative, and collaborative community of educators? Are you committed to growing your strengths as an educator through individualized professional development and coaching? Apply today!

We’re an equal opportunity employer and hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We strongly encourage diverse candidates to apply.