Director of Special Education
On-siteProvidence, Rhode Island, United States
Job Summary
Lead and manage all special education services, ensuring full compliance with federal, state, and local regulations while integrating support into the school's competency-based, project-based learning model. Oversee IEP development, implementation, and progress monitoring; coordinate related services, staff, and family partnerships to guarantee students receive legally entitled services in the least restrictive environment. Supervise assigned personnel, coach staff on inclusive practices, and build systems that align special education with rigorous academic expectations. Balance legal obligations with human-centered leadership to foster belonging and high achievement for students with diverse needs.
Required Qualifications
- Deeply committed to students with disabilities and to building a school culture where access, rigor, support, and belonging are expected
- Skilled in special education compliance, IEP development, progress monitoring, service delivery, evaluations, eligibility, and family communication
- Able to lead special education as part of the school's instructional model, not as a separate program sitting outside the core learning experience
- Experienced in supporting students with a wide range of academic, behavioral, social-emotional, executive functioning, communication, and transition needs
- Comfortable coaching teachers and staff on accommodations, modifications, specially designed instruction, inclusive practice, project-based learning, and competency-based assessment
- Strong at building systems, tracking details, meeting deadlines, protecting confidentiality, and communicating clearly
- Able to balance legal compliance with human-centered leadership
- Collaborative and direct, with the ability to work across academic, student support, family engagement, operations, and leadership teams
- Committed to eliminating deficit-based thinking about students with disabilities
- Grounded in the belief that students with disabilities deserve meaningful access to rigorous learning, not watered-down expectations
- Understands special education law, instruction, student support, team leadership, family partnership, and schoolwide systems
- Believes that disability justice, access, belonging, and high expectations belong together
- Must ensure that students with disabilities receive the services, supports, instruction, accommodations, and opportunities they are legally entitled to
- Must ensure that students with disabilities are fully included in a competency-based, project-based, interdisciplinary, liberatory learning community
- Must be able to hold two truths at the same time: meeting every legal and ethical obligation to students with disabilities and their families, and treating them as full members of the learning community
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