Middle School Special Education Teacher - 26-27 School Year

Job Description

Job Description

Special Education Teacher

Launch EL Charter School  |  Brooklyn, NY

About Launch

Launch EL Charter School serves middle and high school students from across Brooklyn, reflecting the vibrant diversity of our city. Rooted in the values of Crew, Excellence, and Equity, our mission is to prepare students in under-resourced communities to thrive in college and careers — through active learning experiences and powerful character development that develop learners, leaders, and changemakers.

Our model is built on EL Education's proven approach, and Launch has earned credentials in Mastery of Knowledge and Skills and Character — with High Quality Work in progress this year. Launch students consistently outperform NYS peers in both growth and achievement.

Our vision is to offer a world-class public education to students and families in Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, and surrounding communities — one that opens doors to the most competitive universities and careers, and empowers students to lead fulfilling lives of choice and purpose. At Launch, we are committed to engaging, rigorous instruction and strong character. We support the growth of smart, good people.

Why Launch

At Launch, you will not be handed a script and left alone to figure it out. This is a school where the adults model the same habits of learning and reflection we ask of students. Our families are deeply engaged: 96% approve of what we are doing, and they will hold us to it. If you are looking for a place where the work is serious, the community is real, and your growth as a teacher is treated as non-negotiable, Launch is that place.

The Role

Launch EL Charter School is seeking a Special Education Teacher to join our Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) team. At Launch, special education is not a separate track — it is a fully integrated practice inside a rigorous, expedition-based classroom. Students with IEPs, English and Multilingual Learners, and students who are not yet at grade level do not receive a diminished version of the Launch experience. They receive the full thing, with expert, intentional support that meets them where they are and moves them forward.

This role is built on a genuine co-teaching partnership. You will plan alongside your co-teacher, share the classroom, and take direct responsibility for the growth of every student — not just those on your caseload. You will carry a caseload, write IEP goals and Present Level of Performance reports, and present on student growth at annual meetings. Launch students with IEPs make measurable progress toward their annual goals, and this teacher will be accountable for sustaining and building on that. This is not a support role. This is a full instructional role with a specific area of expertise that makes every student in the room more successful.

Who You Are

You believe that disability does not determine destiny — and that Black and Brown students with IEPs deserve access to the same rich, rigorous, culturally grounded learning as every other student in this building. You are a skilled collaborator who knows how to share a classroom, build a co-teaching partnership based on trust and honesty, and adapt instruction in real time without ever signaling to a student that they are receiving something lesser. You are the kind of teacher who does not just accept feedback but acts on it before the next lesson. You lead with care and hold high expectations at the same time.

 

The ideal candidate will demonstrate our Launch Habits of Responsibility:

• Integrity and Stewardship: You always work to do what is best and right for our community and inspire confidence in others through consistent honesty and care.
• Kindness and Collaboration: You make others feel like they belong through empathy and genuine care.
• Imagination and Spirit: You hold an unwavering belief that we can accomplish our goals, even when the work is hard.
• Dedication and Practice: You use each opportunity to support our mission and reflect on your actions with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Equity Commitment: You actively examine your own practice through an equity lens, name and address barriers that prevent students from thriving, and believe that creating an equitable classroom is ongoing, intentional work, not a checkbox.

What You Will Do

Instruction and Co-Teaching

• Co-teach using EL Education's approach to high-quality instruction, sharing full responsibility for the learning of every student in the room
• Collaborate with your co-teacher to create and modify materials and design academic modifications that meet the needs of all learners in your classroom
• Lead targeted small group instruction that accelerates student progress toward IEP goals while keeping students connected to the rigor and content of the whole-class experience
• Teach from a culturally responsive and sustaining framework that honors the identities and experiences of all students, so that every accommodation and modification reflects high expectations, not lowered ones
• Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners, including students in ICT settings, students with IEPs, English Language Learners, and extension groups, using small group instruction, flexible grouping, and targeted intervention and enrichment
• Use formative and summative assessment data to drive small group work, adjust whole-class instruction, and adapt your teaching before it is too late to matter

Case Management and IEP Responsibilities

• Carry a caseload of students with IEPs, tracking and monitoring progress and growth daily, weekly, and quarterly with a sustained focus on IEP goal attainment
• Write Present Level of Performance (PLOP) reports in preparation for annual IEP meetings, grounded in specific, evidence-based documentation of student growth and need
• Present on student growth and progress at annual IEP meetings, grounded in evidence and delivered with the clarity and confidence families deserve
• Maintain accurate, timely, and legally compliant IEP documentation, meeting all deadlines without exception — because families of students with disabilities deserve clarity, honesty, and follow-through, not late paperwork

Classroom Community

• Establish consistent expectations and routines in a student-centered classroom that is organized, welcoming, and celebratory, using a restorative justice framework to build relationships, repair harm, and keep students connected to the community rather than removed from it
• Regularly display and celebrate current student work inside and outside the classroom, promoting a culture of achievement across all three dimensions of EL Education: Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character, and High Quality Work
• Lead a Crew, EL Education's student advisory structure, serving as a consistent, trusted adult who guides a small group of students in their academic growth, character development, and sense of belonging
• Support students to lead their own Student-Led Conferences and Passages, putting student voice at the center of the learning community
• Build and sustain genuine relationships with students and families, communicating honestly and regularly about growth, challenges, and what students are capable of

Collaboration and Growth

• Plan and analyze student work alongside colleagues in department and grade-level meetings, using data to ask hard questions and make better instructional decisions together
• Engage in quarterly coaching cycles built on an asset-based approach — you will be observed, given feedback, and supported to grow, with the expectation that your practice improves and students feel it
• Contribute to a strong school culture in all shared spaces by fulfilling assigned duties and modeling the same habits of responsibility we ask of students

Qualifications

• Unwavering commitment to equity, Launch's mission, and the EL Education model
• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred
• Valid New York State Teaching Certification in Special Education (Students with Disabilities 7-12) required; dual certification in ELA or Social Studies preferred
• Experience co-teaching in an ICT setting with a demonstrated ability to build strong, equitable co-teaching partnerships
• Experience writing and implementing IEPs, managing a caseload, and presenting at annual IEP meetings
• Strong knowledge of research-based intervention strategies, academic modifications, and differentiated instruction for students with a range of learning needs
• Teaching experience in an urban setting preferred; middle school special education experience preferred
• Documented success moving student achievement, with clear evidence of IEP goal progress over time

Benefits and Compensation

Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) and/or Roth IRA with employer match; flexible spending accounts (Health Care FSA, Dependent Care FSA, Transit); short- and long-term disability; Employee Assistance Program with mental health, family, and wellness support; professional development funding and ongoing coaching; parental leave; summer benefits.

Compensation: $65,000 - $115,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Salaries at Launch are set through a lens of equity and based on an individual's skills, education, and years of relevant experience.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Launch is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any individual or group for reasons of race, color, creed, sex, age, culture, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or mental or physical disability. We actively recruit, hire, and retain a diverse and inclusive staff because we believe our team should reflect the communities we serve.

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