Literacy Specialist

About Masa

Masa partners with Mexican and Latin American children, youth, and families in the South Bronx and East Harlem to develop strong learners and leaders who fully contribute to the broader community. We envision a community that is civically engaged, empowered, and educated.

Masa’s community-led, integrated model engages the entire family, grounded in a deep commitment to strengthening literacy, leadership, and power for Mexican, Central American, and Indigenous People. Masa fosters a culturally responsive learning community in which families engage with direct service and advocacy programs to dismantle barriers to success.

About the Literacy Specialist

Masa is seeking a highly qualified, dynamic, and experienced K–5 literacy expert to serve as a Literacy Specialist. This role involves conducting onsite literacy assessments, developing tailored, differentiated lesson plans; and training staff, interns and volunteer tutors to effectively implement the curriculum, as well as to develop and implement push-in Literacy support strategies, to engage students enrolled in Masa’s summer and year-round academic support programs.

The successful candidate will have a strong foundation in best practices for literacy instruction, direct experience working with children in a classroom setting, and an ability to successfully tailor lesson plans for children in grades K-5 who may need a diversified approach to master grade-level content and skills. While bringing educational technology tools to bear may be helpful, we are looking for someone who relies less on "out of the box" software solutions and is willing to place human to human interaction at the forefront of the curriculum. The position is especially focused on supporting students who are reading below grade level. Our scholars include English Language Learners (ELLs) and/or students with an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). This is a part-time, temporary role, requiring 20-30 hours per week, including the hours of 2:30/3 pm -7:30 pm Monday-Thursday. The role is fully in-person and is expected to run through March 31, 2026, with the possibility of an extension.

Responsibilities

Literacy Assessment & Instructional Support

• Conduct literacy assessments for program participants to inform curriculum design and to measure student progress
• Lead the implementation of benchmarking and screening assessments, progress monitoring, and targeted interventions
• Develop engaging, culturally responsive literacy curriculum for the K–5 literacy programs, incorporating a range of engagement tools and strategies to meet literacy goals of program participants
• Deliver onsite literacy coaching and instructional support to K–5 program participants
• Create individualized literacy support plans for students struggling with literacy
• Differentiate lesson plans and instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners, including English Language Learners and children with special education needs (IEPs)
• Provide direct supervision, training and oversight of implementation of literacy curriculum by program staff, interns, and volunteers as required

Training & Professional Development

• Facilitate professional learning sessions and literacy-focused trainings for staff, interns and volunteers
• Train and mentor program staff, interns, and volunteers on effective curriculum implementation
• Train and promote classroom and behavior management practices grounded in growth mindset and positive discipline approaches
• Maintain clear documentation of coaching observations, feedback, and instructional recommendations
• Collaborate with program staff on curriculum implementation and continuous instructional improvement

Required Qualifications

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in education, literacy, or a related subject, Special Education, or related field; NYS teacher certification strongly preferred
• Knowledge of state and national literacy efforts including knowledge of Science of Reading through evidence-based practice and proven experience implementing structured literacy programs
• Experience as classroom teacher is strongly preferred or literacy specialist for grades K-5
• Strong understanding of grade-level reading and writing expectations
• Excellent classroom management skills grounded in a positive discipline approach
• Experience with and passion for supporting ELLs, children with IEPs, and immigrant families
• Culturally responsive curriculum development experience
• Ability to mentor staff, interns and volunteers to effectively implement the curriculum
• Must have excellent communication, organizational, and time management skills
• Broad knowledge of the principles and practices of current educational trends in Literacy curriculum and experience successfully teaching and instructing children/youth
• Sensitive to social-emotional needs and characteristics of students
• Knowledge of or prior experience working with Latin American immigrant communities in education is helpful, but not required

Compensation

$40–$45 per hour commensurate with experience