Head of Special Education School

Director of Special Education

YouthBuild Preparatory Academy - Providence, Rhode Island

Job Title: Director of Special Education Services Reports To: Chief Academic Officer Works In Partnership With: Chief Executive Officer, Facilitators of Learning, Learning Lab Facilitator, Advisors, Student Support Team, Families, Related Service Providers, and School Leadership Supervises: Assigned Special Education Staff, Learning Lab Facilitator, Related Service Providers, and Other Assigned Student Support Personnel Approved By: Board of Trustees Date Revised: June 30, 2026 Job Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Position Summary YouthBuild Preparatory Academy is looking for a Director of Special Education Services who can lead special education with both technical skill and educational courage. But at YBPA, special education cannot be reduced to forms, timelines, meetings, and service logs. The Director of Special Education Services must ensure that students with disabilities receive the services, supports, instruction, accommodations, and opportunities they are legally entitled to while also making sure they are fully included in a competency-based, project-based, interdisciplinary, liberatory learning community.

About YouthBuild Preparatory Academy YouthBuild Preparatory Academy is a competency-based, project-based, interdisciplinary learning community rooted in liberatory education. We serve students who deserve more than a traditional school model that asks them to sit still, comply, and memorize information disconnected from their lives. We are building a school where students do not simply earn credits. Core Characteristics The ideal Director of Special Education Services is: 1. 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.

Essential Roles and Responsibilities Special Education Leadership and Compliance Instructional Leadership and Inclusive Practice IEP Development, Implementation, and Progress Monitoring Learning Lab and Intervention Oversight Student Support, Behavior, and Access Family Engagement and Communication Related Services and External Partnerships Data, Reporting, and Systems Management Team Leadership and Professional Development

Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree in Special Education, Educational Leadership, School Administration, Curriculum and Instruction, or a related field strongly preferred. Current and active Rhode Island Special Education certification required, or the ability to meet applicable Rhode Island certification requirements for the assignment. Rhode Island administrator, supervisor, or special education leadership credential preferred where applicable. Minimum of five years of successful experience in special education teaching, case management, related service coordination, or special education leadership required. Experience leading IEP meetings, developing IEPs, monitoring services, supporting compliance, and working with families. Strong knowledge of IDEA, Rhode Island special education regulations, Section 504, FAPE, LRE, procedural safeguards, evaluation processes, eligibility, transition planning, and discipline protections for students with disabilities. Experience working in urban school communities or with students who have experienced barriers in traditional school settings strongly preferred. Ability to build effective working relationships with students, families, staff, leadership, service providers, community partners, and state agencies. Ability to manage complex timelines, documentation, compliance requirements, and student support systems. Commitment to the mission, values, and educational model of YouthBuild Preparatory Academy.

Preferred Qualifications Rhode Island certification in Special Education with leadership, administrator, or supervisor credentials. Experience as a special education coordinator, department chair, instructional coach, LEA representative, assistant director, or director. Experience with competency-based learning, project-based learning, portfolio assessment, exhibitions of learning, restorative practices, advisory models, or alternative secondary school models. Experience supporting students with executive functioning needs, emotional or behavioral disabilities, specific learning disabilities, autism, intellectual disabilities, speech and language needs, trauma-related needs, and other disabilities. Experience with special education data systems, progress monitoring tools, compliance calendars, and student information systems. Bilingual or multilingual ability. Experience developing inclusive systems in a school that is still growing, changing, and building new structures.

What Success Looks Like A successful Director of Special Education Services at YBPA will: Ensure special education services are compliant, timely, organized, and student-centered. Build systems that make IEP implementation clear, consistent, and connected to daily instruction. Help students with disabilities access rigorous competency-based and project-based learning without lowering expectations. Strengthen the Learning Lab as a targeted academic intervention and credit recovery space. Improve communication with families and build trust around special education services. Use data to identify students who need support before they fall further behind. Ensure students with disabilities are meaningfully included in projects, exhibitions, portfolios, career pathways, and graduation planning. Build a special education team culture rooted in clarity, accountability, compassion, and high expectations. Contribute to a school culture where students experience Growth, Relationships, Agency, and Belonging every day.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement YouthBuild Preparatory Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and learning community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.

Closing Statement This role is for a leader who understands that special education is not a side department. It is one of the clearest tests of whether a school truly believes in access, belonging, and high expectations. At YouthBuild Preparatory Academy, the Director of Special Education Services will lead the systems, people, practices, and partnerships that help students with disabilities receive what they need and demonstrate what they know. We are building something that challenges the old model. That means we need a special education leader who can protect compliance, coach practice, support families, challenge deficit thinking, and help students move toward mastery with dignity. If you are ready to build special education services that are legally sound, instructionally strong, and rooted in student power, this is the work.

Position Type: Full-time Job Categories: Administration Special Education Director

Bachelor degree preferred. Citizenship, residency or work visa required

Contact Information Anthony Hubbard 217 Westminster Street 3rd Floor Providence, Rhode Island 02903 Phone: View phone number on click.appcast.io Email: View email address on click.appcast.io.