KIPP New Jersey
26-27 Founding Director of Specialized Services
🇺🇸
Paterson, NJ
🕑
Full-Time
💰
$120K - $135K
💻
Other
🗓️
March 6th, 2026
K-12
Edtech.com's Summary
KIPP is hiring a Founding Director of Specialized Services to lead the implementation and success of specialized education programs at KIPP Paterson. The role involves developing a vision for special education, multilingual and gifted services, coaching school leaders, ensuring compliance with legal requirements, and managing child study teams to improve academic outcomes for students with diverse learning needs.
Highlights
- Develop and execute a specialized services vision aligned with regional goals, focusing on inclusive education, multilingual, and gifted programs.
- Coach and develop school leaders and assistant principals in special education and multilingual learner programs.
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local special education laws, including report preparation and managing legal processes.
- Oversee child study teams and related service providers, managing assignments and progress monitoring.
- Manage ESL and bilingual instructional programs, including student identification and assessment oversight.
- Lead professional development and coaching for teachers and leaders in specialized services.
- Adapt and develop curricula and assessments tailored to local student needs and standards.
- Collaborate with network teams on regional and district-wide initiatives and data-driven decision making.
- Require at least 4 years special education teaching experience, 2 years in leadership, coaching experience, and satisfactory performance evaluations.
- Offer competitive salary range of $120,000-$135,000 with comprehensive benefits including pension, retirement plans, parental leave, and more.
26-27 Founding Director of Specialized Services Full Description
Company Description
About KIPP New Jersey
KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. In 2002, KIPP New Jersey first opened its doors in Newark’s South Ward as a single class of 80 fifth graders and has since grown to educate students in grades K-12 across 18 schools in Newark, Camden, and Paterson. More than 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals.
Job Description
The Director of Specialized Services oversees and executes the success and implementation of specialized programming in KIPP Paterson. The Director ensures compliance with state and federal legislation related to our special populations. Our specialized services department provides programming for students with IEPs, 504s, MLL, bilingual and gifted and talented services. The Director drives academic results by establishing and maintaining strong team culture, coaching teammates and envisioning, designing, inspecting, and iterating on the systems that drive excellent programming for all students.
Develop and execute a vision for specialized services at KIPP Paterson
- Develop and execute a vision that is unique to the context, but aligned to the regional vision for specialized services, including a full continuum of special education services at KIPP Paterson, prioritizing an inclusive model for student service, multilingual education services and a gifted and talented program
- Leads SPED diagnosis walkthroughs to improve specialized services and systems in collaboration with school based leaders. Progress monitors follow through and effectiveness of actions.
Coach and develop School Leaders and Assistant Principals in developing content knowledge and instructional leadership capacity in all domains of KIPP Specialized services, including: Special Education, Multi-lingual learners and gifted and talented programing
- Engage in coaching & strategy sessions with Assistant Principals to support with execution of specialized programming on campus. Provide coaching sessions focused on continuous learning of special education practices and policies, data analysis, response to data analysis, planning teacher coaching experiences, etc.
- Co-plan, conduct classroom walkthroughs analyzing LS instructional effectiveness and areas of growth, model coaching and lead professional development experiences for APs
- Collaborate with School Leaders on the development of their Assistant Principals, and on driving initiatives that will improve academic outcomes for kids receiving specialized services in our region.
Ensures the district’s compliance with federal, state, and local requirements on specialized programs
- Prepares all Federal, State and local reports on special education, MLL and gifted programs
- Keeps district staff, parents, and appropriate members of the public informed of all legal requirements governing special programs (SPED, MLL and G&T)
- Develops and maintains complete and cumulative records of all classified students and monitors access to records in a manner compliant to code
- Prepares the district’s Special Education Program for onsite monitoring by Federal and State officials.
- Ensures district procedures for student referral, identification, evaluation, eligibility, classification, IEP, placement, annual review and reevaluation that comply with requirements for parental notice, participation and consent
- Develops procedures for periodic review of status of all classified pupils including monitoring of computerized IEP and database system
- Represent the district in mediations
Oversee child study teams and lead all functional areas in special education in the region through the management, coaching, development, and progress monitoring.
- Develop and manage systems for strong facilitation of child study teams including assignment of Child Study Team members, teachers, therapists and instructional assistants to ensure compliance with all IEP mandated services.
- Manage SLP (speech language pathology), SWk (social work), and/or Evaluators/Related Service Providers and any related contractors
- Engage in progress monitoring against key metrics in each functional area, and support with problem-solving in this area as needed.
- Co-plan, observe/feedback, model coaching and professional development experiences for CST teammembers
Develop and execute a vision for Multi-lingual learner programs, including ESL and bilingual instruction.
- Develop and manage instructional management systems for ESL teachers and ESL and bilingual instruction
- Ensures district procedures for identification, monitoring and exiting ESL programming
- Monitor student data to monitor progress towards goals and determine instructional adjustments
- Oversees WIDA Screener and ACCESS testing for the district
Lead professional development for teachers and leaders, aligned to the KIPP academic program, standards, curriculum, and assessments.
- Engage in coaching & strategy sessions with Assistant Principals of Special Education to support curriculum internalization, data analysis, response to data analysis, planning teacher coaching experiences, etc.
- Co-plan, observe/feedback, model coaching and professional development experiences for APs as needed.
Adapt and/or create curriculum and assessments to meet the demands of local context.
- Develop a vision and curricular model for replacement ELA and math instruction at KIPP TEAM & Family for the designated grade bands of service
- Determine the appropriate supports in Science and Social Studies curricula for the designated grade bands of service
- Preview and review KIPP NJi ELA & math curricula and make modifications based on local context and requirements, as well as the data-based needs of students in each region, for the designated grade bands of service
- Create curricular science and social studies support as needed, with support and guidance from T&L team.
Collaborate with the network T&L TEAM, Regional Special Education TEAMs, Room 9/10/11 on network and region-wide initiatives.
- Engage in weekly Regional Leadership TEAM meetings and other events.
- Monitor and analyze data to lead school leadership teams in weekly SPED data meetings
- Engage in other related projects as needed, e.g. school walk-throughs, network-wide professional development sessions, etc.
- Engage as a member of the NJ State testing team, overseeing NJSLA accommodations, ACCESS Testing and Alternate Assessment testing
Qualifications
Must Haves
- At least 4 years of experience as a special education teacher
- At least 2 years of experience in a leadership role (department chair, grade level team person, dean, or assistant principal)
- At least 2 years of experience coaching special education teachers
- At least 2 years of experience chairing IEP meetings
- Has received satisfactory ratings on all teacher/administrator evaluations the last 4 years
Nice to Haves
- A master’s degree in education, ideally with a concentration in Special Education
- Experience serving students from linguistically diverse backgrounds
- Experience in a high-performing district or charter environment
Additional Information
Compensation & Benefits
KIPP New Jersey offers a market-competitive salary range of $120,000-$135,000. Salary ranges at KIPP are set based upon the role level and function using benchmarks in the education and non-profit sector and allow for growth within the role. Individual compensation within this range will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to: relevant professional experience and qualifications; education, skills and training; and market conditions.
In addition to a competitive salary, KIPP NJ offers a generous benefits package including, but not limited to, the following:
- Robust benefits that include medical, dental, and vision
- Participation in the New Jersey Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund, provided appropriate teacher certification
- Optional participation in the KIPP NJ 403b retirement plan, including matching contributions
- A school-issued laptop
- Transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into Newark from the New York City area
- Generous Time-Off, including some school vacation weeks (depending on the year), allocated sick and personal days, and an extended summer break
- Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave for primary caregivers
- Employer paid life insurance
- Extensive optional ancillary benefits including, short term and long term disability and accident and hospital indemnity
Our organization is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, age, religion, national origin, citizen status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Our organization will make a reasonable accommodation to known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the organization. No questions on this application are asked for any unlawful purpose.
#LI-NJ
Similar Jobs
Texas Candidate Pool Now Open Design and Coaching Specialist
Leading Educators
🇺🇸 Hybrid - Texas, TX
Editorial Director
Leading Educators
🇺🇸 Remote - US
Director, Enablement
Instructure
🇺🇸 Remote - US
Special Education Coordinator
Uncommon Schools
🇺🇸 Rochester, NY
School Leader - (26-27) | KIPP Austin Collegiate
KIPP Texas Public Schools
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
