What are the responsibilities and job description for the Special Education Teacher position at Empowering Excellence Charter School?
Special Education Teacher – Instructional Strategist II: BD/LD
Full-Time | Online/Hybrid | Empowering Excellence Charter School
About Empowering Excellence Charter School
Empowering Excellence Charter School is an Iowa public charter school serving high school students through a flexible online learning model. Our approach combines individualized instruction, consistent mentoring, responsive student support, and meaningful relationships to help students make progress toward graduation and their post-secondary goals.
The Job
We’re looking for a special education teacher who knows their stuff, loves working with teenagers, and believes relationships are at the heart of good teaching.
We’re not a traditional high school—and this isn’t a traditional special education position.
Our students need teachers who can meet them where they are, figure out what works, and keep showing up for them. You’ll provide specially designed instruction, develop meaningful IEPs, monitor student progress, and work closely with students, families, mentors, and the rest of our team.
What You’ll Do
- Provide engaging, individualized specially designed instruction in an online/hybrid environment
- Develop strong, compliant, and meaningful IEPs
- Monitor progress and use data to adjust instruction and supports
- Help students improve attendance, engagement, organization, and independence
- Support behavioral, social-emotional, and transition needs
- Build genuine relationships with students and families
- Collaborate with general education teachers, mentors, paraeducators, AEA staff, and families
- Help students see a path toward graduation—and what comes next
Who We’re Looking For
First and foremost, you need to be a great special educator. You should have a deep understanding of IEPs, specially designed instruction, progress monitoring, accommodations, behavior supports, and how to individualize instruction for students who learn differently.
But we’re also looking for a great teammate.
We’re a small team, so communication, flexibility, and a willingness to jump in matter. We want someone who asks questions, shares ideas, follows through, and is coachable—someone who can give and receive feedback, try new approaches, and keep growing alongside the rest of us.
You should also be comfortable with technology (or excited to learn it!) and willing to think creatively about how special education can work in an online environment.
What You’ll Need
- Bachelor’s degree
- Valid Iowa teaching license with an endorsement that allows you to teach students with behavior disorders and learning disabilities, such as:
- K-12 Instructional Strategist II: Behavior Disorders/Learning Disabilities, or 5-12 Instructional Strategist I: Mild/Moderate
- Strong knowledge of IEP development, specially designed instruction, progress monitoring, accommodations, and behavioral supports
- The ability to connect with students, families, and coworkers
Experience with secondary students, online/hybrid learning, transition planning, or students who haven’t always found success in a traditional school setting is a definite plus.
Send your résumé and a quick note telling us a little about yourself, why special education matters to you, and why you think you’d be a great addition to our team to Annie Bradford at abradford@eecsia.org.
Come help us do school a little differently.
Empowering Excellence Charter School is an equal opportunity employer.