Regional Director of Special Programs - Houston (Immediate Opening)

IDEA Public Schools•Houston, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Regional Director of Special Programs is responsible for all special programs instruction and compliance within the region of up to 15 schools in support of each student achieving their individual goals. This leader ensures the implementation of high-quality individualized student plans, oversees related services when applicable, and drives student achievement through aligned support structures and compliance. The Regional Director manages and coaches regional special programs staff, fosters strong partnerships with national and regional teams, and ensures that special programs deliver the intended impact for every student. Note: In this document, the term “Special Programs” includes the following: special education (compliance and instruction), 504 support, English Learner/Emergent Bilingual support (compliance and instruction), dyslexia support, multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), and Critical Student Intervention (CSI).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
At least 2 years of successful teacher experience or professional experience aligned with certification area (e.g., school psychologist, educational diagnostician, speech language pathologist)
Proven success with Special Education student achievement
Track record of managing compliance
Experience in instructional coaching
In-state teaching certification or certification as a School Psychologist, Educational Diagnostician, Speech Language Pathologist.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree preferred
Direct Instruction Decoding program knowledge preferred
State-specific certification in English as a Second Language or an alternatively appropriate certification.
ELA content knowledge a plus

Responsibilities

Builds capacity in regional and school-based leaders, and regional special programs staff in their region, to ensure that each student has the support needed to meet and exceed their goals, including the development, execution, and evaluation of individualized student learning plans.
Provides training, resources, guidance, and accountability in the programs managed by the national team and in alignment with the vision and mission of special programs at IDEA Public Schools.
Provides on-going training and real-time coaching to regional and school-based leaders to increase their own skills and knowledge to effectively support diverse student needs.
Serves the region as the local expert on all special programs content and requirements.
Is responsive to questions, concerns, problem-solving requests, and program planning support for regional and school-based leaders and to special programs staff.
Facilitates capacity-building among staff in the region through real-time modeling and sharing resources so that local leaders are increasingly skilled in planning, executing, and evaluating programs.
Partners closely with the regional senior leadership team to define regional priorities and goals for student achievement in the annual planning process.
Is responsible for monitoring priority improvements, and provides the data and analysis to support course corrections or development of new strategies.
Shares relevant data with the regional senior leadership team on a consistent and frequent basis, and in doing so proposes action plans to improve progress toward goals.
Shares regional special programs compliance data with regional leadership.
Supports effective planning and use of special programs funding streams.
Educates regional special programs leads, regional assessment staff, regional special education clerks, school leaders and special programs school-based staff on allowable and non-allowable expenses within the fund categories overseen by the SpD.
Shares school spending targets and ensures that schools meet timelines for end of year accounting.
Ensures that all documentation for funding and/or reimbursement programs is submitted on time and with complete accuracy.
Determines the need for various related service contracts needed for students in the region and vets potential service providers.
Oversees the onboarding and training of all contract service personnel working in schools in the region.
Monitors implementation in collaboration with the regional special programs leads through regular review of service logs and invoices to ensure all timelines are met.
Provides timely, coordinated, and consistent training and real-time coaching to develop the capacity of regional leaders, school leaders, and special programs staff in the region to effectively design and manage special programs.
Designs a prioritized training program for leaders in their region on an annual basis.
Prepares to execute that training by developing their own knowledge and skills, and engaging in professional development provided by the national Special Programs Team as needed.
Seeks feedback on the training to make improvements for future sessions.
Provides strategic guidance and oversight to regional leaders by providing timely support on instruction planning, compliance planning, evaluation, regional and campus staffing, dispute resolution, and budgeting to ensure all individualized student learning plans are executed in support of students achieving their goals.
Manages and coaches regional special programs staff by ensuring staff are equipped to effectively execute all individualized student learning plans.
Utilizes proactive, individualized, and responsive coaching methods to build staff capacity and support growth in targeted areas.
Ensures 100% of Special Programs timelines are met for all students in the region.
Collaborates with the national Special Programs team to submit all state-specific required documentation for all schools in the region.
Oversees Special Education student records compliance through operating mechanisms with the regional Special Education clerks.
Continuously reviews key data points to assess for gaps in service or outcomes.
Leads regional and school-based teams in action planning to address identified needs.
Additional Duties as assigned.