School Improvement Coach- SDI

KIPP METRO ATLANTA COLLABORATIVE INC•Atlanta, GA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The School Improvement Coach, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) serves as a regional instructional leader responsible for accelerating the quality, consistency, and impact of specially designed instruction across assigned schools. Grounded in scholars’ IEPs, state standards, and KIPP Atlanta’s instructional priorities, this role provides strategic, job-embedded coaching that strengthens teacher practice, builds leader capacity, monitors implementation fidelity, and ensures scholars with disabilities have equitable access to rigorous, grade-level instruction. In partnership with teachers, APoSS, school leaders, and regional teams, the SDI Coach advances a coherent service-delivery model that improves instructional access, strengthens progress monitoring, and drives measurable outcomes for scholars with disabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; degree in Special Education strongly preferred.
Valid Georgia educator certification, or eligibility to obtain; must hold or be eligible for a valid and clear teaching certificate in one or more Special Education areas.
Minimum of 4 years of successful educational experience, including demonstrated impact teaching, coaching, or supporting scholars with disabilities.
Minimum of 3 years of successful classroom teaching experience with evidence of strong instructional practice and scholar outcomes.
Demonstrated expertise in effective teaching strategies, specially designed instruction, positive behavior supports, curriculum-based assessments, and IEP-aligned instructional planning.
Demonstrated ability to influence adult practice without direct authority and lead high-quality coaching cycles that include observation, precise feedback, modeling, rehearsal, implementation support, and follow-up.
Demonstrated ability to facilitate adult learning in 1:1 and group-based settings, including collaborative planning, professional learning, team consultation, and implementation-focused practice.
Strong ability to analyze scholar data, identify instructional trends and root causes, and translate evidence into clear teacher actions, leader moves, and school-level supports.
Ability to communicate with clarity, professionalism, and responsiveness across adult and scholar audiences with diverse learning needs and perspectives.
Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment when managing confidential information in alignment with student privacy, compliance expectations, and special education requirements.
Excellent organizational, written and verbal communication, collaboration, project-management, and follow-through skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Special Education, Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, or a closely related field preferred.
Experience leading school improvement work, SDI implementation, inclusive practices, or special education instructional initiatives across multiple school sites or teams.
Experience accelerating outcomes in a turnaround setting and/or with scholars demonstrating significant instructional, behavioral, or access needs.
Experience developing high-quality instructional resources, professional learning materials, coaching tools, and guidance documents for teachers and school leaders.
Strong technological fluency and experience using data systems, progress-monitoring platforms, and instructional tools to inform decisions, monitor implementation, and communicate progress.

Responsibilities

Designs and leads high-impact coaching cycles for special education and general education teachers, including classroom observation, precise feedback, model lessons, rehearsal, implementation support, and follow-up aligned to effective SDI practice.
Builds teacher and team capacity to translate state standards and IEP requirements into aligned lesson planning, instructional delivery, accommodations, modifications, scaffolds, and progress-monitoring routines.
Conducts targeted classroom learning walks to diagnose instructional trends, identify high-leverage coaching priorities, and determine where modeling, demonstration, consultation, or team-based support will have the greatest impact.
Models, monitors, and evaluates the implementation of evidence-based instructional strategies that increase access, engagement, independence, and achievement for scholars with disabilities.
Strengthens classroom climate by coaching teachers and teams on proactive routines, positive behavior supports, and inclusive instructional practices that promote scholar belonging, engagement, and readiness to learn.
Recommends and supports implementation of high-leverage instructional practices, tools, resources, and adjustments that strengthen SDI fidelity and accelerate scholar learning outcomes.
Leads schools in using academic, behavioral, formative, benchmark, and progress-monitoring data to determine the most responsive supports, interventions, and programming for scholars with disabilities.
Synthesizes scholar assessment data, student work, IEP progress-monitoring evidence, and classroom implementation data to identify trends, root causes, priority needs, and effective practices.
Advises teachers, APoSS, school leaders, and regional partners on instructional trends, service-delivery strengths and gaps, and targeted next steps that strengthen scholar access and progress.
Monitors the fidelity and quality of SDI implementation through classroom evidence, lesson plans, IEP-aligned supports, progress-monitoring routines, and teacher practice indicators.
Uses coaching data, implementation indicators, and scholar outcome data to refine support, prioritize coaching cycles, and communicate progress toward school improvement and scholar-achievement goals.
Recommends shifts in practices, approaches, methods, strategies, and assessments when evidence indicates scholars need stronger instructional access, support, acceleration, or progress-monitoring clarity.
Partners with regional and school-based stakeholders to address school and scholar needs, strengthen adult practice, and ensure clear alignment between instructional priorities, special education service delivery, and school improvement goals.
Designs and facilitates site-based professional learning that builds teacher and leader capacity in SDI, inclusive practices, progress monitoring, instructional scaffolds, positive behavior supports, and data-informed decision-making.
Leads collaborative planning routines that strengthen lesson internalization, anticipate scholar misconceptions, embed IEP-aligned supports, and align instructional moves to priority standards and scholar-specific needs.
Develops and curates instructional resources, guidance documents, tools, exemplars, and implementation supports that promote consistent, high-quality SDI across assigned schools.
Connects faculty and school teams to relevant professional learning opportunities while continuously deepening personal expertise and elevating effective practices across the region.
Performs other duties as assigned by the appropriate supervisor to advance school priorities, scholar outcomes, and organizational needs.