SY 2024-2025: Dedicated Aide

Job Description

Salary: $28K to $38K

Position:  Dedicated Aide

Supervisor:  Founding Special Education Coordinator

Start Date:  August 2024

Application Deadline:  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 2024.  However, the position may be closed prior to that date if a qualified candidate is hired.  

The Opportunity: Global Citizens is seeking a passionate Dedicated Aide to support students with special needs in our inclusion classrooms. The Dedicated Aide will assist with specialized instruction and related services for students in grades Pre-K3 – Grade 2.  The types of students with special needs who have Dedicated Aides assigned to them include: students with autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), developmental delays in one or more areas, intense behavioral challenges, multiple learning problems, and other related disorders.

Global Citizens PCS is the first dual language immersion elementary school in Washington, DC, to offer language immersion in both Mandarin Chinese and Spanish pathways - exposing students to the top three languages spoken in the world.  Paired with a focus on social justice and whole child wellness, Global Citizens PCS equips children to become empathetic, globally competent, and socially-minded leaders who are prepared for a future we cannot yet imagine.  Global Citizens PCS opened in Ward 7 to provide children and their families living east of the Anacostia River with equitable access to dual language immersion programs.  This position offers an incredible opportunity to work alongside a founding team, within an entrepreneurial and collaborative environment focused on improving educational opportunities for all students, especially those who are most marginalized and undervalued.

Mission:  The mission of Global Citizens PCS is to inspire and prepare the next generation of global citizens.  We will do this by supporting students, ages 3-11, to reach their full academic and leadership potential in a nurturing learning environment.  We will immerse them in the Mandarin and Spanish languages, promote the value of diversity, and equip them with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets they need to contribute to a better world. 

Vision:  We envision academic excellence, language acquisition, and authentic inclusion of a diverse student population.  We will build a strong community of learners who are confident in their ability to communicate in the Chinese, Spanish, and English languages.  Our children will use language to liberate and advocate for themselves and those most marginalized.  All of our children will develop a sense of self and a sense of belonging, build empathy and emotional resilience, learn to understand and appreciate diverse perspectives and challenge themselves to take action to improve the world.

Philosophy:  We believe that all cultures have richness and value, deserve respect and consideration, and do not belong to a hierarchy.  We are aware of white supremacy culture and the systemic oppression that exists – even in the current education system.  At Global Citizens PCS, we will critically examine our biases and then actively work on counteracting these biases and disrupting the dominant narrative.  We will continually examine our teaching and curricula to ensure we incorporate multiple perspectives from diverse cultural backgrounds and life experiences, including the experiences of our students, families, communities, and staff.  We will create an environment in which all students will yearn for intercultural connections and see their benefits.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are our core values and central to our learning, development, and growth:

• Diversity:  All children, of all backgrounds, learning abilities, and physical capacities, will thrive and contribute to a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning community.

• Equity:  All children are capable of reaching high levels of academic excellence and whole-child wellness.  Thus, all children will have the opportunity to gain fluency in more than one language/culture and learn from and with each other.  All children will be held to high expectations – ensuring equally high outcomes for all and removing the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with social, cultural, or socio-economic factors.
• Inclusion:  We will live our core value of diversity by creating an environment of connection, belonging, empowerment, and respect – where the richness of different ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives are harnessed to create value.

The core values live in our Global Citizens PCS educational model through four key pillars:  Globally Competent Bilingualism, Academic Excellence, Social Justice, and Whole Child Wellness.

Dedicated Aide Job Description

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

School Mission and Vision

• Implement a shared school mission and vision to promote each student’s social, emotional, and academic development
• Actively participate in data-driven instruction and methods of continuous improvement to ensure we meet the needs of each student
• Reinforce the mission with students and families, inspiring them to act on the mission every single day
• Reflect on instructional practices and adjust behavior and systems accordingly: ask regularly for feedback; model humility and admit mistakes; seek out thought partners; and, engage in professional learning
• Collaborates with support teachers and other staff to ensure proper and consistent implementation of our instructional program

Equitable and Inclusive School Culture

• Model ethical, equitable, and professional behavior and acts with integrity, fairness, cultural competence, and empathy with students and colleagues 
• Contribute to a professional school culture focused on developing relational trust with colleagues and building each other's capacity to promote each student’s social, emotional, and academic development; serves as a mentor teacher for support teachers
• Set personal and professional learning goals to promote wellness and enhance professional practice; attend summer institute and weekly professional development sessions
• Participate in professional development and coaching cycles led by Principal and other instructional leaders
• Encourages open, productive, collaborative, and trusting working relationships among administrators, teachers, and staff to promote an environment of continuous improvement
• Develop a supportive and positive learning environment  focused on uplifting student voice and using student data to drive student development, growth and achievement

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Support a Student with Special Needs throughout the School Day

• Assist the student with participating in lessons, daily activities, and assessments
• Support the student with daily living activities (e.g. eating and toileting,) as needed 
• Facilitate independent work with materials in the inclusion environment
• Teach lessons under the direction of the lead teacher and the special education teacher in the resource room
• Implement prescribed behavioral strategies and positive behavior support in all settings
• Accompany and assist students during related service sessions (speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc).
• De-escalate students and use counseling skills

Collaborate with Teaching Team and Special Education Team

• Collaborate with the Lead Teacher and the Special Education Coordinators in the planning and management of lessons and work that the student will be done independently and with support
• Provide regular communication about students’ development to the lead teacher
• Collaborate with the Special Education Coordinator and the Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) provider to implement ABA within the classroom setting. This includes planning for: classroom environment, natural environment teaching, instruction, discrete trial instruction, behavior management strategies, and reinforcement systems
• Learn about writing IEP goals, progress summaries and report cards

Assist in Data Collection and Record Keeping

• Participate in all training related to data collection and assessment
• Gather written observations for Teaching Strategies GOLD (and any other assessments) as requested by the lead teacher
• Discuss observations with the lead teacher, other teaching staff, and the Special Education Coordinator
• Regularly collect data to track students’ progress in  program areas: curriculum and IEP 
• Follow Functional Communication Protocols and Behavior Protocols to respond to students' behavior appropriately and successfully

Equitable and Inclusive Student Support

• Improve and sustain a school environment that is inclusive, equitable, caring, and culturally competent (and meets the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student)
• Maintain positive, fair, and unbiased student behavior policies that emphasize relationship reconciliation and behavioral change
• Work with Special Education Teacher and English Learner Teacher to plan for and support all learners’ needs
• Use student performance and placement data, as well as school culture data, to promote greater inclusiveness, caring, equity, and closure of opportunity gaps
• Serve as a member of the Student Support Team (SST) and implement a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to meet the needs of all children, including special populations
• Collaborate with the Lead Teacher, special education service providers (speech, physical therapist,occupational therapist), ELL teacher and other Assistant Teachers to address student needs in the classroom
• Contribute productively to the school as a whole
• Attend and participate in school events outside of regular school hours
• Other duties as assigned.

Dedicated Aide Requirements:

• Possess a minimum of a High School Diploma (an Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree preferred)
• At least two years of classroom experience, preferably in a public school or urban setting
• Willingness to take Behavior Technician and Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) training
• At least three years of combined experience as a teacher preferred
• Meet state educational requirements, preferably a valid state-issued teaching license for Teaching in elementary education or meet eligibility, including a Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s degree in Education and passing scores on Praxis I & II
• Deep experience and knowledge of learning standards and student-centered curriculum
• An energetic, flexible, creative, innovative individual who can develop strengths-based, student-centered support plans that support learning for students of various abilities, including those with various identified exceptionalities
• Ability to excel as a member of a multidisciplinary team and an instructional team
• Ability to work in a multicultural, multilingual environment
• Ability to collaborate and teach through a lens of diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion
• Strong communication skills (both oral and written)
• ABA and RBT experience recommended, but not required

Compensation

Salary is competitive and based on education and professional experience, and ranges from $28K to $38K. Additionally, Global Citizens PCS offers a comprehensive benefits package.

We are Deeply Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Global Citizens PCS is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. We strongly encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply.  It is our policy to ensure that all individuals with whom we are in contact with are not discriminated against on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, military status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, parenthood, or any other personal or professional status.

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying for this position, please click “Apply for This Job” on the top right.  We’ll review applications as we receive them until the position is filled.  If you have any questions, please contact us at careers@globalcitizensschool.org.

Global Citizens PCS is committed to building a team that reflects the varied backgrounds and experiences of the students we seek to serve.  It is important to us that you use your application materials to clearly delineate ways in which your background and experience align with Global Citizens PCS’s core values and key pillars, including our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.