August 2021

Founded in 1889, The Wheeler School is a co-educational independent day school for over 800 students from Nursery through Grade Twelve in Providence, Rhode Island. Central to the School's philosophy is a simple concept: Wheeler is a place where we strive to make any pursuit possible for our students, where choice, inquiry, and interest are of primary import, where we know individuals well and insist upon and nurture intellectual character, empathy, critical thinking, and creative spirit. 

Ideal candidates for faculty and staff positions at Wheeler are people with a sense of humor, warmth, and humility. They are excellent communicators, with an ability to listen and a desire to learn from colleagues. They are ambitious and hardworking, often going over and above to support and challenge students. When developing curriculum and programming, our faculty and staff members are collaborative, striving each year to stretch and grow, to implement new ideas that improve the Wheeler experience for students and our overall community. They come from all professional walks of life - graduate programs, private and public schools, and other careers entirely. More than anything, our faculty and staff members love to spend their days with young people, and enjoy all that the Wheeler community - creative, energetic, dynamic, and diverse  - has to offer.

Wheeler is seeking a full-time experienced reading specialist and academic support teacher to provide leadership and innovation in reading curriculum and instruction in Nursery through Grade 5.  The candidate will oversee academic support for students and coordinate professional support for teachers. An ideal candidate will be a passionate follower of professional literature on the science of reading and academic interventions, and will be constantly interested in perfecting practice. Successful candidates will love working with children, be energetic collaborators and learners, possess a passionate commitment to implementing best practices for literacy acquisition, and are detailed and process oriented.  A successful candidate will also be eager to join a dynamic and collaborative faculty, and will aspire to work with students with many different strengths and learning styles. 

The Lower School Reading Specialist and Academic Support Teacher reports to the Director of Lower School and is a member of the Lower School Instructional Leadership Team. 

Responsibilities

Reading Specialist

• Provide targeted support to small groups in Grade 1 through 4 or as determined by the Director of Lower School
• Support teachers in the administration of progress assessments
• Regularly attend meetings with homeroom teachers to support the implementation of best practices
• Maintain up-to-date assessments and records 
• Regularly communicate student progress with homeroom teachers  
• Attend parent/teacher conferences three times per year to update families on student progress
• Collaborate with the Hamilton School to share best practices and resources within divisions

Academic Support 

• Coordinate and monitor academic support and intervention programming
• Attend weekly department meetings
• Maintain academic support files
• Initiate and oversee the coordination of provider services (speech & language, occupational therapy, reading screenings or tutors)
• Maintain regular parent communication with families as needed
• Provide or share professional development opportunities with teachers as needed
• Oversee and support the use of data to inform instruction 
• Collaborate with Hamilton and other divisions on the use of academic support interventions

Other Responsibilities

• Duties as assigned
• Weekly Lower School or All School meeting attendance

To learn more about Wheeler, please visit www.wheelerschool.org, and our Careers page here. 

Statement on Diversity and Cultural Competency 

At Wheeler we actively seek students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds in the belief that a broad range of experiences and viewpoints enhance learning, enrich life on campus, and better prepare us all for full participation in a pluralistic, democratic society. We seek to further the overall diversity and cultural competency within our community through hiring.

How to Apply 

Please send a resume and cover letter to Felicia Vinces, Director of the Lower School, at feliciavinces@wheelerschool.org and cc Director of Strategic Innovations and N-8 Divisions, Young Un, at youngun@wheelerschool.org.  List the position title in the subject heading.  Applications will be accepted through March 6.