Posted: 06-Mar-26
Location: College Park, Maryland
Type: Full Time
Salary: Dependent on Experience
Categories:
Required Education:
Job Title: Lower School Reading Specialist
Role Type: Ten Month, Full-Time, Salaried
Department: Lower School
Reports to: Assistant Head of School/Head of Lower School
Start Date: August 17, 2026
Friends Community School (FCS), founded in 1986, is a progressive, co-ed Quaker K-8 day school serving a diverse student body from the greater Washington, D.C. area. FCS’s LEED-certified building is situated on 17 acres surrounded by Greenbelt National Park, nine minutes from the University of Maryland, College Park, and thirty minutes from Washington, D.C.
Educators at FCS nurture lifelong learners, courageous risk takers, and joyous peacemakers through the expression of our commitments to Quakerism, Progressive Education, equity, and inclusion. Our progressive pedagogical approach emphasizes depth over breadth, creativity and innovation over memorization, and hands-on collaborative projects over rote schoolwork. Our curriculum engages students in the exploration of values rooted in our Quaker Heritage – simplicity, peaceful conflict resolution, integrity, community, equality/equity, and stewardship – from a range of perspectives.
Job Summary
The Reading Specialist focuses on improving students' literacy skills, particularly those who struggle with reading and writing. They work with small groups of students in kindergarten through fourth grade to provide differentiated small group language arts support. They teach one, or more, phonics classes. Additionally, they regularly push into classrooms to provide additional language arts support. They also collaborate with teachers and administration to select and implement literacy curricula and programs as needed. This includes providing professional development to teachers and parent workshops to families.
The Reading Specialist participates actively in the community and establishes working relationships that demonstrate integrity, confidentiality, respect, flexibility, fairness and trust. They should be familiar with and promote Quaker processes and values. They will co-teach a Meeting Partner class.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide small group instruction to address student needs, focusing on areas like decoding, fluency, and comprehension.
- Teach at least one grade level of phonics.
- Create systems in which students’ reading data is collected to assess reading abilities and share related information about strengths and areas for growth with teachers and families.
- Participate in developing and implementing literacy programs and curricula that align with school-wide goals.
- Serve as a resource for teachers and administrators on literacy instruction and resources in order to support students’ literacy development.
- Lead professional development for FCS faculty on literacy instruction, curricula, assessments and programs.
- Serve on the Student Support Team along with Learning Specialist, Counselor and Math Specialist.
Other Duties
- Attendance at staff meetings.
- Participate in oversight of Lunch/Recess.
- Other duties may be requested/required in consultation with the Head of School.
- Contribute to the FCS school-wide community
- Organize daily morning meeting/advisory activities
- Participate in weekly Meeting for Worship and Meeting Partner groups
- Facilitate non-violent conflict resolution
- Participate in scheduled school events such as parent-teacher conferences, Back-to-School Night, and field trips
- Attend major school-wide events
- Ensure communication across constituencies
- Work in partnership with all members of the teaching team and the administration
- Communicate proactively and responsively with individual families
- Complete all report cards and student recommendations in a professional and timely manner, emphasizing the individual strengths and challenges for each student
- Continuously integrate the school’s commitment to Quakerism, Progressive Education, and Equity in your classroom
- Participate in weekly staff meetings
- Engage in continuous, ongoing professional development
- Collaborate with colleagues in professional learning communities
- Partner with a teacher in the lower or middle school to facilitate cross divisional peer-to-peer relationships among middle and lower school students
- Other duties as assigned
Commitment to Diversity
FCS is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational community and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or a person's status as a qualified candidate with a disability in administration of its educational program, admission policies, financial aid program, staff hiring, and other school-administered programs.
In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, we actively seek faculty and staff of varied backgrounds and encourage them to share their unique gifts to cultivate a rich educational experience. We strive to create a learning environment that exposes students to the value and breadth of differences, informs their perspective, and prepares them to shape the world.
To Apply
Please send a cover letter, résumé, and the names and contact information of three professional references to jobs@friendscommunityschool.org.
Qualification Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree (required)
- Master’s degree in Literacy/Reading or a related field (preferred)
- Certified in reading/literacy instruction and support (preferred)
- Minimum of 3 years of successful classroom teaching experience.
- Strong knowledge of reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- Familiarity with current research and best practices in literacy development and intervention.
- Ability to administer and interpret reading assessments.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.