Career Center

Headwaters School, a Pre-K through grade 12 independent day school serving 500 students across its three campuses in Austin, TX, is seeking a full time Learning Specialist in our Middle and High School for the 2022-2023 academic year. 

At Headwaters, our teachers nurture a school culture that promotes a growth mindset, a collaborative spirit, a joyful environment, and the achievement of high expectations. Our faculty and staff ensure all members of our school community understand their role in advancing issues of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Headwaters School supports the professional growth of our school faculty in order to contribute to their feelings of fulfillment, to provide a model of lifelong learning for our students, and to advance the strategic goals of the school.

Our faculty members are responsible for bringing our Purpose statement to life: to cultivate identity formation, foster empathy, and embrace diversity to bring more peace to the world. In addition, they guide our students to live authentically, think expansively, and create bravely. We invite our students, guides, staff, parents, and trustees to be Peacemakers, Advocates, Creators, and Thinkers.

The Learning Specialist works collaboratively with academic leadership, our faculty and our students. Candidates will also be prepared to participate in the life of the school, including, but not limited to supervision of lunch, coaching, sponsoring a club, serving as an advisor, chaperoning trips, and other duties as assigned by the position’s supervisor. Our ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in Special Education. The Learning Specialist reports directly to our Middle School Director. 

 Job Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Special Education or a related field required
• Minimum of 3 years teaching and/or 3 years in a school leadership position, preferably in student services
• Possess significant knowledge of learning disabilities, and diagnostic assessment tools.  
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Passion for working with middle school and high school-aged children
• Ability to problem-solve complex student issues with professionalism and discretion
• Strong commitment to equity and inclusion practices and curriculum in the classroom
• Commitment to personal and professional development
• Is a creative individual and team player
• Ability to maintain calm and focus
• Operates with a high level of integrity, professionalism and organization
• Experience integrating technology in pedagogy and the classroom

The Learning Specialist is responsible for the following:

• Create and coordinate learning support processes, school wide assessments and procedures to identify and address the developmental and specific learning needs of students from middle school through high school.
• Administer ACT and MAP testing 
• Set up clear structures for “office hours,” before, during and after school support time.
• Collaborate closely with teachers, academic teams and Program Directors to identify students in need of internal support, external support, or outside evaluations.
• Help classroom guides to develop and implement strategies that will allow students with different learning needs to achieve success
• Schedule and facilitate team meetings to identify students’ needs and appropriate assessment and intervention plans.
• Observe classroom instruction, focusing on differentiation, for all students with the intent of providing ongoing training for teaching teams and PD for Middle and High teachers in June (to close the school year) and in August (to open the school year).
• Work closely with the academic teams to support and educate the faculty on understanding learning differences on this campus.
• Support the needs by creating plans, coaching teachers, providing on-going assessments of identified students requiring supplemental academic instruction for both remediation and enrichment.
• Collaborate with classroom teachers to design meaningful professional development and support.
• Support teachers with providing small group interventions to students, particularly in reading, writing, and math.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

 This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position and compensation is competitive for the greater Austin area. The School offers a wide-range of benefits including generous paid time off, 100% paid medical insurance for the employee, 401(k) retirement plan, on-going professional support and continuing education opportunities, and a unique working environment where you are able to share and receive ongoing feedback. This position reports to the Middle School Director.

Interested applicants should email a resume, cover letter, and statement of educational philosophy to Leslie Hirsch, Director of Human Resources at hr@headwaters.org to apply or visit our school website at https://www.headwaters.org/page/about/employment.

Headwaters School welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. As a 501(c)3 non-profit school, Headwaters provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local anti-discrimination law. The School’s equal employment opportunity practices extend to recruitment, hiring, selection, compensation, benefits, transfer, promotion, training, discipline, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. All Employees are responsible for complying with the School’s equal employment opportunity policy.