2026 -2027 SY - Special Education Teacher

Girls Global Academy; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Girls Global Academy in Washington, DC seeks a dedicated Special Education Teacher to foster an inclusive classroom environment that empowers female students to explore and excel. You will contribute to curriculum development and support the school's mission of academic excellence and sisterhood.

Responsibilities include designing cohesive lesson plans aligned with standards, differentiating instruction using data, and delivering a mix of formative and summative assessments.

Qualifications

• Certification in special education preferred
• Bachelor’s degree with a content-area concentration; Master’s preferred
• Three years of urban classroom experience (preferred)
• Experience teaching diverse student levels
• Ability to write cohesive lesson plans
• Collaborative work across disciplines with a diverse instructional team
• Strong communication with parents and communities
• Excellent interpersonal skills and classroom management
• Lead extracurricular activities during/after school
• Growth mindset with openness to feedback

Responsibilities

• Develops cohesive units and lesson plans aligned with GGA’s curriculum standards, emphasizing special education literacy and global awareness.
• Uses student performance data to differentiate instruction and challenge all students.
• Designs and implements formative and summative assessments to measure understanding.
• Incorporates interdisciplinary connections across subjects and real-world contexts.
• Encourages project-based learning and leadership among female students.
• Keeps culturally responsive teaching practices to affirm diverse perspectives.
• Plans and teaches with inquiry-based approaches and differentiates using technology.
• Develops communication protocols with parents and caregivers.
• Delivers advisory support and participates in school initiatives.
• Maintains attendance, curriculum, and assessment records; grows professionally.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Classroom management

Adaptive teaching

Lead extracurricular activities

Growth mindset

Education

Bachelor’s degree; Master’s preferred in content area

Certification in special education preferred

Job description

Special Education Teacher

The Special Education Teacher will be committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive classroom environment where students are encouraged to explore and excel. This role includes contributing to GGA’s curriculum development, and supporting the school’s mission of academic excellence and female empowerment.

Key Expectations

• GGA instructors submit lesson plans weekly. Lesson plans are reviewed by the Academic Program Coordinator and feedback is provided.
• Advisory classes are an important part of school culture at GGA. Students work on college and career readiness, social and emotional learning and academics in these daily classes. The advisor is an important part of a student's support network at GGA, and most instructors are assigned an advisory class. Advisory lessons are provided and the instructor facilitates sessions, grades assignments, and maintains a strong relationship and line of communication with advisees' caregivers.
• Culture support in the hallways and at lunch is expected. Instructors are assigned an arrival and dismissal duty, and are added to a master schedule to support hallways for one period everyday.
• At GGA we believe that we are partners in education with our student's caregivers. Together we support students and ensure they achieve their fullest potential. To do this, GGA gives dedicated work time on a Wednesday to reach out to caregivers. It is expected that instructors maintain continued lines of communication with caregivers through grading, calling and emailing home and facilitating twice annual Student Led Conferences.
• Ensure you have at least 2 grades for every week, 2 summatives for the quarter and end of quarter comments.

Ke y Responsibilities

Instruction & Student Support

• Develops cohesive unit and lesson plans aligned with GGA’s curriculum standards, emphasizing both special education literacy and global awareness.
• Uses student performance data to inform and differentiate instruction, ensuring that all students are appropriately challenged and supported.
• Designs and implements a variety of formative and summative assessments to measure student understanding and mastery of key special education concepts.
• Integrates interdisciplinary connections between special education and other subject areas, highlighting the relevance of special education principles to real-world issues and students’ local and global contexts.
• Encourages hands-on experimentation and project-based learning experiences that promote collaboration, leadership, and confidence among female students in special education fields.
• Incorporates culturally responsive teaching practices that affirm diverse perspectives and experiences in special education learning.

Learning and Development

• Plans and teaches lessons using inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning
• Uses a wide range of technologies and strategies to differentiate instruction based on readiness, learning difference, and interest.
• Uses student data to drive instructional decisions
• Contributes to interdisciplinary curriculum planning and development
• Fosters positive relationships with students
• Develops regular communication protocols with parents
• Delivers thoughtful guidance and support with advisory groups
• Engages professionally and enthusiastically with new school initiatives
• Keeps up-to-date records of attendance, curriculum, and assessment
• Develops and implements assessments aligned to GGA curriculum standards
• Demonstrates an active and genuine interest in professional growth

School Community Engagement

• Fosters positive relationships with students
• Develops regular communication protocols with parents
• Delivers thoughtful guidance and support with advisory groups
• Engages professionally and enthusiastically with new school initiatives
• Participate in weekly and month professional development programs
• Creating classroom experiences that embody our four pillars of sisterhood, scholarship, service and safety including establishing strong relationships with students to demonstrate care
• Foster deeply engaging lessons and activities that deliver the content in ways that excite and enable our students to learn
• Use resources to effectively differentiate for all types of learners through co-teaching with special education teachers and through providing students additional resources

Qualifications

• Certification in special education preferred
• Bachelor’s degree, (Master’s preferred) with a concentration in content area
• Secondary classroom experience in an urban context (three years preferred)
• Solid and demonstrable teaching experience working with a variety of student academic levels
• Creative and enthusiastic approach to teaching and learning
• Ability to write a cohesive lesson plan
• Exhibits ability to collaboratively work within and across disciplines with a diverse instructional team
• Demonstrates ability to work with parents and community
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, classroom management, and adaptive teaching
• Lead extra-curricular activities during and/or after school
• Receive and incorporate feedback from team leaders, executive leadership and peers
• Growth minded, receiving and incorporating feedback from team leaders, executive leadership and peers

Ideal Candidates Will Align To Our Academic Approach

• Creating classroom experiences that embody our four pillars of sisterhood, scholarship, service and safety including establishing strong relationships to demonstrate that we care about them
• Foster deeply engaging lessons and activities that deliver the content in ways that excite and enable our students to learn
• Use resources to effectively differentiate for all types of learners through co-teaching with special education teachers and through providing students additional resources

About Our School

Girls Global Academy (GGA) is an all-girls public charter high school in Washington, DC. We are currently a Candidate to be an International Baccalaureate World School who offers the IB Career Programme with specific pathways in engineering and business.

As we continue to grow our student body to 400 students and 60 staff over the next 3-5 years we strive to establish a strong school culture where our four pillars of sisterhood, scholarship, service and safety are embedded in everything we do.

Our SY 26-27 Staff: You will be an integral part of growing our school, and as a member of the GGA Staff you understand that starting and growing a school is hard work, so you are empowered to take ownership over the work and have a responsibility to each of our students. You are truly a part of a resilient team that has an all-hands-on-deck mentality and faces challenges head on with clear communication. Our future graduating classes need staff that believe in our students, maintain strong community norms and are committed to making sure our students know they matter.

We are located in the heart of Washington D.C. between the Downtown and Chinatown neighborhoods, and just one block from the Gallery Place Metro Station. This ideal location allows us to engage our students in the vibrant and globally focused culture of the community and all that DC has to offer.

Ideal Candidates

Girls Global Academy is a community of dedicated innovators who believe girls matter. Through our daily work, we are committed to actions that equip the next generation of leaders to navigate the world with confidence and compassion to succeed in any path they may choose. Our approach to education will allow girls to develop strong voices that inspire change.

Because you matter - this is who we are looking for:

• You are highly qualified and mission oriented
• You are passionate about all girls’ high school education
• You are flexible and adaptable to change and excited about working in a start-up school environment
• You are a self-starter, problem solver and have a growth mindset
• You are committed to assisting the school becoming Tier 1

If you meet these ideals - we want to speak with you about joining our team!

Our Commitments To Staff

• Personalized professional development tailored to your needs as an educator
• Support and coaching from an experienced leadership team
• A seat at the table where you are a decision maker in an equitable and inclusive environment
• Work-life rhythm where you are encouraged to make self care a priority

Girls Global Academy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.