Learning Specialist (Fall 2026)

The Leelanau School; Glen Arbor (MI); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

An independent educational institution is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL LEARNING SPECIALIST for the 2026-27 school year. The role involves supporting academic skill development, primarily for students with learning differences, and requires flexibility to teach grades 9-12. Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in Education or a related field and demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively to foster individual student growth. This position can significantly impact students' learning journeys and requires strong organizational and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in teaching or mentoring.
• Proficiency with cognitive and achievement assessments.
• Knowledge of neurodiversity teaching strategies.
• Knowledge of learning differences and interventions for neurodiverse learners.
• Experience with experiential teaching and learning.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Knowledge of study skills development (organization, cognition, note-taking).
• Respect for learners and their social, emotional, and intellectual development.
• Ability to collaborate with teams to develop curriculum and programming.
• Willingness to engage in school community and chaperone activities.
• Excellent communication (verbal and written).
• Respect for parenting and partnership with home.
• Experience communicating with parents; understanding adolescent development.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Clear FBI background checks and iCHAT clearance.

Responsibilities

• Support academic skill growth in students.
• Develop learner profiles for individual students.
• Facilitate Learning Skills classes.
• Support development of study skills: organization, cognition, metacognition, and note-taking.
• Differentiate instruction to accommodate diverse learning preferences.
• Participate in curriculum and policy discussions and student activities.

Skills

Experience with learning differences

Excellent organizational skills

Communication skills

Ability to differentiate instruction

Adolescent development understanding

Professional development

Curriculum collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Education or related field

Job description

The Leelanau School is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL LEARNING SPECIALIST beginning in the 2026-27 school year, who can work collaboratively in our independent environment while adhering to the high expectations of the program.

Please send letter of interest, resume, including extracurricular competencies, to [e-mail] or

Rob Hansen, Head of School
1 Old Homestead Road
Glen Arbor, MI 49636

Mission:

The Leelanau School ignites a passion for learning in a boarding school environment where students thrive by engaging academically and by celebrating everyone’s unique learning styles in a culture of acceptance, preparing for successful and meaningful lives in higher education, careers, citizenship, and service.

The Leelanau School Educational Philosophy:

Since its founding in 1929, The Leelanau School has ignited a passion for learning within its student body. In continuing this tradition, the faculty are charged with allowing the students to immerse themselves in their educational experience. With an emphasis on experiential, project based, and individualized teaching and learning, our students are constantly challenged to think about the world around them and how they interact with that world. As a College Preparatory school we define rigor by pushing our students to stretch their perceived limits. As an experiential school we expect our faculty to create authentic experiences that foster the level of thinking that our students are capable of achieving. The Leelanau School has a long history of teaching students with various learning profiles through experiential learning. We welcome faculty who are passionate about teaching and learning and are ready to help fuel our students desire to learn.

Job Description:

We are currently seeking a Learning Specialist to work in our Learning Skills Program, supporting academic skill growth, especially in areas of executive function and language based learning differences. A Learning Specialist at The Leelanau School provides support for the building of skills and strategies for success in and outside of the classroom. While providing academic support for a college preparatory curriculum, Learning Specialists need to develop in depth and comprehensive awareness of each students’ strengths, learning differences, learning preferences, and personalities to develop a Learner Profile, which drives goals and informs the work of the School with each student as an individual learner. This position requires a high level of collaboration with others, including the student’s family, academic faculty, residential faculty, outside professionals, and, most importantly, with the input of the individual student.

Learning Specialists facilitate Learning Skills classes (designed by grade level) to deliver strategy instruction that is responsive to the learning occurring in the core academic classes and with attention to the development of our community values. In addition to this strategy instruction, Learning Specialists will attend to the development of each learner’s goals through conferencing with the student, analyzing his or her progress through the curriculum, assessing the development of skills, and observing the extent to which skills and strategies are transferring throughout the student’s development as a student and as a person. This journey is unique for each learner, so it is critical that Learning Specialists be flexible, intuitive, professional, approachable, and relentless in his or her commitment to a student’s personal and academic growth.

The ideal candidate for this position will be flexible enough to teach students from grade 9 through grade 12 and have an understanding of how to teach to a variety of learning preferences by differentiating instruction.

In addition to meeting classroom and philosophical expectations, all Leelanau School faculty are expected to participate in decision-making related to curriculum, policies, and activities of the greater school and its mission. The faculty are required to act as student advisors, participate in morning energize, chaperone weekend activities and support study hall.

Requirements:

• Bachelor degree (or higher) in Education, Special Education or related learning specialty
• Prior experience in teaching, coaching, mentoring in a similar setting.
• An understanding of and proficiency with formal cognitive and achievement assessments
• A knowledge of learning differences and interventions related to specific diagnoses as well as classroom strategies related to teaching students who are neurodiverse.
• A knowledge of experiential teaching and learning
• Excellent organizational skills
• Knowledge of and experience with helping students develop the aspects of study skills: organization (time and materials), cognition/metacognition, memorization, note taking, and annotation.
• Respect for learners and a passion for their social, emotional, and intellectual development.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with teams to develop curriculum, deliver instruction, support individual students, and advance programming.
• Willingness to engage in the school community beyond the classroom, participate in and chaperone student activities.
• Excellence in communication (verbal and written; formal and informal).
• Respect for parenting and the inherent partnership of school and home.
• Experience in communicating with parents. Expertise in adolescent development that can be effectively applied in student and parent communication.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Successful clearance of FBI background checks and iCHAT (State Police).