Reading Specialist (Part-Time)

Justice Resource Institute; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 37,195,000 - 45,461,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

$2,000 bilingual bonus for new hires

License/Certification reimbursement

Blue Cross medical and Delta Dental

401K match up to $800/year

Tuition reimbursement up to $4000/year

Paid time off up to 19 days

Job summary

Justice Resource Institute in Massachusetts is seeking a part-time Reading Specialist to provide targeted literacy intervention to high school students with significant reading needs. You will work with a dynamic team to deliver small-group instruction, assess progress, and tailor evidence-based literacy strategies for teens with IEP goals.

The role emphasizes trauma-informed practice, collaboration with teachers, and supporting students toward greater reading independence.

Qualifications

• Experience working with high school students with significant literacy gaps.
• Strong knowledge of adolescent literacy practices and the ability to provide age-appropriate reading intervention for older students.
• Experience supporting students with disabilities and familiar with IEP processes and literacy-related goals (preferred).
• Experience working in a trauma-informed educational environment (preferred).
• A valid teaching license is preferred but not required.
• Background and driving record checks will be performed.

Responsibilities

• Meet with an assigned group of students receiving targeted literacy intervention.
• Provide individualized and small-group reading instruction based on student needs, assessment data, and progress monitoring.
• Deliver evidence-based literacy instruction tailored specifically to adolescent learners with significant reading gaps.
• Support students in developing foundational reading skills, including decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and strategies for accessing grade-level texts.
• Collaborate with special education teachers, classroom teachers, and support staff to monitor student progress and adjust instruction/intervention strategies based on student growth.
• Build positive, trusting relationships with students and create a learning environment grounded in trauma-informed practices.
• Develop creative and engaging approaches to support students who may be reluctant, resistant, or disengaged from academic work.

Skills

Adolescent literacy

Reading intervention

Assessment & progress monitoring

Collaboration with teachers

Education

Bachelor's degree in Education or related field

Job description

Are you the Reading Specialist (Part-Time) we have been looking for? In this position, you will be able to convey your passion for educating others with a dynamic team by bringing an energetic and positive approach while working with our students!

Pelham Academyis a residential treatment setting for adolescents that specializes intraumainformed care.Pelham provides 24-hour comprehensive care including a school on site, a full clinical staff, nursing staff, and direct care staff.

The Reading Specialist will provide targeted, supplemental literacy intervention to high school students with significant reading needs. This position will support students through individualized and small-group literacy instruction designed to strengthen foundational reading skills, increase reading confidence, and improve access to academic content. The Reading Specialist will meet with an assigned group students receiving literacy intervention while collaborating with classroom teachers deliver evidence-based literacy instruction. The Reading Specialistwill complement existingclassroom and specialeducation servicesby providing additionaltargeted support tohelp students strengthenliteracy skills, increaseindependence, and improveacademic access.

Our school servesa significant numberof students withliteracy-relatedneeds, including studentswith IEP goalsfocused on readingdevelopment. While students' IEP goals areaddressed through existingspecial education servicesand instructional programming, this position willprovide an additionallayer of literacysupport designed toaccelerate growthand provide intensiveintervention for studentswho would benefitfrom further support.

Schedule: This is apart-time position(approximately two daysper week) focusedon providing supplementalliteracy intervention tostudents with identifiedreading needs.

Compensation

The pay range for this position is $27.00 to $33.00 per hour. The listed range reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to pay for this role at the time of posting the position. The actual compensation an employee is offered may vary based on several factors such as experience, education, licensure, certifications and qualifications. This range may be modified in the future.

In this role, you will:

• Meet with an assigned group ofstudents receiving targetedliteracy intervention.
• Provide individualized andsmall-group readinginstruction based onstudent needs, assessmentdata, andprogress monitoring.
• Deliver evidence-basedliteracy instruction tailoredspecifically to adolescentlearners with significantreading gaps.
• Support students indeveloping foundationalreading skills, includingdecoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, andstrategies for accessinggrade-level texts.
• Collaborate with specialeducation teachers, classroomteachers, and supportstaff to monitor student progressand adjust instructionand intervention strategiesbased on studentgrowth.
• Build positive, trustingrelationships with studentsand create alearning environment groundedin trauma-informedpractices.
• Develop creative and engaging approaches to support students who may be reluctant, resistant, or disengaged from academic work.

Why JRI?

• Be who you are! JRI is committed to creating a workplace built on respect, collaboration, and opportunity, where every employee is valued and supported in making a meaningful impact.
• We offer a $2,000 bilingual bonus to new hires who speak a second language fluently, other than English, and will use it to serve our clients!
• Reimbursement is available for employees to cover the registration costs and annual fees for any professional license required for work such as LMHC, LCSW, LICSW, RN and more!
• Access to our excellent Blue Cross medical and Delta Dental benefits.
• Retirement benefits including 401K matched up to $800 a year and pension after 5 years of employment.
• Professional development opportunities such as tuition reimbursement up to almost $4000 per year and discounted tuition rates to select partnership colleges and universities!
• Wellness benefits including access to employee engagement groups, self-care resources, and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Generous paid time off up to 19 days for full time employees in your first year and much more!

Requirements:

• Experience working withhigh school studentswith significant literacygaps.
• Strong knowledge ofadolescent literacy practicesand the abilityto provide age-appropriate reading interventionfor older students.
• Experience supporting studentswith disabilities andfamiliarity with IEPprocesses and literacy-related goals (preferred).
• Experience working ina trauma-informededucational environment (preferred).
• A valid teaching license is preferred but not required.
• At JRI, you will learn to provide physical interventions and verbal de-escalations to provide the safest therapeutic atmosphere for our students!
• Background and driving record checks will be performed.

At JRI, we are committed to fostering a workplace where every team member feels valued and respected. We believe that a culture built on mutual respect, collaboration, and opportunity allows our staff to thrive and do their best work. By supporting one another and recognizing each person's contributions, we create an environment where people can grow, develop their skills, and make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve. JRI is an equal opportunity employer.

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Qualifications

Education

Preferred

Bachelors or better in Education or related field.

Licenses & Certifications

Preferred

Drivers License

Educator's License

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.