Special Education Head Teacher (Lower School) — Full-Time

The Gillen Brewer School is currently accepting resumes for Special Education Head Teachers for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.  Our special education program is designed to serve children aged 3-14 years old.  Small classes of 6-7 students or larger classes of 10-11 students are led by highly-trained teams of teachers and therapists, providing tailored instruction to each student’s individualized needs.  Our program incorporates the most effective methods in special education to support children in developing foundational skills to set them up for continued growth and success. 

All applicants will be required to submit a resume, cover letter, and two reference letters.  Gillen Brewer offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive professional development program.

Summary

The Head Teacher is a critical part of a child’s learning experience at Gillen Brewer.  The Head Teacher reports to the Program Director who reports to the Assistant Head of School.  The primary responsibility of the Head Teacher is to cultivate and lead a learning environment in which students feel safe and confident as they express themselves in the classroom.  The Head Teacher understands, plans, and executes key elements of innovative pedagogy that engender a deep love of learning in students.  The Head Teacher will work as part of an integrated team with Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, and Speech-Language Pathologists in a therapeutic school setting.  Gillen Brewer expects Head Teachers to conduct themselves in a professional manner with regard to attire, attitude, participation, communication, and interactions with staff, children, and parents.  Head Teachers are expected to understand the school’s policies, procedures, and guidelines as set in the staff handbook, located on the school’s shared Google Drive.  As part of the school community, Head Teachers are encouraged to participate in school community events, join committees, and create a positive working environment for children, families, and colleagues.  The Head Teacher will also support and promote the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) practices within the program and throughout the community.  Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: 

Duties and Responsibilities

Instruction and Assessment

• Follow and implement a curriculum based on the Common Core Learning Standards and New York State Core Curriculum and for New York State Prekindergarten Learning Standards
• Individually address the students’ physical, emotional, sensory, academic, and language needs
• Create, follow, and implement educational goals and track progress on an ongoing basis and when required
• Create well-thought-out and outcome-based lesson plans using assigned curriculum and student goals

• Collaborate with team members
• Prepare lesson plans with the Associate Teachers
• Provide lesson plans to the Program Director on a daily basis 
• Implement programs and strategies recommended by therapists
• Collaborate with school psychologists to create Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIP)
• Supervise and train Associate Teachers:  determine each Associate’s role in the classroom, report goals and progress to Program Director, and use the evaluation forms twice a year as a guide
• Create and maintain the classroom website on a bi-weekly basis
• Maintain parent communication
• Actively seek to include parents in the classroom activities
• Train and supervise volunteers and student teachers when needed
• Manage purchasing and maintenance of required program resources and materials

Required Skills/Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Thorough understanding of classroom procedures and management
• Ability to develop trusting and supportive relationships with students
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to collaborate with the therapeutic team members
• Team-oriented approach with a positive work attitude

Planning and Recordkeeping

• Take daily anecdotal notes in regard to each student’s progress and/or behavioral data as needed
• Informal/Formal assessment of children:  collect evidence of outcome-based curriculum assessment at least four times per year (October, January, June, and August) in all content areas and keep in a systematic way
• Write Mid-Year and End-of-Year Integrative Reports collaboratively with team and advise and edit when writing is done by an Associate Teacher

Professional Requirements

• Master’s degree in Childhood Special Education or Early Childhood Special Education (required)
• Experience teaching Students with Disabilities (required)
• New York State Teaching Certification

Physical Requirements

Employees must have the physical capacity to navigate the classroom and school environments in order to effectively meet the needs of our students.  Such physical requirements include but are not limited to:  walking, standing, sitting, climbing up and down stairs, kneeling, stooping, crawling, bending, pushing, pulling, and lifting.  Employees must be able to sit at a desk and work on a computer for long periods of time to complete necessary paperwork.  Vision, with or without lenses, must be sufficient to read in both paper and digital formats.  Employees must have the ability to hear, read, write, and speak in English.

Professional Development

The school is a community of learners.  In addition to staff development and training at Gillen Brewer, employees are encouraged to pursue educational goals through conferences and various workshops.  Teachers are required to attend all staff development workshops as well as staff, team, and supervision meetings.  Staff is also encouraged to attend all school functions listed on the school calendar.

Supervision & Support

The Program Director will oversee and analyze all aspects of the program through the use of observation cycles, in-office sessions, team meetings, conversations with support staff, lesson planning, curriculum development, student progress, and report writing.  Staff development and support through modeling and coaching will be provided which will include in-house and outside professional opportunities.  Frequency of observations and feedback sessions will be determined by the Program Director, Assistant Head of School, and Head of School.  The Program Director will conduct two formal evaluations a year using this job description and the Teacher Evaluation checklist as a guide.  Evidence of effectiveness will be collected through observations, discussions, and products.

Benefits & Paid Time Off

Gillen Brewer offers generous benefits including medical, dental, vision, 403(b) retirement plan, life insurance, HRA, FSA, employee assistance program, employee discounts, Aflac, and more.  Paid time off includes two weeks in August, two weeks in December, two weeks in March/April, and two weeks in June, along with paid federal holidays.  Staff also receives ten paid personal days to use at your own discretion.  Restrictions may apply.  

Other Requirements

You must be authorized to work in the United States and be willing to undergo a number of clearances, including E-VERIFY, NYSED and NYCDOH fingerprinting, a medical health form, and other background checks.

To Apply

To be considered, interested applicants MUST submit a cover letter, resume, and two reference letters.  Please submit materials directly via email to HR@gillenbrewer.com.  Please include your name and the position of interest in the subject line of your email (i.e., Heidi Thrule — Special Ed Head Teacher – Lower School).

No telephone inquiries or recruiters, please. Replies will only be sent to qualified applicants.

About GILLEN BREWER SCHOOL

The Gillen Brewer School is a private special education school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC, serving children ages 2.8 to 10. We provide each student with a rich and nurturing 12-month program of rigorous academics, art, music, science, technology and physical fitness. Speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and counseling services are essential to our program and staff works in a highly integrated manner. Gillen Brewer is defined by a commitment to our students and inspired by their determination. Working collaboratively with families and utilizing the exceptional skills of our highly qualified professional staff, we help each child build a foundation that will enable them to become confident, independent and engaged learners.

Connections working at GILLEN BREWER SCHOOL