About this role
At the Florida Ruffin Ridley School, we are constantly striving to deliver the highest quality instruction for our students and maintain a community that values and honors each individual that makes up the vibrant tapestry of our school. That means teaching and leading from a place of collaboration, celebration, love, and an unrelenting drive for developing and fostering strong relationships with each student and family. Our priorities of increasing literacy achievement for all students, developing clear behavioral expectations and responses aligned to social/emotional curriculum, creating and maintaining a positive collaborative and supportive environment, and fostering citizenship that promotes equity and social justice through increasing levels of cultural proficiency help guide us in our day to day and long term decision making as a school community. These priorities ground our professional development work and how we organize systems, routines, and procedures that support the vibrant buzzing community of families, students, and staff. Educators at Florida Ruffin Ridley School are engaged in constant school-wide conversations around engaging with research based instructional practices that support our vision of educational equity for each student, the importance of social emotional learning that supports a life-long love of learning, and how to nurture classroom and school cultures in which each student and family feels connected, respected, and valued. We are looking for a long term substitute for our Grades 3-6 Therapeutic Learning Center who can contribute to our school in these ways. Program Overview: The Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC) is an in-district, inclusion-based, special education program housed at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School. The program is designed to meet the academic, behavioral, and social/emotional needs of students with identified emotional disabilities. The TLC provides a highly specialized, intensive, and structured inclusion-based experience, ensuring that students receive the clinical and educational supports they need to access their education effectively. Position Summary: We are seeking a dedicated, trauma-informed Special Education Teacher to lead a Grades 3-5 cohort within the TLC. The ideal candidate will be highly skilled in balancing rigorous academic instruction with therapeutic interventions. This role requires close collaboration with clinical staff, general education teachers, families, and district special education leadership to implement care coordination and support students who have historically experienced pervasive social/emotional challenges and difficulty engaging in the traditional classroom setting. Key Responsibilities:
• Specialized Instruction: Design and deliver highly structured, modified, and accommodated academic instruction aligned with Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for students in grades 3-5.
• Integrate competencies, goals, and objectives into lesson plans
• Utilize curricula that reflect the diverse educational, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds of the students served
• Therapeutic Environment: Infuse classroom instruction and daily routines with therapeutic and trauma-informed practices to support students with emotional impairments.
• Behavioral Support: Develop, implement, and monitor comprehensive Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs). Utilize evidence-based de-escalation strategies to ensure the safety of the student and others.
• IEP Management: Serve as the primary case manager for a caseload of students. Write robust Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), track data with fidelity
• Inclusion Facilitation: Support students in navigating the inclusion-based model, bridging the gap between the specialized program and general education settings to maximize student success.
• Collaboration & Care Coordination: Partner actively with school psychologists, BCBAs, counselors, and families/caregivers. Facilitate open communication regarding student progress, clinical supports, and care coordination.
• Consultation: Act as a resource and consultant for staff in building an understanding of how to support students utilizing therapeutic strategies.
Qualifications:
• Licensure: Valid Massachusetts DESE Certification in Special Education (Moderate or Severe Disabilities) required.
• SEI Certification
• Belief in our mission and core values
• Experience: Demonstrated experience working with elementary-aged students (specifically upper elementary, grades 3-5) with emotional, behavioral, and social challenges.
• Skills:
• Deep understanding of trauma-informed care and therapeutic instructional practices.
• Strong crisis management and de-escalation skills (SafetyCare, CPI, or similar certification preferred, training available).
• Ability to collect, analyze, and apply data to monitor clinical and academic supports with fidelity.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to foster strong relationships with families and multi-disciplinary teams.
Why Join Us? By joining the TLC at Florida Ruffin Ridley School, you become part of a collaborative, compassionate team dedicated to keeping students in-district while providing them with the exact intensive support they need to thrive both emotionally and academically. TERMS: BEU, UNIT A, Teacher ***All employees must be vaccinated and maintain full vaccination as a condition of employment or work as an on-site vendor/contractor, unless they receive approval for a documented medical or religious exemption in accordance with relevant state and/or federal law. For a full copy of the Covid-19 vaccination policy please click HERE. The Public Schools of Brookline is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute through their teaching or practice to the diversity and excellence of the PSB community. The Public Schools of Brookline is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Members of underrepresented groups and all persons committed to diversity and inclusive excellence are strongly encouraged to apply.