Annie Wright is seeking an Upper and Middle Schools Learning Support Specialist to begin on August 16, 2024. This is a full-time faculty position that reports to the Upper Schools and Middle School Division Directors. 

Annie Wright’s strong community cultivates individual learners to become well-educated, creative, and responsible citizens for a global society.

Position description

Access to Learning Support is critical for students who have barriers in demonstrating their learning. These barriers can be physiological, cultural, or societal, and thus, the Upper and Middle School (USs and MS) Learning Support Specialist is uniquely positioned to impact the student experience and be at the forefront of critical work to further Annie Wright Schools’ DEI Mission.

This USs and MS Learning Support Specialist is an advocate for and partner with those learners who find the biggest barriers to demonstrating their learning, ensuring these students receive appropriate individualized support, whether that be additional challenge or supplementary accommodations. Working alongside faculty, counselors, families, and students, the primary goal of the Learning Support Team is to cultivate the self-management and self-advocacy skills that will allow all students to thrive in academic and non-academic spaces, with an emphasis on students with Individual Accommodation Plans. The USs and MS Learning Support Specialist will carry a caseload of 18-22 students with unique learning profiles who would benefit from intense, sustained support and active advising. They will support students from Grade 6 - 12 with an eye on continuity of care, especially through the transition between Middle and Upper schools. 

The USs and MS Learning Support Specialist is a crucial member of the learning support team, providing an invaluable perspective as to how students can be best supported and encouraged, and how the school can ensure that students feel valued and empowered in academic spaces throughout their time at Annie Wright Schools. The USs and MS Learning Support Specialist also works closely with Upper and Middle School faculty to ensure that their classes offer rich and differentiated instruction employing best practices of pedagogy.

The USs and MS Learning Support Specialist upholds the principles of empathy, understanding, and inclusivity that are core to the school, and recognizing there are many ways to be and embody what it means to be an Annie Wright student, works to support students in becoming the strongest, most independent learners they can be. Grounded in the belief that students are capable of the high-level work that is part of a rigorous curriculum, the USs and MS Learning Support Specialist serves an essential role in developing the well-educated, creative, and responsible citizens Annie Wright Schools aspire to cultivate.

Position overview: duties & responsibilities

The USs and MS Learning Support Specialist reports to the Upper Schools and Middle School Division Directors and focuses on the following broad areas:

• Student and family support:
• Provides direct support to individual students requiring accommodations, scaffolding and extension by pushing into classrooms or pulling students out for individual or small group support;
• Coaches and supports faculty to develop strategies to implement accommodations and support students;
• Maintains frequent communication with faculty and with families about students’ needs and progress and provides parent support as needed;
• Develops strong, trusting relationships with each student and their family, as well as with each member of the faculty.
• Programmatic support:
• Works as part of the MS and US Learning Support Team to identify, strategize on, and support student needs;
• Provides training on best practices in differentiation and learning support to faculty;
• Participates actively in after school and extra-curricular programming along with other members of the faculty to understand students outside as well as inside the classroom.
• Administrative duties:
• Writes Individual Accommodation Plans (504, IEP) after carefully reviewing all documentation and reports, and maintains support plan files for students with documented/ demonstrated learning differences;
• Administers assessments for students as required to monitor the development of skills, track student progress, and plan effective instruction;
• Works with the College Counselor and standardized testing agencies to ensure accommodations for SAT and ACT when those are appropriate and documented;
• Works closely with other learning support faculty in the US and MS to develop and ensure clear schoolwide practices and beliefs regarding learning support;

Salary & benefits

This position offers a salary range between $60,000 and $85,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Benefits available to the hired candidate include the following, subject to the terms of the applicable benefit plan:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Life insurance
• Accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Paid sick leave (known as Wellness Days): Each regular full-time employee earns 80 hours of Wellness leave per accrual year
• Twelve (17) paid Holidays in 2024
• Fifty percent (50%) Tuition remission in accordance with school policy. All fees and incidental expenses are the sole responsibility of the employee-parent
• All children of benefited employees of AWS, who are currently enrolled at AWS, are eligible for extended day services at no charge when school is in session. Charges apply for faculty in-service days or similar days  
• A 403(b) retirement plan with a 6% company match with a 3 % employee contribution

Application process

Annie Wright Schools remain firmly committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity. Annie Wright shall hire, promote, transfer, terminate, and make all other employment related decisions without regard to an employee’s race, color, creed, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, political ideology, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or any other basis prohibited by law. Annie Wright Schools are actively seeking to create a more culturally diverse school community and accordingly, applicants of color and underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

To apply, email a cover letter, resume, email, and telephone contact information for 3-5 professional references, and this completed and signed application, all in PDF format, to Mrs. Erin Gann, Executive Assistant to the Head of Schools, at erin_gann@aw.org. In accordance with Annie Wright Schools’ strategic focus on issues related to social justice, candidates should anticipate being asked to address how their past work, as well as future contributions, might serve to advance Annie Wright’s commitment to a more diverse and inclusive community. Applications for this position will be accepted until filled.

Qualifications

The USs and MS Learning Support Specialist will demonstrate key elements of the listed expertise and experiences. This is an aspirational list and Annie Wright Schools encourages candidates to apply who may not currently possess, but are working on building, all of these qualities. The USs and MS Learning Support Specialist:

• Holds a BA in Education or a related field;
• Has experience working with Middle (6-8) and/or Upper School (9-12) students as a classroom teacher or learning specialist;
• Demonstrates familiarity with current research and best practices in learning, differentiation and teaching;
• Shows flexibility in using technology as a learning support tool;
• Has an understanding of, and enthusiasm to work with and care for, adolescents;
• Has the desire and enthusiasm to collaborate as a part of a team;
• Practices cultural humility in personal interactions;
• And, is eligible to work in the United States. Note: Under our current employment policies, we are unable to sponsor work visas and do not offer positions to candidates who are not yet eligible to work in the United States.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to sit and stand for extended periods of time;
• Must be able to move comfortably around a classroom, accessing materials and assisting students as needed;
• Must be able to lift 25 pounds;
• Must be able to communicate and exchange information with students, other teachers, and families. 

About Annie Wright Schools

Tradition meets innovation at Annie Wright Schools, where we honor our rich history and traditions, embrace the present, and continue always to move forward. Founded in 1884, Annie Wright Schools serve students from age three through high school. The Lower and Middle Schools offer co-ed programs in Preschool through Grade 8, while separate Upper Schools for boys and girls offer day and boarding options in Grades 9 through 12, welcoming students from Tacoma and around the world. We are proud to be an International Baccalaureate World School, delivering IB programs in every division.

Connections working at Annie Wright Schools