Middle School Special Education Teacher/Case Manager (Grade 5-8) - 2026/27 School Year

Join the Young Scholars Charter School team and help us Imagine New Possibilities in education. We have reimagined our schedule to be more sustainable for teachers and better for students.

What makes YSCS a great place to work?

ALL teachers have a roster of 85 - 100 students and an average class size of 28 students. Why? We want you to build stronger and more meaningful relationships with your students.

ALL teachers are responsible for one grade and one content. Why? We want you to be experts in the classes you teach.

ALL teachers have between 125 - 165 minutes of prep time daily and common planning time with content teams. Why? We know that collaboration for teachers is important and prep periods during the day make the job more sustainable.

ALL staff members have the opportunity to influence the overall direction of the school. Why? We know that to have a wonderful work environment, you are critical in the decision-making process at the school. This year’s reimagined and more sustainable calendar and schedule were developed by teachers for teachers!

Who are we?

Young Scholars Charter School (YSCS) is a free, lottery-based, open-enrollment charter school serving students from across Philadelphia in grades 5-8. The mission of Young Scholars is to provide a personalized middle school education that challenges, engages and prepares all students to passionately pursue their dreams and lead a life of active citizenship. We aim to inspire and equip every student to lead a life of achievement, service and success. Our structured and nurturing community, comprehensive programming and rigorous academic curriculum are designed to build self-motivated citizens, eager learners and strong leaders – regardless of circumstance. Our graduates are driven young people who are prepared for the future demands of high school, college, career and, eventually, the world.

We seek to provide project-based learning and high-quality instruction to help students grow as learners and citizens. We believe in rigorous and culturally relevant curriculum where all students are given an opportunity to reach high academic success. Our teachers engage in extensive planning, strong instructional execution, and common skill-based assessments. Our curriculum engages students in building their academic proficiency and social-emotional skills to be successful.

Who are we looking for?

We are currently looking for a passionate hardworking Middle School Special Education Teacher/Case Manager to join the YSCS team. The teacher in this role will work with either 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th grade students. The Special Education Teacher in this role will provide instruction to classified students in accordance with each student's IEP and maintain a caseload of 12 – 15 students. The case manager will work closely with the leadership team to receive input for evaluations, IEPs, progress reports, and meetings as well as coordinate related services for students based on their individual needs.

YSCS is a unique and innovative educational environment with a dual homeroom partner structure, regular coaching by an instructional leader, and extensive elective and sports offerings. All staff members are considered a critical player in decision making processes and have the opportunity to influence the overall direction of the school.

Responsibilities

Plan and provide excellent grade-level and culturally responsive instruction;

Develop detailed lesson plans, materials, homework assignments, and assessments based on state standards and school-wide goals for student achievement;

Provide differentiated learning opportunities to support each student’s academic growth;

Set and reinforce clear expectations for student engagement;

Continuously improve based on feedback and coaching from school leaders;

Collaborate with other teachers to increase student engagement and achievement;

Reward positive student engagement and invest students through the use of school wide systems and meaningful relationship building strategies;

Engage with family members regularly and participate in school-wide family engagement activities including phone calls to family members and school-based meetings with families;

Provide additional academic support to students after school for at least one hour per week;

Punctual to work;

Submits lesson plan on time;

Develop and maintain initial and annual IEPs;

Oversee and monitor ongoing progress monitoring activities to ensure meaningful educational progress is maintained.

Qualifications and Skills

A belief that ALL students should be held to high academic standards;

Resilience and professionalism;

Ability to build strong relationships and work with different stakeholders;

Exceptionally strong strategic thinking;

Excellent communication both verbal and written;

Commitment to school transformation and continuous improvement;

Open to feedback and coaching;

Strong sense of personal accountability for student achievement;

Collaborative approach to problem solving.

Educational Background and Work Experience

Experience driving student achievement results;

Bachelor’s degree in Special Education or a related field;

Must hold or be actively working to obtain PA SPED teacher certification within the first year of employment, and completed by the second year.

The Rewards

Competitive salary and benefits package;

3-4 prep periods a day;

Professional collaboration with grade and content teams;

Weekly coaching and ongoing professional development;

1:1 Chromebooks in every classroom;

Google Education platform for online assignment management;

The opportunity to maximize your impact in schools where we are raising the bar for student achievement.