Elementary Special Education Manager - YES Prep Southeast Elementary (Immediate Opening)

At YES Prep, work for a mission that impacts the life trajectory of students and their families. YES Prep creates pathways to extraordinary opportunity through best-in-class development, competitive compensation and benefits, and recognition for your impact. Grow as an authentic leader and be part of a high-performing, team-oriented culture.

About the Role

YES Prep needs a dynamic Special Education Manager with a robust set of experiences to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, and build transformative relationships. You will be a cross-functional leader who coaches and develops a team of Special Education teachers to provide excellent services as outlined in the IEP of each student, while also maintaining a high bar of Special Education compliance to support every child's needs.

Responsibilities

• Student Achievement
  • Set Special Education objectives and key results for the year in alignment with the campus’ strategic priorities, collect relevant data, and design and execute the strategy necessary to achieve campus goals.
  • Monitor and manage progress toward increased student achievement outcomes for students in Special Education on achievement measures including IEP goals, standards-based grades, curriculum, district, and state assessments.
  • Sit on the campus leadership team with the Principal, Director of Campus Operations, and other leaders to develop action plans ensuring all students – including students in Special Education – engage in rigorous, aligned, active, and accessible learning in every classroom, every day.
  • Work with the Principal and campus instructional leaders to set and maintain a vision for co-teaching and rigorous instruction in specialized programs.
  • Build and apply knowledge of curriculum design & implementation for students with disabilities, including general education curriculum, alternate instruction, and other special programs.
  • Support teachers in setting and monitoring goals for students in Special Education, including IEP goals and objectives in addition to course and classroom growth goals.
  • Co-observe and coach with other members of the Instructional Leadership team to support differentiation and growth for all students in both General and Special Education classrooms.
  • Collaborate with other instructional leaders to share best practices in differentiation and problem-solving instructional challenges for students with learning needs, including students in Special Education.
  • Work with General Education staff to identify areas of need for students in Special Education and appropriate specially designed instruction, including the use of accommodated materials.
  • Design and deliver professional learning opportunities for campus staff on topics relevant to Special Education, including differentiation, specially designed instruction, behavior management, and inclusive practices, at in-service and other campus professional development days.
  • When needed, plan and deliver engaging, rigorous instruction aligned to YES Prep curriculum and tailored to meet student needs.
  • Create, execute, and coach others to implement Behavior Intervention Plans and Student Safety Plans for students with behavior needs.
• Team Leadership
  • Ensure that students receive outstanding instruction in all settings by managing, evaluating, and developing at least two Special Education teachers, Special Education Teaching Assistants, and a Compliance Specialist in alignment with YES Prep coaching & evaluation expectations.
  • Plan for and execute regular Special Education team meetings to support the development of Special Educators on campus.
  • Provide individual and group coaching to Special Education Teachers on instructional strategies, curriculum internalization & execution, assessment practices, TEKS alignment, and data-driven decision-making.
  • Model effective teaching practices and provide both real-time feedback and standalone coaching on Special Education teacher performance.
  • Support teachers in developing and executing effective lesson plans and instructional materials aligned with state and district standards and individual student needs, including alternate curriculum for students with significant disabilities.
  • Assist teachers in developing and executing functional life skills and social-emotional curricula for students with significant support needs.
• Compliance
  • Develop and manage Special Education Teachers to meet compliance requirements, including development of critical sections of the IEP, IEP progress reports, and service logs.
  • Collect and review paperwork for incoming students to identify students with disabilities.
  • Demonstrate and apply knowledge of IEP content, compliance timelines, and Special Education law to maintain accurate & timely completion of Special Education compliance tasks.
  • Ensure the campus complies with all Special Education paperwork with the support of the Compliance Specialist, including maintaining accurate state audit folders.
  • Work with all members of the campus team to identify any students suspected of having a disability & refer them for a Special Education evaluation, and follow up on any campus deliverables related to the referral.
  • Meet regularly with campus administrators to discuss required paperwork from staff, upcoming due dates, participation in upcoming ARD meetings, alignment on student recommendations, and growth areas for additional development in compliance-related topics.
  • Monitor service logs to ensure that students in Special Education receive all required instructional services.
  • Build strong collaborative relationships with families of students in Special Education, including sharing timely updates on students’ progress, seeking and implementing family feedback, and responding effectively to concerns.
  • Seek and participate in continuing development on federal and state regulations related to Special Education.
  • Monitor the fidelity of accommodations through the collection of work samples.
• Cross-Functional Project Management
  • Provide guidance on Tier 1 classroom management and behavior strategies.
  • Supervise the implementation of classroom, district, and state assessments for students in Special Education.
  • Work with the Director of Campus Operations to cohort students, creating and regularly updating a Special Education inclusion schedule to ensure that all IEP-required service minutes are met.
  • Cover vacancies & leaves of absence on the Special Education team, including the Compliance Specialist.
  • Create and execute attendance supports for students in Special Education.
  • Manage the attendance and participation of students in Special Education in tutorials and summer programs.
  • Manage the ChildFind process for initial evaluations and maintain compliance with all re-evaluations with support from the Compliance Specialist.
  • Verify and submit rosters for TIA eligibility for Special Education Teachers.
  • Verify testing accommodations for system benchmark exams, STAAR tests, etc.
  • Additional duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally accredited institution.
• At least 3 years of teaching experience in Special Education.
• Hold a standard Texas teaching certification in Special Education.
• Hold a Texas Bilingual certification within the first school year of employment.
• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools.
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback.
• Demonstrated ability to work on a team.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once.
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 4 or more years of teaching experience in Special Education.
• Fluent in Spanish.

Core Beliefs

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools.
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education.
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos.
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results.
• Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth.

Benefits

• Compensation: This position is an exempt, salaried position; starting at $70,500 annually.
• Health and Supplemental Insurance: A $0 monthly medical option and a plan that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.
• Retirement Plans: Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457b Retirement Plan.
• Paid Time Off: Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 12 days of Paid Time Off when working the full duty schedule in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar. PTO days will be pro-rated based on start dates within the assigned duty schedule.
• Paid Leave Programming: In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.
• Professional Development: YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.
• Award-Winning Culture: The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place To Work in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2025. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.

YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.