26-27 School Year: Special Education Teachers (4th, 5th or 6th Grade)

About DeKalb Brilliance Academy: Designed with input from nearly 1,000 South DeKalb community members, DeKalb Brilliance Academy is a tuition-free, public K–8 charter school committed to building a fundamentally different kind of education. We currently serve grades K–6 and will add one grade per year (learn more about our founding journey here).

Our vision is that each child will know and leverage their unique brilliance to critically analyze the world around them and to design a better and more equitable future. We pursue this vision through our Real-world Project-based Learning, where students learn not only from their teachers and peers, but also directly from scientists, lawyers, engineers, and designers. Our model is ambitious by design—and built to challenge the status quo in service of our students and community.

DeKalb Brilliance Academy: where the strength of our community nurtures the brilliance of our children.

About the role: Our Special Education Teachers report to the the Assistant Principal for Scholar Support. Special Education teacher provide special education students with learning activities and experiences designed to help them fulfill their potential for intellectual, emotional, physical, and social growth. Develop or modify curricula and prepare lessons and other instructional materials to ensure success on IEP goals. Work in self-contained, team, departmental, inter-related, or itinerant capacity as assigned.

This role requires strong instructional skill, commitment to growth, and a willingness to build and iterate alongside colleagues in pursuit of excellence for every student.

Responsibilities & duties (including but not limited to):

Instructional Leadership

• Facilitate rigorous, culturally responsive instruction across core academic subjects, social-emotional learning, and real-world Project-Based Learning.
• Maintain an asset-based, growth-oriented mindset toward oneself and every member of the school community, using reflection and perseverance to drive student progress.
• Collaborate with peers to plan units, analyze assessments and student work, and continuously improve instruction and curriculum.

Community Collaboration

• Partner with students and families to create Learning Partnership Plans with ambitious goals in academics, social-emotional development, and community impact.
• Communicate with each family at least once per month about student progress (via phone, email, and/or Dojo).
• Enact school-wide efforts to ensure identity-affirming, supportive school culture for faculty and students.
• Implement school-wide restorative approaches to build community, celebrate when our students and faculty excel, and respond/repair when our community values are not upheld.
• Participate actively in professional learning, coaching, and school-wide initiatives.

Other Duties

• Fulfill additional responsibilities aligned with the needs of a growing founding school, as assigned.

What Teaching Looks Like at DeKalb Brilliance (and How You’re Supported)

Teaching at DeKalb Brilliance is demanding and deeply purposeful. As a founding school, teachers are asked to do meaningful, high-impact work that challenges the status quo—with real support built into the structure of the day.

Teachers at DeKalb Brilliance:

• Teach a standards-aligned core curriculum that integrates real-world, career-connected projects (you will not be starting from scratch).
• Plan collaboratively with peers during daily planning period and weekly early-release time dedicated to collaboration, student work analysis, and professional learning.
• Use student data regularly - with support from a dedicated coach with a strong track record of student success - to refine instruction and close gaps.
• Build strong classroom cultures grounded in identity affirmation, restorative practices, and high expectations.
• Receive the materials needed to be successful, including curriculum for every subject (for Lead Teachers to adapt and improve), classroom supplies, and teacher/student laptops.

While the work is harder than the status quo, teachers are not asked to build in isolation. We believe challenge should be purposeful, supported, and shared - and we invest accordingly.

Requirements

Experiences

• Valid Georgia teaching certification required. In rare cases where candidates are hired without certification, willingness/eligibility to pursue a teaching certification is required.
• Minimum two years previous teaching experience is strongly preferred (preference given if in K-3 and/or inclusive of culturally-relevant project-based learning).
• All candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree. Higher salaries are awarded to those with Masters degrees.
• Has demonstrated impact on the growth of students.
• All candidates are required to be able to meet the physical demands of the role (including standing and walking for extended periods of time and lifting heavy objects up to 40lbs)

Who Thrives at DeKalb Brilliance

DeKalb Brilliance Academy is a great fit for individuals who are:

• Purpose-driven: have deep reverence for the brilliance of our children and unwavering commitment to empowering our children to have impactful legacies in our communities
• Community-minded: has ability work collaboratively with peers and manage up to improve the work of everyone around them
• Emotionally intelligent: knows how to care for themselves, collaborate with others, use tools to regulate their emotions under stress, and approach difficult situations with others with empathy and compassion
• Equity-minded: understand how specific behaviors, laws, and institutions limit the rights and freedoms of people and work with our community to take collective action to make our world fairer for everyone.
• Strong project and time managers: has ability to adapt and persevere to deliver consistent and timely results to reach our goals
• Have a founder’s mindset: is a creative problem solver, enjoys building from the ground up

This role is not for educators seeking comfort or predictability—it is for those who want to build something new, more just, and more powerful than what currently exists.

Benefits

We believe demanding work requires meaningful support. DeKalb Brilliance invests in its teachers through competitive compensation, planning time, and high-quality coaching.

• Competitive salary schedule (please make sure you are on the correct tab)
• Compensation is based on 195-day calendar, 180 instructional days (5 asynchronous), 19 professional development days, 11 paid holidays.
• Competitively-priced medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, and life insurance.
• Contributions to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) in accordance with Georgia state law, as well as an additional, optional 403(b) retirement account.

Statement of Non-Discrimination:

DeKalb Brilliance Academy is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying for employment. DeKalb Brilliance Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.