Lead Special Educator - ASALA (After School Arts for Learning)

2025-2026 AFTER SCHOOL ARTS FOR LEARNING ACADEMY (ASALA) LEAD SPECIAL EDUCATOR

About Arts for Learning Maryland

Arts for Learning Maryland (formerly Young Audiences of Maryland) is devoted to enriching the lives and education of Maryland's youth through educational and culturally diverse arts programs. Through Arts for Learning, professional teaching artists from all disciplines partner with educators, schools, and school districts to provide on average over 560,000 hours of learning in, through, and about the arts to more than 155,000 Maryland students annually.

Arts for Learning is a mission-driven organization that values community, innovation, and passion. The staff, board, and teaching artists have a shared commitment to advance equity in the field of education by working tirelessly to generate opportunities for students to imagine, create, and realize their full potential through the arts

About the After School Arts for Learning Academy (ASALA)

The After School Arts for Learning Academy (ASALA), operated by Arts for Learning Maryland (A4L) in partnership with Baltimore City Schools, gives students the opportunity to imagine, create, and express themselves through the arts.

This exciting program runs four days a week, three hours per day , and introduces students to a wide range of art forms—from illustration and spoken word to percussion, drama, and dance—while also strengthening literacy and math skills through co-planned, arts-integrated lessons. Each site serves up to 156 students, working in groups of 26 with a certified teacher and professional teaching artist.

Mission, Core Values, and Anti-Racist Practices :

ASALA's mission is to provide students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn with outstanding teachers and teaching artists in a dynamic, creative, supportive, and student centered environment.

We are committed to :

• Believing in the potential of all students to achieve through the arts.
• Honoring students' voices and creative processes.
• Creating safe, inclusive, and brave learning spaces.
• Cultivating strong relationships with students, families, and staff through a culture of learning, collaboration, and reflection.
• Encouraging critical thinking, problem solving, inquiry, imagination, and creativity through multiple pathways of teaching and learning.
• Knowing, honoring, and leveraging the cultural knowledge and lived experiences of students and communities.
• Ensuring every student is known, loved, supported, celebrated, and valued.
• Creating inclusive environments where all students' unique talents are discovered and cultivated, and where their identities are reflected all around them and matter through acknowledgement and affirmation
• Confronting biases and taking small, but consistent steps to eliminate systemic racism in education.
• Cultivating spaces where Black joy thrives.
• Engaging with families as true partners in the work.

Position Overview

The ASALA Lead Special Educator is a part-time, non-exempt position reporting to the IEP Chair and Site Director. Lead Special Educators provide push-in and pull-out support for students with IEPs, ensure IEP goals are met, and support all students with special needs. They also coach and provide strategies to teachers, teaching artists, and paraeducators, while managing the paraeducator team at their site.

Key Responsibilities

Qualifications

Required Dates & Hours

Up to 10 hours of asynchronous training before PD week.

Time Off

This is a grant-funded, temporary, part-time role and is not eligible for PTO. However, employees accrue Sick and Safe Leave at 1 hour per 30 hours worked, beginning on day one. Leave may be used for illness, preventive care, family care, parental leave, or issues related to domestic violence / assault. Leave cannot be used for vacations, tardiness, or remote work.

Compensation

This is a part-time, non-exempt, temporary position .

To Apply

For consideration, please apply on our website, https : / / artsforlearningmd.org / . Please do not send applications that include headshots or photos of yourself. No phone calls or recruiters, please. All employees will be subject to a federal and state background check in accordance with state and federal law.

Arts for Learning Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to cultivating a diverse workforce and equitable workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, veteran status, and disability. All qualified applications will be given equal opportunity.

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