Job Title: Lower School Reading Specialist
Role Type: Ten Month, Full-Time, Salaried
Department: Lower School
Reports to: Assistant Head of School/Head of Lower School
Start Date: August 17, 2026
Friends Community School (FCS), founded in 1986, is a progressive, co-ed Quaker K-8 day school serving a diverse student body from the greater Washington, D.C. area. FCS’s LEED-certified building is situated on 17 acres surrounded by Greenbelt National Park, nine minutes from the University of Maryland, College Park, and thirty minutes from Washington, D.C.
Educators at FCS nurture lifelong learners, courageous risk takers, and joyous peacemakers through the expression of our commitments to Quakerism, Progressive Education, equity, and inclusion. Our progressive pedagogical approach emphasizes depth over breadth, creativity and innovation over memorization, and hands-on collaborative projects over rote schoolwork. Our curriculum engages students in the exploration of values rooted in our Quaker Heritage – simplicity, peaceful conflict resolution, integrity, community, equality/equity, and stewardship – from a range of perspectives.
Job Summary
The Reading Specialist focuses on improving students' literacy skills, particularly those who struggle with reading and writing. They work with small groups of students in kindergarten through fourth grade to provide differentiated small group language arts support. They teach one, or more, phonics classes. Additionally, they regularly push into classrooms to provide additional language arts support. They also collaborate with teachers and administration to select and implement literacy curricula and programs as needed. This includes providing professional development to teachers and parent workshops to families.
The Reading Specialist participates actively in the life of the school, including but not limited to: attending faculty meetings, participating in curriculum development, and contributing to the school's commitment to equity and inclusion.
