Summer Academy Reading Specialist; Grades 1-9

Overview

Horizons Greater Washington seeks dedicated candidates with classroom experience and the dynamic talent to implement innovative and effective strategies for the role of Reading Specialist in our five‑week Summer Academy program.

In the application, candidates will be asked to share their preference for the following locations:

• 3000 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
• St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, 4700 Whitehaven Parkway NW, Washington, DC 20007
• Norwood School, 8821 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817

The typical daily schedule will be Monday through Friday, 8 am to 3:15 pm. For staff members who are riding the bus for bus duty, your schedule will adjust accordingly, based on bus schedules.

• Staff Orientation: 06/23/2026‑06/26/2026
• Summer Program: 06/29/2026‑07/31/2026
• Note:
  
  There will be no program on Friday, July 3rd, in observance of Independence Day on July 4th.

Horizons Greater Washington (HGW), an affiliate of Horizons National, is a dedicated leader in advancing educational opportunities by creating long‑term partnerships with students, families, communities, and schools to create enriching out‑of‑school experiences that ignite the joy of learning for our students.

HGW supports over 400 students across grades 1–9 with robust year‑round programming. Our approach is centered on whole‑child development, specifically focusing on building problem‑solving skills, fostering a strong sense of community responsibility, and instilling respect for self and others. By maintaining this multi‑year commitment from the first to the ninth grade, HGW cultivates meaningful, long‑term connections between diverse learners and dedicated, supportive staff.

Our program design and staff practices utilize a Positive Youth Development framework, prioritizing engagement, interaction, support, and a safe environment to effectively meet the needs of our youth.

The cornerstone of our work is the five‑week Summer Academy, which expertly blends high‑quality academics—with a specific focus on math, humanities, literacy, and STEAM—with comprehensive social‑emotional learning, arts instruction, swimming, and confidence‑building opportunities.

HGW seeks dedicated candidates with classroom experience and the dynamic talent to implement innovative and effective strategies for the role of Reading Specialist. In addition to providing direct reading instruction to small groups of students in grades 1‑9, Reading Specialists will develop various strategies to enhance learning opportunities for students and teaching staff across grades and subjects within the program. Reading Specialists collaborate with teaching staff in a mentor role, conducting research, development, and testing of new curricula and teaching methods.

Reading Specialists are supported by a Site Director and the HGW administrative team and must work as team players with teachers across disciplines and Program Support Staff to help fulfill the Horizons mission. Successful applicants will be flexible and creative in response to students’ interests and needs, passionate about Horizons’ mission and building transformative relationships with young people, and self‑driven, demonstrating a commitment to quality and growth.

• Student Support & Assessment: Provide individual or small group resource remediation and/or enrichment for students in reading, writing, and math (grades 1‑9); coordinate and administer pre‑ and post‑program assessment of student progress using the STAR Reading Suite.
• Program & Team Coordination: Meet with fellow HGW Reading Specialists before the start of the program to coordinate efforts, resources, and mutual support; meet with the Site Director as needed throughout program duration to accomplish goals and/or problem‑solve as issues occur; attend a four‑day orientation session prior to the start of the program; attend Family Night, faculty meetings, and other activities, including those that may fall outside the program hours.
• Teacher & Staff Support: Conduct classroom observations to identify faculty needs for additional support around…