Reading Specialist $100,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Description
- $100,000 annual salary, paid weekly, including health, dental, and vision coverage starting day one
- Full-time on-site position at one Alpha campus: Phoenix, AZ; Oklahoma City or Tulsa, OK; Fort Worth (Keller), Dallas, Plano, or The Woodlands, TX; or Park City (Salt Lake City), UT (relocation assistance available)
- 40 hours per week, entirely in-classroom with K-2 students
You have invested years in structured literacy mastery. Orton-Gillingham, LETRS, Wilson, IMSE, or a Master's in reading instruction. You can identify a student's miscue and pinpoint precisely which phonemic skill needs reinforcement. You can create a phonics lesson on the spot without a scripted curriculum. That level of expertise is expected. It is not what sets you apart.
What sets you apart is that six-year-olds become energized the moment you enter the room. At Alpha, this position is first and foremost a Guide: a dynamic, engaging presence that children are excited to work with. Your structured-literacy credentials open the door; your capacity to captivate a K-2 classroom during a 20-minute workshop is what secures the position. If "dynamic, engaging presence" does not describe you, this role is not the right fit.
Alpha has reimagined traditional education. Students advance through academic content independently using AI-adaptive applications—no lectures, no textbooks, no district pacing calendars. Your position represents the one area where human expertise cannot be replaced. You create small-group reading workshops informed by live student performance metrics, and you facilitate motivation sessions designed to ensure 100% of your students achieve their weekly app targets using Alpha's motivational framework (school currency, leaderboards, age-appropriate gamification).
Your initial months focus on establishing rapport. Workshops must be engaging, appropriately leveled, and demonstrably effective. Student satisfaction metrics and "love your Guide" feedback surveys (target 90%+) provide direct measurement. Once you establish credibility, your responsibilities expand: interpreting AI-generated performance analytics to refine upcoming instruction, communicating fluency progress and decoding milestones to parents, and contributing to how Alpha's K-2 reading model evolves alongside adaptive technology. As Alpha opens additional campuses, the methods you develop become the blueprint for reading instruction across the network.
Prior to an offer, you will submit a brief video sharing an engaging story for young children, and you will complete a full day on campus teaching K-2 students directly. Low energy with children will disqualify you, regardless of credential strength. This is intentional. Apply today.
What you will be doing
- Creating and facilitating small-group K-2 reading workshops rooted in structured-literacy approaches (Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, LETRS, IMSE, or equivalent), informed by live student performance data
- Facilitating daily motivation sessions designed to ensure 100% of your students reach their weekly adaptive-app targets, applying Alpha's motivational framework (school currency, leaderboards, age-appropriate gamification)
- Conducting and evaluating running records, fluency assessments, and decoding probes to monitor progress and refine instruction for subsequent sessions
- Analyzing AI-generated performance metrics from Alpha's adaptive learning platforms to differentiate instruction dynamically, not solely during preparation
- Serving as the engaging, energetic adult your K-2 students are excited to see each day
What you will NOT be doing
- Implementing a published reading curriculum, scripted lesson plans, or district pacing calendars; you create lessons directly from student performance data
- Delivering whole-class lectures; all instruction occurs in small, targeted groups while students complete academic subjects through adaptive applications
- Serving as a reading consultant, instructional coach for other teachers, or district-level specialist; you work directly with children in the classroom daily
- Managing a traditional classroom schedule—subject-by-subject lectures, homework review, test preparation; your scheduled time consists of workshops, motivation sessions, and data-informed small groups
- Assigning grades for homework or producing report cards; student advancement is tracked through app analytics and your running records
Key responsibilities
Provide structured-literacy instruction that produces measurable acceleration in K-2 reading outcomes across phonics, fluency, and decoding.
Candidate requirements
- Structured-literacy certification (Orton-Gillingham, LETRS, Wilson Reading System, IMSE, CERI, Neuhaus, UFLI, or equivalent) OR a Master's degree in reading instruction
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline, plus 2+ years of full-time K-2 structured reading instruction in a school or clinical environment, utilizing systematic phonics or structured literacy
- Proven capacity to design original reading lessons and clearly explain your instructional content and methods, independent of a published program
- Availability to work in person full-time at one Alpha campus: Phoenix, AZ; Oklahoma City or Tulsa, OK; Fort Worth (Keller), Dallas, Plano, or The Woodlands, TX; or Park City (Salt Lake City), UT (relocation assistance available)
- Willingness to teach all K-2 students (not exclusively struggling readers) and to incorporate AI and adaptive-learning platforms into daily instruction
- Legal authorization to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship
Nice to have
- Direct experience with AI-powered or adaptive reading platforms (e.g., Amira, Lexia, i-Ready, Reading Plus) for instructional planning or student data interpretation
- Documented record of measurable reading gains (fluency improvement in WCPM, accuracy gains, decoding level progression) with specific numbers
- Experience in non-traditional or innovative educational settings (charter, micro-school, Montessori, hybrid)
- Background in performance, youth sports coaching, or otherwise engaging a K-2 audience outside traditional reading instruction
You will be working for
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