Student Support Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Who We Are

New Paradigm For Education (NPFE) is a non-profit Charter Management Organization (CMO) composed of educational practitioners, community advocates, and business leaders who have dedicated years of service to children. NPFE serves 2,100 students in Detroit, Michigan. We specialize in maximizing student learning potential through proven education practices and managing all phases of school design, planning, and program implementation.

Why New Paradigm for Education

NPFE is on a mission to ensure that all students in Detroit achieve at the highest levels, supporting educational transformation through increased student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and community support. NPFE’s Mission is to provide a quality education through shared responsibility in a safe supportive environment for all students to meet the needs of a global society. We are committed to excellence and strive to offer a new educational paradigm evident by increased student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and community support.

New Paradigm for Education seeks educators who have a relentless belief that all students, regardless of their race and economic or social circumstances, can perform at high levels, deserve a quality education, have access to high quality instruction and curriculum, and can attain post secondary success. Educators who are driven bv academic achievement, continuous growth, and excel working in a rigorous and supportive environment. We seek culturally responsive educators who have experience working with diverse communities and strong relationship-building skills that they apply to understand their students, families, and communities.

What You’ll Do

New Paradigm For Education (NPFE) seeks a Student Support Specialist (SSS) to engage all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to support students’ academic achievement, personal and social development, and to organize and administer school wide programs for parents, families, and volunteers. Working cooperatively with the principal, staff, students and parents - and deeply grounded in data - the Student Support Specialist will identify, secure, and coordinate resources to assure a positive school climate, the success of every child, the inclusion of parents through partnership, and the integration of services to children.

This position is a year round schedule.

Job Requirements

• Must possess a Bachelor’s degree, Masters Degree (in School Administration and/or Social Work) preferred

• State of Michigan School Administrator Certification preferred

• Prior classroom/school experience preferred

Duties & Responsibilities

Like any leader in a school building, the role of the Student Support Specialist requires a masterful combination of organization (critical to ensuring progress is made in multiple goal alreas) and flexibility (necessary to meeting the daily, often unexpected opportunities and challenges that school buildings inevitably face). In that spirit, the responsibilities of the Student Support Specialist include but are not limited to:

• Design and implement schoolwide plans for creating a positive school climate, and helping students develop a positive self-concept.

• Provide direct services to students and teachers based on the referral process and the background, experience and strengths of the SSS.

• Organize, lead and ensure follow through for schoolwide Solutions Teams to strengthen the learning environment for all students. Solutions Teams create and strengthen plans to support attendance, interventions, parent and family involvement, community connections, and cooperative culture.

• Support & Lead under the Direction of the Principal the Solutions process and implementation of various student interventions, including PBIS and RTI.

• Coordinate and facilitate a restorative practices approach to student discipline throughout the building.

• Maintain up-to-date records such as referral data, documentation of student support services and interventions, attendance trends, parental engagement logs, etc.

• Coordinate schoolwide, academy, grade level and individual meetings around attendance, achievement and discipline data to proactively address opportunities and challenges

• Design and implement attendance intervention steps, including but not limited to holding attendance conferences and making home visits, contacting students and parents to discuss attendance irregularities, and developing and following through on plans to strengthen attendance for students that are chronically absent and/or tardy.

• Seek out and build community partnerships to provide support, training, and services to staff, students, and families.

• Design and implement proactive parent engagement plans, including both 1-1 plans and schoolwide events, and respond to parent requests and challenges as needed.

• Design and oversee opportunities for involving parents, guardians, and volunteers in the life of school.

• Conduct home visits based on the data and at the request of building leadership

• Support leadership and staff as needed

• Other ancillary duties as needed or assigned