About CSS
Center for Supportive Schools (CSS) is a fast-paced, collegial, and team-oriented organization wholly committed to helping schools become places where students want to be. CSS is driven by the vision that one day, all students will thrive in schools that graduate them prepared for the rigors of college and lives filled with meaningful work, active citizenship, and personal fulfillment.
Our work directly addresses student disengagement, a root cause of diminished academic performance, students dropping out of school, and other high-risk student behaviors. Founded in 1979, we are a national organization currently impacting 65,000 students annually and committed to supporting every K-12 school in the country.
We know that we can only be truly mission-oriented by first building a safe, supportive, engaging, and inspiring internal culture. Thus, we focus on creating the conditions for staff to bring the full weight of their brilliance, skills, and past experiences, and to thrive personally. We work to ensure that all staff feel accepted, valued, affirmed, connected, safe to grow, and encouraged to advocate for progress.
For more information, please visit www.supportiveschools.org.
About Community Schools
Community Schools offer a holistic approach toward improving academic performance driven by strong, collaborative partnerships among principals, parents, teachers, and many other organizations. In Community Schools, parents are active partners in their children’s education. Each student is connected to a mentor, club, academic services and/or social services. The school climate is joyful and positive. Extended school days or weekend classes are commonplace. An integral part of this approach is the blending of school- and community-based services into the school day, including health, mental health, counseling, and academic enrichment.
Community Schools across New York City (NYC) and Jersey City (JC) are instrumental in helping schools catch up or leap ahead, and in putting all of our students on the path to four-year colleges and long-term careers. Our delivery of the Community Schools strategy enables CSS to help students achieve success through:
- Meaningful family involvement in decision making around student needs
- Meaningful interactions with community-based services and programs
- Maximization of academic programming, college and career preparation, and extended weekend and afterschool programming
- Robust data monitoring and attendance taking practices
The Role
As the full-time Social Emotional Academic Specialist – Jersey City, NJ, responsibilities include the day-to-day management of the community school’s student and family engagement strategy – cultivating and preserving relationships with school administration, faculty, staff, and students. Together, their mission is to build student leadership and a positive community that engages both students and families. Additional responsibilities include creating, strengthening, and maintaining the bridge between the school and the community in the efforts of promoting student success; and facilitating and providing leadership for the collaborative process and development of a continuum of services for student success in academics, attendance, and development.
Initially, this position will support the establishment and implementation of a community school strategy under the direction of the Community Schools Director. Over time, you may support any or all of CSS’s leadership solutions that may be implemented at the school. You will ensure that the student engagement and development strategy is implemented at exceptional levels of quality with full support, buy-in, and regular communication with stakeholders across the school community.
Key Job Responsibilities
- Build and maintain relationships with administration, faculty, staff, students, families, and community partners in the school community to promote student success
- Conduct a needs and strengths assessment process, including: reviewing school and student-level data; conducting focus groups with families, students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners; and reviewing and/or conducting school climate and culture survey
- Meet with identified students during assigned times of the school day to support students’ attendance and academic performance
- Develop and implement ongoing mechanisms to illicit input from teachers, school staff, Community School Team members, families, and students to determine ongoing needs to promote students’ success
- Coordinate, plan, and facilitate on-site technical assistance meetings with faculty and staff to plan for specific program implementations, problem-solve implementation obstacles, and ensure program sustainability
- Assist in the implementation and maintenance of processes that encourage referrals to programs and services offered at the school; provides timely feedback to those who make referrals; and alert the Attendance/Student Success Teams to the need for programs not already offered
- Identify needs of chronically absent students, assist in the application of interventions, and track and monitor impact of interventions on weekly basis, as part of weekly Attendance/Student Success meetings
- Collect and monitor program implementation data and student data for each partnership and initiative implemented, and assist in the development of a “dashboard” view that allows easy data analysis and interaction by school stakeholders
- Other responsibilities, as needed
Qualifications and Experience
Education: Bachelor’s degree OR a High School Diploma plus at least 5 years of experience in schools
Professional Experiences and Personal Qualities/Skills: The candidate has demonstrated extensive knowledge of and experience working in public schools; exceptional abilities to problem solve, plan, and prioritize; and a “roll-up-your-sleeves” entrepreneurial, startup attitude. They likely have extensive knowledge of and experience working in education reform and student support services; proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment managing multiple projects; and demonstrated high level interpersonal skills, including the ability to build relationships internally and externally and to manage effective teams.
In addition, the candidate likely has the following experiences and demonstrated attributes:
- Multi-lingual skills preferred but not required; specific interest in Spanish
- Excellent listening, writing, and speaking skills
- Highly effective time-management, goal-setting, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
- Ability to gather, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information from various sources
- Strong public speaking and group facilitation skills
- Knowledgeable in issues related to K-12 schools and adult education
- Knowledgeable in student support services
- Ability to obtain and utilize student and school data to drive decisions
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively
- Ability to use discretion and judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information
- Knowledge of and an enthusiastic commitment to the organization’s mission, solutions, and offerings
- Ability to work effectively with school-aged youth, educators, families, and communities from a wide range of cultural, social, and economic backgrounds
- Experience working in school-based settings, with knowledge about tenets of community organizing, student support services, and youth development theories
- Ability to work collaboratively, with strong relationship-building skills
- DOE fingerprinting and background clearances required
- Program implementation experience preferred
- Knowledgeable in technology
- Remarkable references
Location
The Social Emotional Academic Specialist will be based at a partner school in Jersey City, NJ. Occasional travel to CSS’s core regions and elsewhere is expected.
Compensation and Benefits
The anticipated starting date for this position is Winter 2025-26. The salary range for this position is $49,000-$61,200. CSS offers the following benefits:
- Comprehensive and competitive benefits plan, including health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, health reimbursement accounts, commuter and transit accounts for employees who meet the eligibility requirements
- 403(b) plan with employer match
- Generous paid time off
- Paid holidays and winter break
- Flexible work option based on job role eligibility
- Employee Assistance Program
- Reduced schedule on Fridays during summer months
- Phone stipend
To Apply
Interested applicants are requested to apply immediately by emailing a cover letter and CV/résumé to [email protected]. Please include (1) the title of the position in the subject line of your email and (2) where you found the position posting in your cover letter. If possible, please email all documents in PDF format.
Center for Supportive Schools is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $49,000.00 - $61,200.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
