Posting # 1215

Posting date: June 24, 2024

Interviews begin: Week of July 8, 2024

Posting closes: Open until filled

Location: Shared between Rock Valley & Sheldon Community School Districts

Region: North

Overview

Northwest AEA provides visionary leadership and quality, student-centered services through relationships with families, schools, and communities. In short, our focus can be summed up in these four words: Inspiring Learning. Changing Lives. 

Our vision is to be the first contact for timely and ongoing support to improve the performance outcomes and well-being of all learners.

About the Agency

Northwest AEA provides special education and school improvement services to 34 public school districts and 32 accredited, non-public schools. The agency serves 45,000 students and more than 5000 educators in a 10-county area of Northwest Iowa (Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, O'Brien, Plymouth, Cherokee, Woodbury, Ida, Monona, and Crawford). 

Our headquarters is located at 5800 Discovery Blvd., Sioux City, with regional offices in Cherokee, Denison, Le Mars, Onawa, and Sioux Center.

Why Northwest AEA?

Our vision, mission, and anchors guide our actions. Staff at Northwest AEA believe that what they do inspires learning and leads to changed lives for the students, staff, and families we serve. Our work is anchored in building positive, professional relationships with stakeholders and with one another. We embrace responsiveness in how we serve so that students, staff, and families can see improved results.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Qualifications:

• Licensure through the Iowa Department of Public Health as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) or a Licensed Masters Social Worker (LMSW) and a Statement of Professional Recognition from the Iowa Department of Education, or 
• Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE) School Social Work Endorsement.

Job Purpose: Enhance the educational programs of learners by assisting with identification and assessment of the learner’s educational needs including social, emotional, and behavioral health needs; providing intervention services including brief individual, group, parent and family counseling; providing consultation and planning; actively participating on crisis teams and in crisis response; and serving as a liaison between families, educators, and community providers.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Regular attendance across multiple sites is required.
• Administer, model, and interpret individual and systemic assessments for behavioral health.
• Delivers evidence-based interventions matched to learner needs.
• Engage in consultation and collaboration with LEA teams and educators, AEA professionals, parents, and community providers.
• Consults with school personnel, family, and professionals in the community regarding social/emotional, cultural, or developmental needs relating to the student’s school adjustment, social and emotional growth, behaviors and relationships. 
• Participates in the coordination of services needed for children, families and communities and facilitates working relationships between educators, parents and community services.
• Perform all duties in accordance with the established policies, procedures, and philosophies of the Northwest AEA and participating LEAs, the rules and regulations of the Iowa State Department of Education including the Iowa Teaching Standards AEA criteria, and Code of Ethics specific to the discipline of social work.
• Maintains and improves professional skills and practices, and assists with the provision of professional development opportunities for AEA and LEA staff and/or families in a variety of areas.
• School social workers collaborate with professionals in other disciplines (e.g. teachers, mental health specialists, DHS personnel, other AEA professionals) to improve student success.
• Provide assistance in identifying learners having academic/ social-emotional/behavioral/developmental difficulties that could lead to school failure.
• Provide direct consultation, coaching, and modeling techniques and teaching strategies to AEA and LEA staff concerning student behaviors, student learning style, adoption of methods and materials.
• Arrange, plan, and deliver appropriate agency approved activities, including professional development, as directed by Administration.
• Implement and/or serve as a liaison for services to learners such as, but not limited to individual/group counseling, crisis intervention, behavior management strategies, home visits, and referrals to community agencies, determined by the individual’s professional judgment.
• Document work in schools through contact logs, intervention plans, goals, progress monitoring graphs, and written reports for individual and system supports.
• Participate in continuing professional development activities to enhance professional knowledge and skills.
• Use research in school practice by (a) reading research literature, (b) distributing and synthesizing research findings, and (c) conducting action research related to applied problems. 

Click here for salary schedule.

It is the policy of Northwest Area Education Agency not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Jerome Schaefer, Equity Coordinator, 5800 Discovery Blvd., Sioux City, Iowa, 51111, 712-222-6114.