Director of Academic Support Services

The director of academic support services leads the organization's charge to ensure that our academic student support services model is exceptional and equitable for every student. It is vital to our mission that all schools meet the needs of all students resulting in excellent results for kids and families. This strategic leader will lead the development and implementation of special education policies and procedures. The director of academic support services, in partnership with network and school leaders, will build upon our student service programs and equip our teams with the tools, skills, and supports to ensure all students, including those with more diverse needs, receive a high-quality education and all necessary supports needed to achieve.

Why extraordinary professionals teach at Ascend

Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving nearly 6,000 K-12 students in 17 schools. We exist to serve every student - to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.

Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.

Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. We are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all of our students. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.

For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools' model, approach, and core values, please visit our website.

Responsibilities

The director of academic support services is responsible for the following responsibilities.

Partners in driving the vision and programming for all Ascend schools to provide the necessary academic, emotional, and physical supports and services for every student to succeed, including :

• Partner in leading the approach and programs that advance inclusivity and equity in all our classrooms and continuously fulfill the needs of all learners;
• Ensure all schools are driving social-emotional learning for every student and building learning environments that every student will thrive in;
• Ensure all schools are providing the necessary academic support and interventions
• Coordinate and facilitate leader professional development in the areas of special education and multilingual language instruction, including :
• identifying, training, and coaching school-based Special Education Teachers, providers of related services (e.g., occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers, counselors, etc.), and multilingual language learner instructors.
• identifying students' needs for Special Education, English language learner instruction, and at-risk student services.
• implementing IEPs and managing the provision of direct services by related service providers approved by the New York City Department of Education.
• training, supporting, and coaching school-based administrators in partnership with principals

Drive student achievement by supporting all Ascend schools to actualize the vision for exceptional special services, including :

Partner with our schools and relevant external agencies to :

Staff and reporting relationships

The director of academic support services will report directly to the managing director of student support services.

Qualifications

Skills and Traits

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $95,000 - $115,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities-opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.

Salary : $95,000 - $115,000