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:

• ensure students with disabilities, students with potential disabilities, and students who struggle are served across the continuum of services and interventions;
• ensure schools are in 100% legal compliance for all mandated special services and all IEPs and 504 plans are implemented with fidelity and live authentically as part of a scholar's academic experience;
• ensure that all schools create, implement, and monitor intervention through weekly data driven meetings and planning sessions with the support of the school based teams
• develop leaders who are responsible for special services at the school site; and

Partner with our schools and relevant external agencies to:

• develop a deep understanding of regulations, expectations, and standard operating procedures and continuously build effective partnerships;
• partners in developing and implementing best practices and resources to meet the needs of all our students; and
• partners in problem solving with the network and external partners district as issues arise.

Staff and reporting relationships

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

Qualifications

• A sustained record of outstanding academic results for all students, including students with diverse needs
• Four or more years of teaching experience with exceptional results
• 2 or more years of experience managing and developing instructional staff and delivering outstanding professional development
• One or more years of experience leading student support service programs across high-achieving full-scale schools
• Bachelor’s degree, with an advanced degree, strongly preferred

Skills and Traits

• Passion and knowledge for special education excellence
• Strong instructional leader with a track record of improving teacher and leader effectiveness and the achievement of their students
• Exceptional teacher in his/her own right, who achieved dramatic student achievement gains and served as a model or teacher leader for other teachers within their school, network or district
• A flexible thinker who understands the chief metric is student achievement and experience
• Ability to inspire and influence others; strong relationship-builder
• Specific experience in differentiating and specializing curriculum, implementing Response to Intervention, and providing behavioral supports
• Exceptional self-motivation, entrepreneurial spirit, and team orientation
• Collaborative decision-making style, with a proven track record of working effectively with diverse individuals to drive decision-making and results
• Self-awareness, with an ability to treat all members of the Ascend Learning and school communities with respect
• A hunger for feedback and an openness to engage in the process of self-improvement
• Alignment with the educational philosophy and core beliefs of Ascend Learning
• Commitment to improving the minds and lives of students from low-income communities; dedication to doing whatever it takes to help all students achieve academic success

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.