School Counselor

About DC Scholars: 

DC Scholars Public Charter School was founded in 2012 and opened with grades PS-3. Today, DC Scholars Public Charter School serves approximately 500 students in Preschool - 8th grade. We emphasize academic achievement and firmly believe that we must support students’ emotional, social, and physical growth to improve student learning. With a focus on these areas, we earned Tier 1 status in 2016 as outlined by the DC Public Charter School Board’s Performance Management Framework. Since 2012, DC Scholars PCS has cultivated a like-minded and collaborative team; staff are enthusiastic about constantly setting and reaching a high bar for students.

The Position: 

DC Scholars Public Charter School is seeking a passionate and dedicated School Counselor to develop and support a high-quality counseling/mental health program.  As a key member of the school’s student support team, the school counselor will support the overall social emotional needs of our PS-8th grade campus. 

The counselor will support Elementary/Middle School students with and without IEPs. As a member of the DC Scholars Student & Family Support Team, the School counselor will support students and families, empower teachers, and serve as a critical partner in ensuring that students have the services, they need to be successful both academically and socially/emotionally.

The counselor will report to the Assistant Principal and work closely with teachers, related service providers, families and external community partners. This individual has an unwavering commitment to our core values: Passion Persistence, Humility and Growth, Trust, Hope and High Bar.

Key Responsibilities: 

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

The school counselor will:

Direct Services & Student Assessment (40%)

• Push into classrooms to proactively support individuals or groups of students on an ongoing basis – modeling effective strategies for teachers to use with those students while inside the classroom.
• Conduct FBAs and Social History reports; develop, monitor, review and modify behavior intervention plans
• Support identification of students in need of counseling and social services.
• Prioritize direct services to students through preventive and responsive services and individual student planning including small group and individual counseling session and push in supports
• Possess a thorough understanding of and abide by the profession’s Code of Ethics. 
• Conduct observations of students in various classroom settings and use this data to develop individual student plans with all stakeholders.
• Assess student needs and make referrals to appropriate school resource personnel, social agencies, community agencies and alternative programs; intervenes during crisis situations and works with teachers, parents and community partners accordingly.
• Utilize responsive counseling, initiating individual and group sessions for students’ personal, social and academic concerns aligned to short or long-term needs.
• Serve as a member of the Multidisciplinary team and Maintain 100% compliance of IEP, 504, and other legal documents include session notes, service hours, etc.
• Participate in eligibility and IEP team meetings to offer counsel, training and insight to create plans that are reflective of the whole child; work with teachers to develop goals and implementation of tiered behavior plans. 

• Teach 6th Grade Academy & Path to High School for grades 6, 7, and 8.
• Lead academic advising and goal-setting for middle school students, focusing on high school readiness.
• Facilitate career exploration activities, such as interest inventories, guest speakers, or college/career fairs.
• Facilitate programs for rising 6th-grade students (elementary to middle school transition) and graduating 8th graders (middle to high school transition).
• Implements secondary transition planning and assessment for students with IEPs.

Student Support Team (30%)

In collaboration with the Assistant Principal, Counselor, and School Principal

• Lead PDs on effective social skills lessons, advisory lessons, etc 
• Use all available data, including academic grades, discipline referrals and attendance data, to identify students in need of services.
• Implement Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions for students struggling with behavior or attendance concerns.
• Interpret tests, student data and other assessment results appropriately within the counseling environment to develop and implement academic plans for individual students.
• Assist teachers in understanding their students, including providing and interpreting student data.
• Collaborate and consult with teachers in order to deliver professional development workshops and coaching on social emotional learning, mental health and positive communication.
• Engage in various types of counseling for identified general education students. 
• Leads and owns grief counseling and the referral process
• Liases CFSA calls and visits for scholars within our school community. 
• Participate in leadership level discussions and planning that promotes whole school initiatives on positive school culture, mental health and tiered supports.

Background and Experience

• Master’s or Doctoral degree required
• Active LPC/LGPC Licensure or equivalent licensure required
• 2 years experience in title one schools  preferred
• 2 years experience as a community-based counselor preferred

Mindset

• Passion for educational equity and a commitment to the mission and vision of DC Scholars
• Strong alignment with DC Scholars’ Core Values: High Bar, Passion & Persistence, Hope, Humility & Growth, and Trust
• Collaborative leadership style
• High standards of excellence for self and for others
• Evidence of well-developed emotional intelligence and empathy

The Rewards

• Opportunity to work in an exciting and enjoyable environment that fosters strong family relationships and community partnerships
• Targeted professional development focused on bolstering leadership capabilities
• Professional connections with other expert educators who share your commitment to doing whatever it takes to close the achievement gap
• Continuous support from DC Scholars Community Schools team
• Competitive salaries and benefits
• Participation in a 403b retirement plan, with matching contributions

DC Scholars encourages individuals of all identities and backgrounds to apply for this position. We are an equal opportunity employer fully committed to hiring a talented and diverse group of individuals. DC Scholars does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other category protected by applicable law.