What are the responsibilities and job description for the Student Success Specialist position at Urban League of Portland?

Overview of Organization

Greater Than (formerly "I Have a Dream" Oregon) is seeking applicants for the full-time position of Student Success Specialist- Elementary School to provide culturally specific targeted intervention for Black and African Immigrant students at Alder Elementary. This is a great opportunity to join a mission-driven team unified around educational equity, racial justice, and a drive to make systemic changes for historically underserved students and families. We are in a state of growth and looking to add a new position to our team.

The mission of Greater Than (GT) is to support and empower students from poverty-impacted communities to thrive in school, college and career. Working alongside parents, community partners and local school districts, Greater Than seeks to transform public education outcomes in Oregon for historically underserved students. We view every aspect of our work through the lens of racial equity, which guides our decision-making, relationships, policies, and practices. Our work is built on three pillars : education, community, and equity. Our programs aim to advance a racially just future for learning because equitable education is a right. We are intent on moving from a system of holding power over community to holding power with community. We are committed to racial equity and the restructuring of systems that create inequities for marginalized individuals.

This is a school-based position and will require availability during the school day at Alder Elementary School in the Reynolds School District . However, Greater Than strives to facilitate a healthy work / life balance culture and as such, this position can work with their supervisor to create a flexible schedule and remote work options that cause minimal interference with the school schedule.

Generous compensation includes :

Hourly pay range : $41,685-$58,670
Fringe benefits are the equivalent of 35% of wage and include :

100% employee premium paid for medical / alternative medicine / dental / vision insurance

Employer paid life, long- and short-term disability insurance

Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Benefit Plans and Employee Assistance Program

Generous paid time off : 15 days of accrued vacation, 12 days of sick, and 12 flexible holidays. Extended weekend hours between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Simple IRA retirement plan with employer matching program

Monthly cell phone stipend

1 month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment

Greater Than serves approximately 1,200 students in schools in two distinct communities : Rockwood in East Multnomah County and, as of 2020, Hillsboro-City Center. While the communities are more than 30 miles apart, they share many strengths and are both high opportunity communities. These neighborhoods have been impacted by systemic racism, holding families back from reaching their fullest potential.

The scope of the Greater Than Initiative includes programmatic supports for early learning, K-12 academics, post-secondary success, and entry into career. We continuously work to expand our partnerships and relationships to provide robust support services across all points of the education continuum. We are flexible problem solvers committed to providing equitable education for GT students in Reynolds and Hillsboro School District. This requires our approach to be a combination of direct service and deep collaboration. For more information, please visit www.greater-than.org .

Equity Statement

We believe that cultural, institutional, and individual racism creates disparities and barriers that are neither fair nor equitable.

We are committed to advancing racial equity as a foundational element of all aspects of our work and with all of our stakeholders. In addition to racism, we recognize that ALL other forms of bias must also be addressed in order to create a more just and equitable society.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to comprehensive community partnerships to help close the racialized opportunity gap in our schools and colleges. We strive to create a truly equitable organization : one where students, families, and communities are welcomed and supported, where their faces, voices, and experiences are reflected and valued.

We listen and respond with great care and intentionality to the students and families with whom we partner. We consistently analyze our organizational commitment to equity and inclusion as expressed through our policies and practices, our workforce and board composition, and engagement of students and families as central guiders of our work. We are committed to collaborating with other organizations towards advancing equity for all.

Position Responsibilities

The Alder Elementary School Student Success Specialist is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the academic support programming for Greater Than at Alder Elementary School in the Reynolds School District (RSD). This position will implement a culturally specific service-delivery model to support academic growth in and outside the classroom for Black / African American and African immigrant students. This may include targeted small-group support, in-class support, and supporting the broader Alder community.

Student Engagement and Achievement :

In Collaboration with Program Development & Partnerships Administrator :

Implement culturally specific and targeted support for Elementary school classrooms.

Assist students in various settings to meet their educational goals using appropriate strategies, methods, materials, and / or equipment.

Serve on the Culture and Climate team at Alder when possible

Support in and out of the classroom with identifying, gathering, and preparing instructional materials / resources and educational strategies.

Supervise students in various settings and environments

Build and cultivate strong partnerships with teachers, principals, school officials, community partners and other key decision makers and stakeholders.

Academic Intervention and Case Management

Provide culturally specific direct service mentoring, leadership programming, and academic intervention to Black and African students at Alder.

Maintain direct contact with students regarding middle school transition and continue 'whole student' culturally specific case management approach. Including academic success in and outside the classroom.

Track students' academic progress and growth.

Examples of duties include (but not limited to) :

Work with Greater Than Program & Partnership Administrator, Alder Admin Team and teachers to identify and co-develop 1 : 1 intervention plans for high priority students.

Communicate with families of Black / African American and African immigrant students enrolled at Alder to encourage participation in after school programming.

Create student portfolios and case management system that will track individual milestones for Black / African American and African immigrant students from preschool-5 th grade at Alder.

Family Engagement and Leadership

Support the Greater Than Program & Partnership Administrator and Greater Than Middle School Student Success Specialists develop and communicate a transition plan for our families and students as they move through the GT continuum of programming.

Support with family engagement events and parent partnership opportunities that Greater Than is involved in at Alder Elementary School and occasionally across the Reynolds School District.

Examples of duties include (but not limited to) :

Attend and support coordination of cultural events created and facilitated by and for our families.

Support as needed, our attendance team by participating in planning meetings connecting with individual teachers, students, and families to identify barriers and plan for supports.

Support Program & Partnership Administrator with logistics regarding consistent systems for parent feedback (e.g. community listening sessions, parent surveys, individual interviews, etc.)

Data and Reporting- Tracking, Managing, Organizing

Navigate Apricot database software for data entry

Understand the importance of data integrity, managing files for merging, organizing, and helping others track specific data needed for reporting.

Work with Director of Impact & Evaluation to report and track measurable data for grants.

Examples of duties include (but not limited to) :

Tracking and managing parent input data.

Organizing and tracking data for a specific grant.

Compiling, organizing, and managing data provided by the school

Education and Experience Required

Undergraduate degree; preferred degree in education, school counseling, or related field or 2-3 years of experience working with culturally diverse youth, 1 st generation college students, and coordinating projects / partnerships / admin / mentorship programs at Title I schools

Mentoring experience with resilient youth and historically underserved youth;

Fingerprinting and driving check required.

Bilingual Swahili and / or Somali preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

Commitment to Equity- Background shows evidence that individual is / has been working towards creating a more inclusive environment for all individuals, continuous learner, consciousness raising, multiple perspectives represented

Multicultural Experience- Identifies as someone with a multicultural and / or bilingual life experience. Is able to adapt their own attitudes, behaviors, and values to the mainstream culture and combine / blend aspects of multiple cultures.

Working with resilient youth and historically underserved student groups - Understanding the challenges and barriers that our students face with navigating a system that historically was not created to serve them

Relationship Oriented - Is able to communicate effectively to develop, grow, and sustain relationships rooted in trust.

Respectful- Is able to serve as a positive role model by modeling patience and reflective listening. Listening to understand

Responsible- Is able to own tasks when it comes to caseload, is able to create appropriate boundaries in order to hold students accountable to high standards.

Collaborator- Is able to promote a spirit of teamwork, is respectful, builds trust with teammates, advocates, and supports effective teamwork.

Organized- Being able to track different student opportunities, application completion and completion dates, corresponding deadlines

Data : Tracking, management, organizing- Is able to look at data, identify patterns and make suggestions for changes. Navigate database software, understands essentials of data integrity, managing files for merging, organizing, and helping others track specific data needed for reporting.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter and resume to Joy Leising at : [email protected] . Applications will be reviewed and accepted until positions are filled. To receive priority please submit your resume no later than December 27, 2024. First Round Interviews will be scheduled the week of January 6, 2025.

Additional Application Instructions

Please submit Resume and Cover letter to [email protected] no later than December 27th for priority.

Salary : $41,685 - $58,670

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