Jr/Asst Specialist (Family Engagement Spec- HFEC), 0082678T

Description

Title: Junior/Assistant Specialist (Family Engagement Specialist- Hawai'i Statewide Family Engagement Center)
Position Number: 0082678T
Hiring Unit: College of Education, Center on Disability Studies
Location: Manoa
Date Posted: January 24, 2024
Closing Date: February 9, 2024
Salary Information: salary schedules and placement information
Full Time/Part Time: Full-Time
Temporary/Permanent: Temporary, Not to Exceed September 30, 2024
Other Conditions
Federal extramural funds. Appointment to begin approximately February 2024 or soon thereafter. Renewal dependent on satisfactory performance and renewal of funds.
Background
Hawaii is one of the 12 states awarded the Statewide Family Engagement Center (SFEC) 2018-2023 funding by US DOE to establish statewide Family Engagement centers. The purpose of the SFEC program is to provide comprehensive training, professional development, and technical assistance to State educational agencies in the implementation and enhancement of systemic and effective Family Engagement policies, programs, and activities that lead to improvements in student development and academic achievement.
Hawaii's statewide Family Engagement center is a consortium consisted of CDS, COE, HI DOE, parent organizations, community-based organizations, and various stakeholder groups. The overarching goal of the Hawai'i Family Engagement Center (HFEC) is to build the capacity in every community in Hawai'i to develop and sustain strong, productive relationships among schools, parents, and community organizations so that children thrive developmentally and academically. HFEC will accomplish the goal by (1) establishing the state's infrastructure on Family Engagement in education. (2) developing and providing comprehensive training, including professional development, and technical assistance to Hawaii DOE districts, complexes, schools, and community-based organizations on high-impact Family Engagement programs. (3) carrying out parent education to build families' capacity to better support learning activities at home and engage in family-school partnerships. HFEC will also conduct research studies on the impact of Family Engagement on student learning.
The Specialist will work closely with the Principal Investigators and other faculty and staff in the Center on Disability Studies and College of Education. This position will also work closely with various offices and schools in the Hawai'i Department of Education (HIDOE); parent and community-based organizations that serve high concentrations of disadvantaged students, including students who are English language learners, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, Micronesians, students with disabilities, homeless children and youth, children and youth in foster care, and migrant students; statewide advisory committee for the project; and other key stakeholders to achieve the goal of HFEC.
Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the public face for the Hawai'i Family Engagement Center (HFEC), building capacity in every community in Hawai'i to develop and sustain strong, productive relationships among schools, parents, and community organizations so that children thrive developmentally and academically.
• Develop and implement professional development training curricula for pre-service and in-service educators on systemic, culturally sensitive, and high-impact Family Engagement strategies (i.e., training based on USDOE Family Engagement Framework and National Standards for Family-School Partnerships; Support the establishment and facilitation of the educator cohorts with HIDOE).
• Co-teach the professional development course with HIDOE teachers/partners and other staff on the project.
• Develop a solid knowledge base on assessment tools that measure the nature, degree, and level of Family Engagement and its correlation to student achievement and school improvement.
• Conduct evidence-based research to increase the knowledge base and best practices in forming effective school family partnerships, particularly with hard-to-reach disadvantaged families.
• Design policies and procedures to establish a resource repository of (innovative programs, best practices, national trends, and sustainability efforts) with other SFECs' leaders.
• Write and disseminate project publications; develop and continuously update the HFEC website content and materials for various stakeholder groups; write/oversee submissions of federally-required progress reports, sustainability plans, and other project deliverables.
• Lead in development of new statewide policies and procedures on Family Engagement with policymakers and senior educational administrators.
• Lead the HFEC parent-majority Advisory Committee with representations of multiple stakeholder groups. Advise the PI and other project partners on infrastructure issues including the form and function of the Advisory Committee.
• Maintain and expand scholarly profile by engaging in national discourse around Family Engagement by participating in professional conferences, including those that require travel. These responsibilities will enhance research visibility and prominence of HFEC on the national stage and provide the specialist with the opportunities to engage with colleagues also involved in the new field of Family Engagement/school-family partnerships to enhance student achievement.
• Other duties as assigned.

Junior Specialist Minimum Qualifications

1. Master's Degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Social Work, Psychology or related field, with emphasis on working with families who are disadvantaged, who have children with disabilities, and who have English as a second language.
2. Two (2) years of experience working with populations described above.
3. One (1) year of experience working on a large-scale statewide multi-faceted grant-funded project and coordinating multiple stakeholder groups.
4. One (1) year of experience managing multiple simultaneous project tasks.
5. Strong communication and writing skills.
6. Proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
7. One (1) year of experience planning and coordinating large scale events in an academic setting.
8. Ability to travel independently to various geographical site/school locations and work on some weekends for project-related activities.

Assistant Specialist Minimum Qualifications
[In addition to the Junior Specialist Minimum Qualifications above]

1. 30 credits beyond Master's Degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Social Work, Psychology, or related field.
2. At least three (3) years of experience in education and or related field at the Junior Specialist level or equivalent.

Desirable Qualifications

1. PhD. in Education, Social Work, Psychology or related field with emphasis on working with families who are disadvantaged, who have children with disabilities, and who are multi-lingual learners (have English as a second language).
2. Experience acting in a leadership role (project lead, project coordinator or Co-PI) on a large-scale statewide federally funded project.
3. Experience with coordinating multiple stakeholder groups.
4. Experience and training in Family Engagement research and evidence-based strategies that promote academic achievement and partnerships between home, school, and community.
5. Experience providing technical assistance to schools, community organizations, and training to individuals and groups.
6. Experience developing and delivering culturally responsive curricula that highlights the unique culture of Hawai'i and the South Pacific Islands. .

To Apply
Submit cover letter indicating how you satisfy the minimum and desirable qualifications, vitae, names of 3 professional references, official transcripts (copies acceptable; however, originals will be required at the time of hire), and two writing samples.
Inquiries: Chuan Chinn; 808-956-5379; chuanc@hawaii.edu

EEO/AA, Clery Act, ADA

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, genetic information, marital status, breastfeeding, income assignment for child support, arrest and court record (except as permissible under State law), sexual orientation, domestic or sexual violence victim status, national guard absence, or status as a covered veteran. For more information or inquiries regarding these policies, please refer to the following link: http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/eeo-coordinators/
Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.
In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.
Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/