Sy21-22 Springfield Lyceum College Prep Student Support Specialist

Grade Level: 6-8

Start Date: Immedoate Opening

About Springfield Lyceum College Prep

Springfield Lyceum College Preparatory will provide a college preparatory education to students in grades 6-8 through academic rigor, a multilingual program, and character development that will ensure students succeed in high school, college, and beyond.

Grounded in the belief that all students can learn and achieve at high levels when provided with the right levels of support, we expect the following to be true in every Springfield Lyceum College Prep ("SLCP") classroom:

• Students will be engaged in reading authentic and relevant literature that is purposeful and culturally diverse. Every day, students will write across content areas, expressing themselves clearly and concisely.
• Students will approach rigorous scientific and mathematical concepts with curiosity and zeal and apply their learning to solve complex real-world problems.
• Students will speak more than one language, learning and solidifying the bilingual skills that are assets in our modern, interconnected world while also gaining a deep understanding and pride in their own native language and culture.
• Students will be engaged in rigorous discussions of current affairs from a social justice angle that is grounded in our school's core values of courage, empathy, and teamwork.
• Students will eagerly express their opinions, support their opinions with evidence, and incorporate new learning and insights from their peers.
• Teachers will be masters of their craft, knowledgeable of their content areas, and well versed in small group instruction. They will effectively differentiate content and instruction for students at all levels while ensuring that every student is challenged by rigorous instruction and curriculum. Teachers will be obsessed with gathering data and will use it to effectively drive instruction to close academic gaps and ensure all students are prepared to succeed in high school, college, and beyond.

To meet this ambitious mission and vision, SLCP teachers will work an extended day (typically 7:10am-4:10pm) and school year, beginning with 3 weeks (15 days) of Professional Development in August before students arrive. Teachers will also attend family events and a set of Saturday academy intervention sessions throughout the year as part of their regular schedule. For this additional time, teachers will earn an Expanded Learning Time stipend, as outlined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Working in SEZP

SEZP is seeking staff who are excited and ready to make an impact in a collaborative, engaging, diverse, and high energy environment. SEZP staff are expected to:

• Support a safe, purposeful classroom environment that prioritizes learning for all students
• Collaborate with other staff, teachers, instructional leaders, and partners to ensure instruction is meeting the needs of all students
• Support student assessment 
• Build relationships and communicate regularly with students and their families to solicit input and share academic progress
• Engage in learning about issues of racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education to examine your own biases; reflect on how those biases affect you, your students, and their families; and plan and support instruction in a culturally responsive way
• Participate in and learn from regular professional development opportunities before and during the school year

JOB GOAL:                               

To provide operational and academic tutoring support. Provides operational assistance with organizing and supporting school activities and trips that support literacy, numeracy and college readiness. Works in partnerships with the Guidance Counselor, community partners, Americorps and administration to enhance communication, cohesive planning, and operational excellence of Encores, Enrichment classes and Interventions.

DUTIES: 

The candidate will fulfill the following responsibilities: 

• Supports school wide priorities
• Provides small group tutoring for students
• Supports the Guidance Counselor with coaching and tutoring students  to understand requirements for high school selection process
• Coordinates and chaperones field trips
• Any additional operational/tutoring support responsibilities as determined by the principal in collaboration with the candidate

Qualifications:                                

• 1-2 years of relevant experience
• Possesses strong interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
• Candidate is highly coachable and able to receive and integrate feedback in his/her practice
• Associates degree preferred

If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know that historically marginalized groups - including people of color, women, people from working class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ - are less likely to apply unless and until they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

We encourage you to reach out to SEZP@springfieldempowerment.org if you have questions about the role or your qualifications. We are happy to help you feel ready to apply!

Benefits

SEZP offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Staff in SEZP qualify for benefits (personal/sick days, retirement, health insurance, etc.) offered to other teachers in the Springfield Public Schools.

Positions will be filled on a rolling basis; applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. Please contact sezp@springfieldempowerment.org with any questions.

About the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership

While Massachusetts is consistently ranked as one of the top states for education results in the country, we have one of the highest and most persistent opportunity gaps. The Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) - established in 2015 as a collaboration between Springfield Public Schools (SPS), the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and the Springfield Education Association (SEA) - seeks to improve the longitudinal life outcomes of the more than 5,000 students in our middle and high schools.

As a "zone" of schools within the city of Springfield, SEZP's approach draws on a deep and embedded partnership with the school district and local teachers' union, while harnessing the flexibility and innovation found in autonomous school models. As a result, each school within SEZP is accorded significant school-based autonomies - in curriculum, talent, calendar, schedule, and budget - while being held accountable for realizing achievement gains for historically marginalized students. In all of our work, SEZP is in pursuit of equity and anti-racism - acknowledging the systemic oppression our students and families encounter daily and working to disrupt these provision gaps urgently and courageously.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, age, disability or military service or marital status. The Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate in admission to, access or treatment in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation, disability or homelessness.

Title IX Notice of Nondiscrimination

Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. Springfield Public Schools is required by Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 not to discrimination on the basis of sex in admission, administration of its educational programs or activities or employment. The Senior Administrator of Human Resources, Kathleen O'Sullivan, Springfield Public Schools, 1550 Main St. Springfield MA, 011103, 413-787-7100, ext. 55428, has been designated as the employee responsible for coordinating Springfield Public Schools efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Title IX. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 to Springfield Public Schools may be referred to Kathleen O'Sullivan or to U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Ave., SW Washington, DC 20202-1100, telephone 800-421-3481.