Director of Belonging and School Culture

FRAMINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

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POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Belonging and SchoolCulture leads district-wide efforts to cultivate a learning and working environment that is equitable inclusive and representative of the rich diversity of our school community. This role strategically supports both students and staffparticularly multilingual learners and multilingual educatorsby advancing culturally responsive practices dismantling systemic barriers and promoting a district culture where all individuals feel respected seen and valued.

Reporting directly to the Superintendent this position plays a critical role in aligning the districts human capital and student success strategies with its belonging and school culture commitments.

OUR MISSION:

Framingham Public Schools is committed to excellence for all students. Our mission statement guides our work: Through a comprehensive education we aim to create and empower free-thinking responsible citizens who can participate equally in our rich and diverse community. FPS and the community stand united in our core values: Providing a safe inclusive culturally responsive teaching and learning environment; Engaging antiracist and responsible civic advocates; Respecting diversity of thought learners cultures and community; Fostering learning and healthy growth of all students and staff; Ensuring every school will be an active participatory equitable community.

Framingham Public Schools is committed to inspiring our school community to be accepting and willing to learn from individuals with differing backgrounds. Our goal is to reflect the diverse community we serve and create a great place to work for everyone by embracing the individual skills perspectives and experiences our people bring to the workplace and harnessing these for high performance and improved service delivery. We want our employees to feel included valued and respected and have access to equal opportunity which supports full participation at work. Framingham Public Schools seeks to retain the diverse talent in our workforce and support our people to maintain a long and productive working career.

Framingham Public Schools is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications from persons with disabilities and who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups.

CERTIFICATES LICENSES REGISTRATIONS:

Masters degree preferred. Supervisor/Director or Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent DESE license.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in education professional development or equity-focused work with a proven track record of designing and delivering effective professional learning programs. Experience working in a school district or educational setting is required. Knowledge of both Portuguese and Spanish is strongly preferred.

Framingham Public Schools seeks candidates whose background teaching or service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity inclusion and belonging in all aspects of education. Also we are interested in candidates who will bring to their professional practice the perspective that comes from a non-traditional educational background or an understanding of the experiences of those underrepresented in the educational field.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as an illustration of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if work is similar related or a logical assignment to the position. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and the requirements of the job change.

1. Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Develop and implement a district-wide vision and strategic plan that sets clear goals accountability measures and success indicators around inclusivity and belonging for both students and staff.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Superintendent School Committee Assistant Superintendents Executive Directors administrators and staff offering guidance on best practices for equity and inclusion.
• Review and evaluate existing programs policies and practices to identify and dismantle systemic inequities impacting student achievement staff diversity and multilingual experiences.
• Champion equity for multilingual learners and educators ensuring that linguistic and cultural differences are recognized and valued across the district.

1. Program Development and Implementation

• Create and coordinate initiatives that foster inclusive culturesuch as culturally responsive teaching anti-bias workshops student voice forums and community engagement programs.
• Work with curriculum and instruction teams to ensure content reflects diverse languages cultures identities and histories.
• Engage students directlythrough leadership roles advisory councils focus groups and affinity spacesto elevate and integrate their perspectives.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state laws related to educational equity (e.g. Title VI Title IX IDEA ADA) and support investigations into any complaints of exclusion or discrimination.

1. Professional Learning and Coaching

• Design and deliver training for all staffteachers support personnel and administratorson topics including cultural humility implicit bias inclusive practices and linguistic equity.
• Coach school leaders to integrate inclusive leadership practices into their culture and routines.
• Collaborate with Human Resources on recruiting hiring onboarding and retaining a workforce that mirrors the districts linguistic and cultural diversity.

1. Data Analysis and Accountability

• Collect and analyze data on student performance discipline attendance school culture staff diversity and multilingual education to identify disparities and track progress.
• Develop regular reports and visual dashboards to keep district leadership the School Committee and the community informed and accountable.
• Use data insights to guide professional learning strategic planning and resource distribution that supports all students and staff.

1. Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships

• Build collaborative relationships with students families multilingual communities educators and staff to co-design inclusive programs and school environments.
• Partner with community organizations government agencies and higher education institutions to support multilingual learners and underrepresented groups.
• Lead family engagement efforts that ensure non-English-speaking and underserved families feel heard respected and involved in their childrens education.

1. Other duties as assigned

SKILLS AND ABILITY:

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory in the educational field; to communicate clearly and concisely both in oral and written form; to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups including staff parents and the general public; to read analyze and interpret professional periodicals and journals technical procedures and governmental regulations; to write reports and correspondence as needed; to use reasoning ability to evaluate information and determine/recommend an appropriate course of action; to define problems collect data establish facts and draw valid conclusions; to use professional literature evidence-based research and continuing education content to make practice decisions; to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students parents staff and the community; to work independently prioritize tasks and manage several projects simultaneously; to perform duties with awareness of all district requirements state and federal laws. To work with students and families of diverse backgrounds with diverse needs in an equitable and inclusive manner that bears witness to cultural proficiency and competency; to maintain appropriate confidential records; to react professionally and objectively to unpredictable situations; to operate and/or acquire skills to operate a computer and related software including but not limited to Google; and ability/willingness to plan coordinate conduct and participate in ongoing professional and staff development.

Experience evaluating student skills and writing reports to interpret/summarize findings. Strong collaborative teaching coaching and leadership skills to support student programming and work in a team setting. Strong problem-solving skills to support student success. Strong data-collection skills. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Strong organizational skills to balance the demands of a multi-tasking position. A proactive and solution-focused approach to meeting student needs. Knowledge of specialized content areas as well as any related laws and procedures.

Some flexibility such as evenings and weekends will be required to accommodate the departments needs.

PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be required to move about and may be required to traverse occasionally throughout the school building;
• Must often remain in a stationary position for considerable periods of time;
• Is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and sit stoop kneel crouch or crawl;
• Is expected to lift at least 20 lbs (i.e. books school supplies etc.);
• Must frequently use hands to finger handle or feel; and use hand strength to grasp tools;
• Must be able to assist students who have physical difficulties;
• Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery (i.e. a calculator copy machine and computer printer);
• Must be able to input information into a computer and as well as read material from a computer monitor as well as handwritten or printed matter with or without visual aids;
• Must be able to communicate effectively with students parents and other staff members in person via email and on the telephone;
• In the classroom must be able to see and hear on a continuous basis in order to ensure the safety of students as well as speak frequently to provide instruction;
• Must be able to assist students who have physical difficulties;
• May be required to move quickly across even or uneven surfaces;
• Working in a normal school environment with an acceptable level of noise;
• Must interact with students parents and other staff members;
• Must be able to kneel sit stand crawl push and pull to assist and teach children throughout the day;
• Is directly responsible for the safety well-being and work output of students;
• Must be able to interact with students parents and other staff members and occasionally must meet multiple demands from several people;
• While the majority of the workday is spent inside must spend time outdoors for recess fire drills and special activities;
• May be exposed to bodily fluids disease or pathogens;
• May receive unintentional injuries from aggressive students; and
• May be required some degree of physical interaction with students who have difficulty controlling physical behavior.
• Consistent and regular attendance at work is required.

REPORTS TO:

Superintendent or a designee.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Culture and Belonging Advocates and Team Leaders

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) CLASSIFICATION:

This position is classified as Exempt (Professional).

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Framingham School Committee Policy

12-month position

Framingham Public Schools provides equal employment. opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race color religion sex national origin age disability or addition to federal law requirements Framingham Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the District has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting hiring placement promotion termination layoff recall transfer leaves of absence compensation and training. Framingham Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race color religion gender sexual orientation gender identity or expression national origin age genetic information disability ancestry marital status or veteran status.

Required Experience:

Director