About CSS

Center for Supportive Schools (CSS) is an anti-racist fast-paced collegial and team-oriented organization wholly committed to helping schools become places where students want to be. Our work directly addresses student disengagement a root cause of diminished academic performance students dropping out of school and other high-risk student behaviors. We partner with schools in three areas: developing all students into leaders; empowering teachers to collaborate with each other and with students; and engaging entire school communities to improve how learning happens.

CSS is driven by the vision that one day all students will thrive in schools that graduate them prepared for the rigors of college and lives filled with meaningful work active citizenship and personal fulfillment.

We are committed to antiracism. Our vision for students will not be realized absent the dismantling of systemic racism that permeates schools and society. Schools are not safe supportive engaging and inspiring unless they address all areas of marginalization and eradicate all the many interconnected forms of oppression. CSSs focus on antiracism results from the outsized role that racism has played in shaping the United States and its institutions from the fact that racism intersects with all other forms of oppression and given that which we learn and develop-tools frameworks resources-in dismantling racism can be leveraged to abolish all other forms of oppression.

Founded in 1979 we are a national organization currently impacting 65000 students annually and committed to supporting every K-12 school in the country. Most of our partners are economically disadvantaged communities where the consequences of student disengagement can be most devastating.

For more information please visit . For more information about CSSs commitment to antiracism please visit

About Community Schools

Community Schools offer a holistic approach toward improving academic performance driven by strong collaborative partnerships among principals parents teachers and Community Schools parents are real and active partners in their childrens education. Each student is connected to a mentor club or social service. The school climate is joyful and positive. Community members spend time at the school participating in activities ranging from athletics and yoga to financial and parenting workshops. Extended afterschool or weekend classes are commonplace. An integral part of this approach is the blending of school- and community-based services into the school day such as health mental health counseling and academic enrichment.

Extended afterschool or weekend classes are commonplace. An integral part of this approach is the blending of school- and community-based services into the school day such as health mental health counseling and academic enrichment.

The Community Schools in New York City will use key strategies to help students achieve success:

• Meaningful family involvement in decision making around student needs
• Meaningful interactions with community-based services and programs
• Maximization of academic programming college and career preparation and extended weekend and afterschool programming
• Robust data monitoring and attendance taking practices

The Role

The full-time Community School Director is responsible for the day-to-day management of a community school strategy including building and maintaining relationships with administration faculty staff and students as the community organizer of the school and community; creating strengthening and maintaining the bridge between the school and community; and facilitating and providing leadership for the collaborative process and development of a continuum of services for children families and community members within the school neighborhood. The Community School Director will assist the school in developing implementation action plans troubleshooting implementation obstacles and planning for sustainability. They will track the schools progress against performance goals collect school data and support program evaluation activities. Additional responsibilities include managing community partnerships and facilitating School Leadership Team (SLT) meetings. Initially the Community School Director will support establishing and implementing a community school strategy. Over time they may support any or all of CSSs leadership solutions that may be implemented at the school. The Community School Director will ensure that the community school strategy is implemented at exceptional levels of quality with full support buy-in and regular communication with stakeholders across the school community.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with administration faculty staff students parents and community partners in the school community
• Organize and expand upon the membership of the School Leadership Team (SLT) and Community School Team (CST) to include diverse school community stakeholders
• Facilitate regular meetings of the School Leadership Team (SLT) and Community School Team (CST) ensuring the participation of diverse stakeholders and voices and regular positive communication within the team. Work with the SLT/CST may also include establishing and facilitating working groups to address specific community school strategy components such as communication evaluation and/or after-school programming as well as hosting monthly forums for ongoing collaboration with members of the community including parent leaders school-based organizations and partnering organizations.
• Conduct a needs assessment process including: reviewing school and student-level data; conducting focus groups with parents students faculty staff administrators and community partners; and reviewing and/or conducting school climate and culture survey
• Conduct a community asset assessment to identify viable partnerships that can meet the needs of students and families of the schools community including developing metrics for partnership evaluation
• Recruit and develop partnership agreements with people and community organizations willing to offer programs and services for students and families at the school in accordance with identified needs
• Serve as a point person for agencies and programs interested in partnering with the school and help to broker new partnerships that are aligned with school goals and needs.
• Identify evidence and research-based practices and/or partnerships that address priority areas for the school community strategy which may include but are not limited to:
  • Parent/Family Engagement
  • Community Engagement
  • Youth Development
  • Academic Rigor and Instructional Practices
  • Health Mental Health Tutoring Afterschool programming Mentoring Early Childhood
• Develop and implement ongoing mechanisms to illicit input from teachers school staff SLT/CST members parents and students to determine ongoing needs of students and families
• Coordinate plan and facilitate on-site technical assistance meetings with administrators faculty and staff to plan for specific program implementations problem-solve implementation obstacles and ensure program sustainability
• Develop maintain and publicize a schedule of programs and activities offered at the school
• Implement and maintain a process that encourages referrals to programs and services offered at the school; provides timely feedback to those who make referrals; and alert the SLT/CST to the need for programs not already offered
• Identify needs of chronically absent students apply interventions and track and monitor impact of interventions on weekly basis as part of weekly CSD facilitated Student Success Team meetings (viewed as a combined student attendance and wellness meeting)
• Facilitate cross-referral of students and families between service providers
• Collect and monitor program implementation data and student data for each partnership and initiative implemented including developing dashboard views that allow easy data analysis and interaction by the SLT/CST and other school stakeholders
• Facilitate at training conferences as needed
• Other responsibilities as needed

Qualifications and Experience

Education: Bachelors degree is preferred but not required

Professional Experiences and Personal Qualities/Skills: You likely have demonstrated extensive knowledge of and experience working in New York City public schools; exceptional abilities to problem solve plan and prioritize; a roll-up-your-sleeves entrepreneurial startup attitude; knowledge of and experience working in education reform and student support services; proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment managing multiple projects; and demonstrated high level interpersonal and cross-cultural skills including the ability to build relationships internally and externally and to manage effective teams.

In addition you have likely had the following experiences and have demonstrated the following attributes:

• Excellent listening writing and speaking skills
• Highly effective time-management goal-setting problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to gather analyze synthesize and communicate information from various sources
• Strong public speaking and group facilitation skills
• K-12 schools instructional and/or leadership experience
• Knowledgeable in issues related to K-12 schools and education reform
• Knowledgeable in student support services
• Ability to obtain and utilize student and school data to drive decisions
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Flexibility resourcefulness and willingness to work evenings and weekends when required for successful and timely completion of projects
• Ability to use discretion and judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information
• Knowledge of and an enthusiastic commitment to the organizations mission solutions and offerings
• Experience with school-based program evaluation
• Connections with community-based organizations and experience facilitating partnerships with these organizations
• Ability to work effectively with school aged youth educators families and communities from a wide range of cultural social and economic backgrounds
• Experience working in school-based settings with knowledge about tenets of community organizing student support services and youth development theories
• Ability to work collaboratively with strong relationship building skills
• Program implementation experience preferred
• Knowledgeable in technology
• Remarkable references

Location

CSS is looking to hire a Community School Director for anticipated openings across the five boroughs. Occasional travel to CSSs Manhattan office and CSSs core regions and elsewhere is expected.

Work Environment/Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working at a computer including participating in virtual videoconference meetings
• Communicating with others in writing and verbally to exchange information
• Ability to lift and move boxes weighing as much as 15 pounds

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated starting date for this position is rolling. The annual starting salary for this position is $78400. CSS offers the following benefits:

• Comprehensive and competitive benefits plan including health dental vision flexible spending accounts health reimbursement accounts commuter and transit accounts for employees who meet the eligibility requirements
• 403(b) plan with employer match
• Generous paid time off
• Paid holidays and winter break
• Flexible work option based on job role eligibility
• Employee Assistance Program
• Reduced schedule on Fridays during summer months
• Phone stipend

To Apply

Interested applicants are requested to apply by emailing a cover letter and CV/résumé to . Please include (1) the title of the position in the subject line of your email and (2) where you found the position posting in your cover letter

Required Experience:

Director