Achievement Advisor

Job Title: Achievement Advisor
Team: Education
Reports To: Director, Education
FLSA Status: Non-exempt
Approved By: Executive Director
Date: November 1, 2014

Summary The Achievement Advisor will work directly with assigned schools to facilitate the support of DCPNI students in setting and meeting academic goals by providing “high touch” support to improve the academic achievement of DCPNI students.

The role of this position is to track and directly support students’ achievement in: improved attendance, completion of homework assignments, increased parental involvement, and improved academic performance. The Achievement Advisor will use the Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) database to track student data, goals and action steps, and connect students to academic support opportunities. Additionally, Advisors are responsible for serving as a liaison between school administrators and DCPNI.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Student and Family Support

  • Develop trusting relationships with students and families in DCPNI.  Serve as primary “high touch” support to students and DCPNI families, including helping families develop student-specific achievement plans within ETO. Work in coordination with school staff (when feasible), academic out of school time partners and parents to monitor and support students’ academic progress and address behavioral issues.

School Liaison

  • Serve as a liaison between school administrators and DCPNI to ensure effective collaboration.  Provide training, coaching and problem-solving to overcome obstacles for students and help to bolster coordination with overall DCPNI strategies.
  • Schedule school visits, meet with guidance counselors and teachers to discuss student academic progress

Resource Identification and Coordination

  • Monitor student progress in relation to student-centered academic plan and make decisions to support academic progress.  Make recommendations and referrals to schools, support teams, and families to key academic-support opportunities within the DCPNI network.

Program Coordination

  • Keep Community Engagement team informed and coordinated around student achievement plan.  Meet weekly with education team to review data, track progress, and identify actions to support student goals.  Work with the Early Learning Director, OST Program Manager and Academic Service Managers to track learning plans, facilitate academic case management and improve the process for all DCPNI students in their cohort.
  •  Distribute and review bi-weekly progress reports
  • Schedule weekly advisement/counseling sessions with students

Data Tracking

  • Responsible for keeping all data about DCPNI students up to date in ETO.  All contact, referrals, case-planning conversations, and progress will be maintained and up to date in the system.
  • Draft case notes to document student progress
  • Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities
This job has no supervisory responsibility.

COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

Adaptability – Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.

Attendance/Punctuality – Is consistently at work and on time; Ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; Arrives at meetings and appointments on time.

Dependability – Follows instructions, responds to management direction; Takes responsibility for own actions; Keeps commitments; Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.

Teamwork – Exhibits objectivity and openness to others’ views; Puts success of team above own interests; Supports everyone’s efforts to succeed.

Oral/Written Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations.

Listens and gets clarification.  Responds well to questions.  Writes clearly and informatively.  Varies writing style to meet needs.  Presents numerical data effectively.

QUALIFICATIONS
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.

Education and Experience

BA degree in education, human services or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.  Knowledge of Ward 7 and District of Columbia agencies and the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with Kenilworth-Parkside families.  Knowledge of or willingness to learn about the cultural and internal barriers to family success in raising college-ready children.  Highly Preferred Residence in Kenilworth-Parkside or Ward 7.

Other Qualifications

  • Ability to learn and grow through a professional development plan process.
  • Ability to use personal experience of living in poverty as a tool for helping others build success.
  • Strong commitment to expectation that children growing up in Kenilworth-Parkside can succeed in academics and college.

COMPUTER/TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
Ability to work with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and Outlook primarily in MAC and PC environments.  Ability to understand and effectively use technology and data management systems.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform successfully the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate, detect, converse with, discern, convey, express oneself and exchange information. The employee is frequently required to remain in a stationary position at an office desk or table. The employee is occasionally required to move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine and computer printer.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include ability to view computer monitors, Smart Phones and related technology devices.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate within an office environment.

TO APPLY
Candidates interested in this position should submit a 1.) cover letter, 2.) resume, 3.) references, and 4.) salary history to Human Resources, at [email protected].  Please label the email subject Promise Advocate with your first name _last name. No phone calls, please or direct emails to staff.

Only those candidates who are self-motivated, forward-thinking, innovative and committed to social change need apply. DCPNI serves as an equal opportunity employer. Residents from the Kenilworth-Parkside community or greater Ward 7 are strongly encouraged to apply.