USCS Job Board Announcement

Director of Support Services (School Psychologist) Organization: Bronx Charter School for Children Type of Job: Administrator, Counselor Grades: Elementary School Application Deadline: 08/24/2009 Job Description: The Director of Support Services will develop and drive a comprehensive school-wide approach that fosters the resilience and learning of students, families and staff members. This individual will be responsible for addressing and reducing the barriers to academic success by implementing direct interventions with students, educating and supporting families and facilitating the growth of staff. Student Support Responsibilities: •Provide individual and group counseling to students with IEP mandates as well as at-risk determinations. •Address urgent matters and intervene in crises situations in accordance with BCSC protocol, working closely with leaders of the school. •Ensure the successful implementation of the BCSC social concern referral system, providing that all follow-up, communication and tracking efforts occur in a timely manner. •Refer students and their families to appropriate community agencies to arrange support for their social, psychological and developmental challenges. •Provide interventions to students to support the teaching process and to maximize learning and adjustment •Teach and assist students in developing effective ways to retain and process information and self-monitoring strategies or other cognitive skills. •Provide social and/or cognitive skills training for individual or groups of students (e.g., decision-making skills, refusal skills, and assertiveness). •Develop and implement prevention programs related to current social concerns (e.g., self-esteem, bullying, peer pressure) •Facilitate Child Study Team meetings and related efforts (assessment, observation, behavior plan development, external referrals), in order to effectively improve the academic, behavioral and emotional well being of struggling students. •Identify appropriate assessment tools, and evaluate students with respect to their social, psychological, and developmental needs. •Identify and assess the learning, development, and adjustment characteristics and needs of individuals and groups, as well as, the environmental factors that affect learning and adjustment. •Conduct assessments with consideration of the characteristics of the student or group of students (including ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, and handicapping considerations). Family Support: •Counsel students and parents as a family system •Educate families about available community services and programs •Identify families’ needs for utilizing outside resources and assists them in accessing these services •Establish partnerships and coordinate with supportive mental health and other relevant service agencies/hospital departments to arrange and improve family access to high-quality, comprehensive support services Staff Support: •Assess and address the in-service needs of teachers •Consult with and provide support and guidance to all staff members, in order to increase their sensitivity to the developmental, emotional and social pathways of students and help them to construct opportunities that foster resiliency and facilitate the learning and adjustment of individual students or groups of students. •Conduct in-service workshops for staff •Evaluate in-service activities to determine effectiveness. •Design professional development and wellness activities for educators, including new teacher group •Facilitate monthly solutions meetings and contribute to other culture-strengthening efforts •Supervise psychology/counselor interns Program and System Development, Implementation and Evaluation: •Contribute to the identification and arrangement of staff development and parent/guardian education opportunities and intervention efforts designed to prevent, manage and address student behavioral and emotional challenges, reduce risk factors and promote resiliency in families and manage stress. •Design procedures and methods for collecting program evaluation data (e.g. questionnaires, standardized tests, observation records) •Interpret and analyze data, both qualitative and quantitative, to assess student and system characteristics and program needs and generate recommendations •Apply knowledge of statistics to assist in analyzing and interpreting evaluation results Qualifications: Doctoral degree in psychology required, joint clinical and school psychology degree strongly preferred NYS license Training/work experience in an urban public school required Coursework in organizational psychology and program development strongly preferred Ability to interpret and utilize quantitative and qualitative data to drive and refine practice and program development Spanish-speaking required Knowledge of various consultant models and current research in psychology and education Awareness and experience developing and implementing programs that foster resiliency in students, families and school staff members Comprehensive assessment knowledge and skills in the areas of academic performance, social/emotional functioning, behavior, and organizational variables Salary & Benefits: Competitive