College and Career Instructor (26-27)

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

About KIPP Texas Public Schools

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a free, public charter school network with more than 45 Pre-K - 12 schools across Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. With over 30 years in Texas, we work together with our families and communities to prepare students for college, career, and beyond! Our schools provide a high-quality, well-rounded education built on academic success and personal growth, where all students learn and thrive in a productive, safe, and joyful way!

As one of the earliest charter networks in Texas—founded in Houston in 1994 and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018—we hire dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join a Team and Family with an unwavering commitment to creating classrooms, offices, and communities rooted in academic success and joy. If you are passionate about joining a mission-driven community that wants every child to "run to school," the KIPP Texas Team and Family is for you!

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of public charter schools that prepares students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 278 schools with nearly 16,500 educators and 190,000 students and alumni .

***Job Status: Please note that this is a general posting for current and potential future opportunities. At this time, there may or may not be a vacancy. We are collecting applications on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply. Your application will be reviewed and considered for any opportunity that matches your skills and experience. Please be aware that you may not receive communication regarding next steps until an aligned opportunity becomes available. We appreciate your interest in the role and KIPP Texas.***

The College & Career Instructor is responsible for developing and teaching a college and career curriculum for high school juniors, which will support students in exploring and preparing for their post-secondary plan that helps them achieve their career of highest aspiration. In addition to teaching juniors, the College & Career Instructor is also responsible for building relationships and working with fellow teachers, school’s leadership team, local partner organizations and college / universities to ensure our students engage in experiences that help them expand their knowledge, connect them to resources, and develop and strengthen the skills they need to successfully matriculate to and thrive in their post-secondary education and beyond. It is the ultimate goal of the KIPP Forward department, through guidance, exposure and education, to ensure that all graduates have the ability to maintain success in their academic, professional, and personal lives.

This role is an ideal opportunity for a highly motivated, collaborative, results-driven and service minded leader with a passion for seeing others embrace their potential to live a fulfilling life.

Duties and Essential Job Functions:
● Teach a Postsecondary and Career Readiness Course focusing on self-exploration, goal setting, test prep, and college and career research and planning
○ Responsible for supporting KIPP juniors through rigorous and thoughtful lesson planning, lesson execution and classroom management
○ Collect, analyze and respond to student college and career data and classroom exit tickets to revise lesson content and priorities
○ Support students in registering for standardized tests and grounding them on the way
○ Foster a supportive learning environment within the classroom
○ Participate on the grade level leadership team
○ Other duties as assigned by the School Leadership Team

● Postsecondary and Career Counseling, Access and Knowledge development
○ Advise and coach all students, including students with unique circumstances , in a classroom setting
○ Create access to postsecondary resources and exposure opportunities
○ Write recommendations for students applying to scholarships, summer enrichment programs and eventually college
○ Schedule one-on-one meetings to learn about the families’ goals, needs and aspirations and introduce the Postsecondary Match and Career Exploration processes
○ Provide family engagement workshops related to postsecondary access and match
○ Support college and career programming including college visits (overnight or day), career site visits and speakers, college and career fairs, financial aid workshops, postsecondary and career readiness workshops to educate students and parents

● Collaborate with the KIPP Forward Team and other stakeholders to track and report data for support Postsecondary Access
○ Maintain consistent communication on students’ data progress with key stakeholders including: KIPP Foundation, KIPP Forward team, School and regional leadership, along with students and families
○ Collaborate with High School Leadership team to provide rigorous test prep and progress monitor ACT/SAT growth throughout junior year
○ Utilize various student management platforms to track, progress monitor and submit student data
○ Progress monitor all KIPP Forward postsecondary access goals including, but not limited to, YouScience Career assessment, FAFSA4Caster, balanced wishlists, summer enrichment applications, college application essays, Letters of Recommendation collection, and student and family one-on- ones
○ Attend, and actively participate in, all staff meetings, including weekly meetings with the Director of KIPP Postsecondary Match to discuss progress, prepare lessons, submit reports, etc.
○ Develop positive, appropriate relationships with fellow KIPP Texas staff members and teachers, viewing each other as teammates and professional colleagues
○ Responsibilities associated with this position may shift, expand and grow based on the regional needs of the organization

Required Education and Experience:
● Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution

Preferred Education and Experience:
● Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution
● At least 2 years prior experience teaching high school students 
● Experience working with high school students and their families in the college counseling field, strongly preferred

Preferred Licensure/Certification/Specialized Training:
● Professional development course on college and career readiness and success, is essential

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
● Resilience, strong work ethic and outcomes oriented—demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities under stress and follow through, despite sometimes tight or back to back deadlines
● Previous experience in using data to drive decision making strongly
● Comfort with working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
● Strong interpersonal skills; Ability to work with a wide-range of people including teachers, parents, students, alumni, corporate partners, vendors and admissions personnel
● Ability to project plan, organize, and prioritize, with a collaborative spirit
● Fast learner with the ability to inquire and be open to feedback
● Proven written and verbal communication skills
● Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, but not required

Physical Requirements:
• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a cell phone, copy machine and computer printer.
• Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.
• Communicating with others to exchange information.
• Must be able to lift and carry or otherwise move up to 20 pounds occasionally.

Work Environment:
● Able to meet school schedule (i.e. 7:30am-4/5pm - depending on Professional Development days)
● Able to work evenings, holidays and weekends as necessary

Travel Requirements:
● Able to travel to other KIPP campuses for Professional Development, and chaperon students to college/university campuses and career site visits
● Able to travel for home visits with alumni and families as necessary

What We Bring to the Table: 

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with coverage options for employees and their families. 

• Competitive vacation and flexible paid time off (PTO) policies.

• Paid family leave.

• Flexible spending account or high-yield HSA.

• Employee assistance programs. 

• KIPP also offers the following employee-paid benefits: legal plans, LifeLock identity protection, life insurance and disability insurance.

EEO: 

KIPP Texas is an Equal Opportunity Employer. KIPP Texas ensures equal employment opportunities regardless of race, creed, gender, color, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, or disability. Any individual needing assistance in making an application for any opening should contact the Talent Team.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job duties. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment