Academic Specialist

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) — a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York — seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Academic Specialist to aid the Academic Support Unit (ASU).

The Academic Specialist will bring a passion for the mission of Harlem Children’s Zone: break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life.

The Academic Specialist will join our ASU team that is responsible for the design and delivery of academic intervention services to students in HCZ programs who are academically at-risk/off-track for college admission. The ideal candidate will be a certified teacher and or master’s level teaching professional supporting the development of well-designed, standards-based afterschool programming at their designated programs to help ensure all children consistently have quality learning experiences in HCZ programs.

For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children’s Zone? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Know.

Requirements

• Commitment to HCZ’s mission, vision, and values
• Master’s Degree in education or related area with at least 4 years of teaching experience, or bachelor’s degree in Education or related field with at least 5 years of teaching experience with students in an urban/low-income community
• Teaching experience in an after-school setting is highly desirable

Who You Are

• Familiarity with best practices in curriculum building and lesson planning
• Knowledge of literacy and or STEM-based enrichment and lesson plan writing
• Knowledge of Standards-based instruction combined with an understanding of the challenges facing students in a low-income urban setting
• Strong communication skills, including clear and concise writing and speech, ability to adapt tone and level of details needed or appropriate for the targeted audience
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team, including understanding and interacting with individuals of diverse backgrounds, skills, and abilities
• Knowledge of research on college readiness and early warning indicators for students being off-track for college or at risk of failing or dropping out of school

What You’ll Do

Instructional Planning and Instruction

Lead the development and delivery of intensive learning interventions, individual and small groups, for all students who are academically at-risk/off-track (i.e., failing or at risk of failing one or more core classes, failing NYS Examinations, having 10% or more school absences, and or are under-credited for high school graduation).

• Design and or revise remedial units of instruction in core subjects (ELA, math, and social studies) to meet students’ needs, with special attention given to differentiation for individual strengths and weaknesses
• Oversee the delivery of instruction of the academic tutors through class observations
• Ensure that tutors provide appropriate learning interventions for students with special learning needs (e.g., students with IEP designation) and English Language Learners (ELLs)
• Teach selected classes, which could also serve as a lab site for tutors to observe best practices

Data Analysis and Assessment

Organize and analyze students’ academic performance data to determine students’ learning needs and strengths before the beginning and end of a program cycle, as well as after each marking period and or State examinations.

• Identify students for academic intervention and devise groupings according to needs
• Create assessments as needed and monitor student progress
• Prepare a summary report of assessed learning needs and discuss with the Program Director and management team, including the ACM, and Healthy Harlem Coordinators, for use in the development of additional academic intervention strategies
• Provide quantitative and qualitative student data reports to program and senior leadership on a monthly or quarterly basis, showing students’ attendance in on-site academic offerings, response to the instruction, and progress towards clearly defined benchmarks

Expansion of Academic Outreach

Collaborate with, and provide guidance and assistance to, the Program Director and management team, and Healthy Harlem Coordinators in the development of units, lessons, and activities to supplement students’ school instruction and to meet program academic goals and objectives.

• Assist in the design and frequency of co-curricular units - homework support units, subject-specific tutoring units, learning arts, and STEM enrichment
• Collaborate with coordinators to provide instructional guidance to teaching artists and activity specialists to aid them in the delivery of co-curricular and academic content
• Work with ACM Coordinators to identify or develop supplementary learning resources and strategies to support students’ learning and enrichment interests, including effective study habits, peer study groups, planning, and organizing schoolwork, note-taking, and other related strategies
• Identify and recommend resources needed to provide quality learning support programs and services
• Provide written feedback to program management to help ensure the integration of literacy and STEM-based learning and enrichment through well-designed standards-based afterschool programming, and to provide timely feedback on the development of lesson plans for all program elements

Management & Supervision

Oversee the hiring, coaching, and supervision of tutors and assigned instructional support staff. 

• Lead the selection of and onboarding process for tutors, as approved by the Program Director
• Conduct observations of instructional staff and provide written feedback and coaching to improve performance and support staff professional development
• Collaborating with Academic Specialists colleagues or Training Units to develop, deliver, and or source monthly professional development sessions for tutors and other instructional staff, including workshops, demonstration lessons, and ongoing one-on-one coaching
• Identify and attend at least five professional development sessions for teaching professionals and provide turnkey information when appropriate

Additional Support and Outreach Responsibilities

Work closely and collaboratively with program colleagues, public school partners, and appropriate HCZ departments and units.

• Closely monitor and advise ACM Coordinators and Student Advocates on learning interventions for students with special learning needs (e.g., students with IEP designation) and English Language Learners (ELLs).
• Work collaboratively with program teams and lead the academic aspects of transition planning for incoming 6th- and 9th-grade students to identify needed learning supports and other services related to students’ academic performance
• Collaborate with Academic Specialists colleagues to develop and coordinate standard and common academic support services for HCZ students who attend the same public (including Charter) schools; where possible, develop partnership agreements with schools to support students, including but not limited to negotiating credit recovery classes through summer remediation programs, providing HCZ on-site study-hall or school-based support, and or assigning an HCZ teaching assistant to a particular class or core subject for which a number of HCZ students are at-risk of failing
• Collaborate with program colleagues to design and co-facilitate components of parent and student meetings to discuss student performance, college-readiness standards, early warning, and at-risk indicators, and HCZ’s supplemental academic and enrichment programs and strategies to support students’ learning needs and college readiness
• Participate in program special events, staff meetings, and other program events

Schedule

• Monday - Friday, 11 AM - 7 PM

Benefits

Benefits

As a member of the Harlem Children's Zone team, you will join a supportive and inclusive community dedicated to helping children, families — and our staff — thrive. We offer highly competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for growth.

Our exceptional full- time benefits include: 

• Highly competitive base salaries
• Paid time off 
• Employee referral bonus 
• Career advancement
• No-cost health insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-and long-term disability
• Additional voluntary benefits
• Wellness discounts
• Commuter benefits
• Financial wellness perks
• Additional Benefits (Discounts on flights, hotels, theme parks, concert tickets, and more.)

The salary range for this position is $62,000 to $67,000 per year. To be considered, interested applicants should apply directly through the posting. No telephone inquiries or recruiters, please. Replies will only be sent to qualified applicants. Harlem Children's Zone is an EOE.