Regional RP/SAWS Specialist (SY26-27)

Boston Public Schools•Boston, MA

16h

About The Position

BPS Succeed Boston @ the Counseling & Intervention Center (Succeed) provides Tier 2 (voluntary prevention and education workshops) and Tier 3 (Code of Conduct infractions) services to students in grades 1-12. The trauma informed model includes individual and group counseling, substance use education and treatment, use of restorative practices, and academics. The curricula includes social emotional skill building, bullying and violence prevention, anger management and conflict resolution education that increases students' ability to assess risk, consider potential consequences, and improve decision-making. In addition to direct student work, Succeed leads the district’s Restorative Practices, Bullying Prevention and Intervention work including professional development, operation of the Safe Space and Bullying Prevention hotline and assures adherence to and accountability for reporting protocols and policy development. Self-reported data, at the beginning and end of programming, shows that 92% of students who attend Succeed report feeling positive about the intervention; are more engaged at school and have increased pro-social skills. This position fits in with the district’s shift to support schools in a regional model. Regional RP SAWS Specialists will work collaboratively with other Regional staff to ensure equitable and accessible support for school leaders and support staff. The Regional RP/SAWS Specialist aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of practices that contribute to positive school climate and pro-social youth development, including relationship building, restorative practices, decreased suspensions, prevention of aggression, bullying, bias-based speech and behavior, dropout and substance use. Addressing and preventing exclusionary practices that disproportionately impact students who are Black and Brown, students who receive special education services and are ELL is a primary focus of the work. The Specialist will deliver professional development and coaching specific to restorative practices, bullying prevention and intervention and alternatives to suspensions. The RP SAWS Specialist uses data and research to assess needs, assist schools in making strategic decisions, and evaluate progress in the area of school climate, decreasing suspensions and youth development. The Specialists' approach is focused on prevention and building capacity at the school level through work with their school’s Student Success Teams (SST’s), Climate Teams, Administrative Team Members and Regional Leads. The Specialist is also responsible for co-constructing, designing and continuously improving a framework and developing or identifying tools, providing technical assistance that provide clear policies and practices to build the capacity of schools, inclusive of all youth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Relevant Field
License in a related field
Five years successful experience in an urban school system
Bullying prevention and intervention training
Training, understanding of the principles and demonstrated use of restorative practices
Understanding of mental health and behavioral issues, most notably PTSD
Successful use of trauma-informed practices
Effective written and oral communication skills with students, families, teachers and administrators
Demonstrated growth toward cultural literacy
Experience working collaboratively with school administrators, direct service providers, families, students, and outside partners
Demonstrated problem solving, communication and organizational skills
Demonstrated ability to provide programmatic information via group presentations
Ability and willingness to work outside the traditional school day
Demonstrated successful practice with diverse student groups
Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of CLSP
Demonstrated ability to work with teams in a cross collaboration environment

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in Related Field
BPS values linguistic diversity and believes that candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity.
BPS is particularly interested in candidates who are fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, & Somali.
Experience and understanding of Cooperative Discipline
Respect for all children and their families through an asset-based lens
Willingness to serve as an advocate for all children
Experience and demonstrated ability using restorative practices
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing curriculum
Knowledge and demonstrated practice of progressive discipline
Familiarity and understanding of the Boston Public Schools Code of Conduct

Responsibilities

Provide push in surround care support to school leaders and staff to design and implement culturally and linguistically sustaining restorative practices that address the individual needs of the school.
Build capacity for in school program development through modeling, individualized action Planning, professional development and for school staff to work/train collaboratively.
Cultivate school climate and culture teams through the use and integration of Restorative Practices
Work collaboratively with regional staff (i.e. OLs, School Superintendents, SOAs, DSWs) to:
Provide and organize staff for quarterly regional meetings for shared practices.
Support the practitioner's arc of learning through differentiated support that includes modeling and problem solving.
Conduct school climate assessments and consultations to identify areas of work in each school to which they are assigned.
Increase capacity for schools to develop and deepen in school support for students involved in lower level Code infractions through the delivery of adult facing professional development and resources that will be applied in a progressive and restorative way.
Promote student learning and engagement by supporting schools in developing and maintaining safe, welcoming, restorative, healing, inclusive and enriching environments.
Develop, monitor and provide support related to restorative practices, bullying prevention and intervention
Develop, deliver PD and provide coaching to school teams, students and familiesrelated to Restorative Practices and Bullying Prevention and Intervention
Work collaboratively to build capacity in schools related to restorative practices and bullying prevention through the use of a cohort model that integrates current, relevant and accurate content knowledge
Differentiate instructional strategies e.g. modeling, and providing individualized coaching to teachers to meet the needs of all learners
Demonstrate and monitor effective classroom management
Work collaboratively with other District leads to ensure students have central roles in holding self and others accountable for behavioral expectations, including roles in resolving conflict, using restorative language and practices and eliminating bullying and harassment
Provide Central Office PD to build capacity and understanding of restorative language and practices and bullying prevention and intervention
Model, teach and provide opportunities for students to recognize, understand, and develop ways to respond to differences in culture, race, language, class, gender and sexual orientation
Recognize students’ strengths and explicitly modeling and supporting teachers in teaching students how to identify their own strengths and use them to build new knowledge
Model and support the use of restorative language and practices
Explain material in a clear and focused manner
Treat all students and staff with fairness, respect and consistency
Contribute to the creation of an environment in which students function with a sense of purpose and understand what is expected of them
Provide services to achieve both the short and long-term objectives of the program
Maintain accurate records and process notes
Work as a team member to ensure delivery of high quality intervention across environments
Participate as needed in regularly scheduled team or school meetings
Engage in activities that contribute to one’s performance in the teaching/learning situation (e.g., participates in professional organizations, responds to in-service and professional growth opportunities in terms of personal and student improvement)
Maintain privacy of all student/staff and school specific information
Other duties as assigned by the Senior Director
Maintain regular attendance in conformity with the rules and regulations of BPS
Maintain punctuality in all matters pertaining to the professional role