Company Description

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 285 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 175,000 students and alumni with more than 15,000 educators. 

Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently educates 2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth. With a mission to, together with families and the community, create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose -- college, career, and beyond -- KIPP has maintained excellence in its growth, and will improve upon that standard – proving what is possible in public education.

KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top schools for academic growth of any school in the state of Ohio, and is a top performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In our first three graduating classes (in spring 2020, 2021, and 2022) 100% of students were accepted to college and/or military service with nearly $40 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with nearly 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, offering more than 10 varsity sports. 

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy as we expand to educate nearly 4,000 students on our learning campus in the coming years. 

Interested in learning more about our school? Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity

The Senior School Psychologist at KIPP Columbus provides crucial support and services to students with disabilities. In this role, educators will have the opportunity to work with a caseload of students in grades K-12, across KIPP Columbus’ schools. The primary focus areas of the Senior School Psychologist are to assess and identify KIPPsters eligible for special education or gifted services, assist school teams with their RtI process, and work in collaboration with other service providers and student services team members to ensure a high quality continuum of services is available to all KIPPsters. 

Job Description

• The Senior School Psychologist will be licensed by ODE and the Ohio Board of Psychology and will hold a doctoral level education with a minimum of 5 years experience as a School Psychologist. A summary of responsibilities include, but not limited to: 
• Conduct psychological and academic assessments and collect and interpret student and classroom data
• Support teachers in providing individualized instruction and interventions and progress monitoring
• Promote positive student and classroom behavior while encouraging student motivation/engagement
• Improve students’ development, including communication, social skills and social-emotional learning
• Assess students' emotional and behavioral needs; provide individual/group counseling
• Promote problem-solving, anger management, resilience and conflict resolution
• Provide individual and group counseling
• Coordinate services with community-based providers
• Provide culturally responsive services to students and families from diverse backgrounds
• Assess diverse learning needs and modify or adapt curricula and instruction
• Plan appropriate individualized education programs for students with disabilities
• Monitor and effectively communicate with parents about student progress 
• Implement school wide positive behavioral supports, positive discipline and restorative justice
• Assess school climate and improve school connectedness
• Identify at-risk students and school vulnerabilities; prevent bullying and other forms of violence
• Provide crisis prevention and intervention services; Help families understand children’s learning and emotional needs
• Connect families with community service providers when necessary
• Enhance staff understanding of and responsiveness to diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Assist in navigating special education processes
• Generate, collect and interpret useful student and school outcomes data
• Collect and analyze data on risk and protective factors related to student outcomes
• Plan services at the district, building, classroom and individual levels

In addition, the Senior School Psychologist will supervise masters level School Psychologists in training as a source of internship hours

• Recruit newly licensed Masters level School Psychologists to join the KIPP team on the teacher contract
• Supervise newly licensed Masters level School Psychologists when they join KIPP
• Recruit psychology interns through local universities
• Develop additional partnerships with community mental health providers.

Qualifications

• Doctoral Degree
• Licensed by ODE and the Ohio Board of Psychology
• Active ODE Pupil Services License, 5-Year or Active ODE Temporary Pupil Services License - 1 Year, in the area of School Psychology, with the intent to pursue a 5 year license within the school year of hire
• Minimum of 5 years experience as a School Psychologist
• Experience in analyzing student data and using data to inform the development of specialized services 
• Ability to persevere with a sense of optimism, strong problem solving skills, and desire to learn and grow in a collaborative professional learning community
• Willingness, and commitment, to go above and beyond to prove the possible with students.
• Ability to multi-task and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Extreme flexibility, with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high levels of responsibility and multiple priorities
• Model the values of KIPP Columbus (Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility, and Empathy) 

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurances as well various voluntary benefits (such as short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, and participation in the Ohio SERS/STRS retirement plan.) We also offer seasons of life support with 10 weeks paid maternity leave and 4 weeks paid spousal leave/adoption leave.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.