FACE Coordinator

Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) serves 5,300 students in 11 schools and employs nearly 1000

people. This is an exciting time of change and transformation at HPS. Although there are many strengths within the District and many students graduate college and career ready, last year, HPS was placed in receivership by the State of Massachusetts, due to chronically struggling performance well below the state average. The State appointed Anthony Soto, a , as Receiver, to continue this exciting turnaround effort, which includes significant autonomy and flexibility from the traditional school system. For more information about the HPS Turnaround Plan, please visit: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/turnaroundplan.htm.

Job Description

The FACE Coordinator will build school and district capacity to expand and deepen relationships with families, develop key community partnerships to enhance family-school relationships, as well as support parent involvement, voice and leadership development. A key goal of this position will be to support parents in strengthening their efforts to support their child’s learning and at home and to support school staff in strengthening parent involvement and communications. The HPS turnaround plan requires the implementation of a cohesive district-wide strategy to rebuild trust and strengthen the relationship with HPS families.

The FACE Coordinator will report to the FACE Team Lead assigned/ Building Principal. FACE Coordinators are based at a school and work in collaboration with school-based leaders (e.g. principals, teachers, culture and climate teams, etc.) to serve the needs of families at that school, but also work with other Family & Community Engagement team members (e.g. other coordinators, Family Connectors, Attendance Officer) on district-wide initiatives. The FACE Coordinator is expected to work with a flexible schedule to attend to meetings and family events taking place outside of school hours. This is a highly visible position serving the school community and interfacing with families and outside agencies.

Responsibilities

• Facilitating School-Home Alignment
• Identify and implement capacity-building strategies to support teachers, school leaders, and other school staff to expand or strengthen family engagement efforts and mechanisms to enhance parent voice, leadership and feedback
• Design, support, lead or coordinate periodic school-based and district-wide family activities (educational workshops, fun nights, cultural celebrations, community outreach, etc.), in collaboration with school and district leaders and staff. Integrate HELI “On Track for Literacy” indicators in family activities whenever possible.
• Support teachers and other school staff to understand family and community context and resources

• Lead educational workshops and coaching for parents and volunteers on different subjects, particularly around academic progress, early literacy, educational policy and regulations, special education, ELL, parent leadership, etc.
• Promoting Welcoming & Inclusive School Communities
• Support school communications with families (including translation and interpretation of parent communications, excluding IEP meetings) and facilitate parent feedback
• Implement and strengthen a robust system for regular information-sharing with families, particularly related to navigating the school system, district policies and procedures, events, and opportunities for parent involvement
• Implement focused efforts to establish strong connections with Pre-K and Kindergarten families
• Recruit, manage and support parent volunteers to address school needs and initiatives and develop their leadership skills
• Work collaboratively with school Site Council or parent leader groups
• Maintain updated resource and information sites for families at the school
• Attend regular meetings of the District Parent Advisory Group
• Providing Interventions & Support
• Assist in the implementation of the attendance policy and communicate with families regarding attendance and punctuality issues
• Conduct home visits, as required to support specific cases, and coordinate and support home visits by teachers and school leaders
• Assist designated groups of families in need of special support, through light case management, referrals and liaison work with community agencies
• Lead or assist with family outreach for different HPS initiatives, such as the annual Panorama
• Family Survey, summer learning programs or vacation academies, etc.
• Participation as needed in School Site Council, Student Support Team, and Climate and Culture
• Team, or other instances that require family engagement or involvement at each school
• Facilitating Community Partnerships to Support Schools & Families
• Develop and manage key community partnerships that support student learning and family engagement at each school
• Support district-wide collaborations and initiatives to increase family engagement in early literacy (HELI), Pre-K expansion, educational equity (Holyoke Education Equity Coalition), among others
• Lead community outreach efforts to mobilize resources to support students and families
• Other duties as assigned by the Team Lead or School Administrator

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED Required; Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Bilingual abilities in English/Spanish required (speaking, reading, writing)
• Documented ability to mobilize community resources to support families or community efforts.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of local and regional community conditions and dynamics, resources, services, leaders and partners and relevant relationships.
• Solid understanding of the needs of the diverse families residing in Holyoke and experience working in multicultural settings. Cultural competence in Puerto Rican/Latino communities is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate well orally and in writing, persuade and develop leadership in others, and work well with multiple stakeholders (school staff, parents, community leaders)
• Abilities to work independently and be a self-starter
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible and to work and deliver results as part of multiple teams
• Excellent computer skills and working knowledge of electronic communication, word processing and spreadsheets, and ability to navigate student database software, as well as, general office equipment operation such as phones, fax, copier, etc.

Expectations

• Commitment to HPS values, and an unwavering belief that all students can excel
• Solid commitment to support HPS families’ lifelong learning, and strengthen their trust in and partnership with the schools and the district
• Demonstrate positive interpersonal relationships with students, staff, parents, and community members
• Ability and willingness to learn a wide variety of tasks required in the promotion of school-family relationships and school office operations
• Attend staff, school and district meetings and professional development opportunities
• Commitment to high performance standards in a general school office or professional office environment:
• Demonstrate punctuality, good attendance, solid work planning and organization, and work ethic for all duties assigned
• Collect, document, organize and analyze data and files related to family engagement, attendance and community partnerships in a timely manner.
• Organize the workspace area for efficiency, safety and appearance.
• Appreciation, consistent practice, and understanding of outstanding customer service
• Ability to multi-task and manage time efficiently, with the flexibility to meet the varying needs of parents, school staff, students, community partners, and office visitors
• Commitment to accuracy, timeliness, attention to detail and follow through to meet deadlines and commitments
• Ability and commitment to maintain confidentiality of data and interactions for students, parents and staff
• Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in different situations


Equal Opportunity Employer

Holyoke Public Schools is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from

discrimination on the basis of a person's race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin,

ancestry, age, sex, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.


Salary Range

43,000 - 45,000