Job Description
Full job description
About CSS
Center for Supportive Schools (CSS) is an anti-racist, fast-paced, collegial, and team-oriented
organization wholly committed to helping schools become places where students want to be. Our work
directly addresses student disengagement, a root cause of diminished academic performance, students
dropping out of school, and other high-risk student behaviors. We partner with schools in three areas:
developing all students into leaders; empowering teachers to collaborate with each other and with
students; and engaging entire school communities to improve how learning happens.
CSS is driven by the vision that one day, all students will thrive in schools that graduate them prepared
for the rigors of college and lives filled with meaningful work, active citizenship, and personal
fulfillment.
We are committed to antiracism. Our vision for students will not be realized absent the dismantling of
systemic racism that permeates schools and society. Schools are not safe, supportive, engaging, and
inspiring unless they address all areas of marginalization and eradicate all the many interconnected
forms of oppression. CSS's focus on antiracism results from the outsized role that racism has played in
shaping the United States and its institutions, from the fact that racism intersects with all other forms of
oppression and given that which we learn and develop-tools, frameworks, resources-in dismantling
racism can be leveraged to abolish all other forms of oppression.
Founded in 1979, we are a national organization currently impacting 65,000 students annually and
committed to supporting every K-12 school in the country. Most of our partners are economically
disadvantaged communities where the consequences of student disengagement can be most
devastating.
For more information, please visit For more information about CSS's commitment to antiracism, please visit
About Community Schools
Community Schools offer a holistic approach toward improving academic performance driven by
strong, collaborative partnerships among principals, parents, teachers, and many other organizations. In
Community Schools, parents are active partners in their children's education. Each student is
connected to a mentor, club, academic services and/or social services. The school climate is joyful and
positive. Extended school days or weekend classes are commonplace. An integral part of this approach
is the blending of school- and community-based services into the school day, including health, mental
health, counseling, and academic enrichment.
Community Schools across New York City and Jersey City are instrumental in helping schools catch
up or leap ahead, and in putting all of our students on the path to four-year colleges and long-term
careers. Our delivery of the Community Schools strategy enables CSS to help students achieve success
through: Meaningful family involvement in decision making around student needs
Meaningful interactions with community-based services and programs
Maximization of academic programming, college and career preparation, and extended weekend
and afterschool programming
Robust data monitoring and attendance taking practices
The Role
The full-time Director of Program Impact & Continuous Improvement, Community Schools Strategy,
will lead the data and impact evaluation strategy for community schools in partnership with the
Executive Director, Community Schools Strategy. This role provides support, execution, and
leadership for the evaluation and understanding of, as well as supporting the continued development of
CSS's community school strategy. Working closely with the Executive Director of Community School
Strategy, this role will provide support with data and project management, while enhancing the
evaluation process of the community school programs at across our community school sites. This role
will actively assess the impact of CSS's community school strategy. This involves documenting best
practices, assisting senior leadership in strategy development, offering technical support to CSDs,
facilitating internal professional development initiatives, and developing tools and resources to
evaluate and communicate our impact within schools and ensuring fidelity. Additionally, the leader in
this role will offer expertise and partnership across functions within the organization, aligned with
strategic priorities of the community schools portfolio.
In partnership with the Executive Director, Community Schools Strategy, the Director of Program
Impact & Continuous Improvement, Community Schools Strategy will lead the analysis of program
impact across community schools and steward the scaling of best practices to drive continuous
improvement efforts not only within our schools and but also within the community school team's
internal systems.
Key Job Responsibilities
This person will engage in the following activities: Evaluate the practices in place to enhance student progress within the CSS community school
network, providing support where needed.
Coordinate and identify partnerships that will provide long-term support for sustainable community
schools programming in New York City.
Assist the Executive Director of Community School Strategy with organizing logistics for planning
special events, site visits and onboarding prospective partnerships.
Coordinate regular visits to various schools, document best practices, and support with the success
of key initiatives like Student Success Team meetings, Community School Team meetings, family
night events, parent-teacher conferences, Parent-Teacher Association meetings, Community School
Forums, grade team meetings, Community School Director (CSD) and principal/leadership
meetings, School Leadership Team meetings, and other school-related gatherings.
Consistently assess quantitative and qualitative data to identify both successful areas and
challenges within individual schools and across the CSS community school network for continuous
improvement initiatives.
Create data snapshots that provide community schools and external partners with visual
representations of the impact of the community school initiatives.
Create and maintain data systems that showcase the overall impact of CSS's community school
strategy across schools.
Support with researching and networking with school districts across the country.
Establish systems to track the performance of community school partners who work with CSS to
provide contracted services in community schools.
Steward the development of toolkits and other centralized resources to support the standardization
and consistency of best practice implementation across the community school network, serving as a
foundation for community school replicability.
Develop customizable data trackers and conduct data analysis for Attendance, Enrollment, Student
Engagement Efforts, Family Engagement, and Academic Outcomes.
Support the yearly implementation of thorough needs and asset assessment processes in community
schools. Assist in analyzing findings and collaborate with the ED on developing action plans.
Provide hands-on support tailored to the specific requirements of community schools based on
well-researched best practices.
Support the development of CSS's community schools as a defined, distinct, and connected
network of community schools.
Provide capacity building to community school team members to develop data analysis and data
visualization skills across the team. Engage in thought partnership with CSDs to support the
planning of data collection and tracking.
The leader in this role will be expected to facilitate cross collaborative efforts and initiatives, including
but not limited to the following: Collaborate with the CSS Advancement Team colleagues to collect relevant data for fundraising
messaging, external partnership engagement, and special visits to advance philanthropic
investments.
Collaborate with the Program Impact team to create, enhance, and ensure alignment of data
systems that assess the impact of the community school solutions framework across all partner
schools and systems.
Collaborate with the Program Impact Team colleagues to identify capacity building opportunities
and best practices among Community Schools Strategy colleagues and CSS program offerings.
Partner with colleagues throughout the Community Schools Strategy team to support messaging on
social media, grant reports, and other promotional materials and/or publications, with CSS External
Affairs and Engagement colleagues.
Other special projects as assigned.
Qualifications and Experience
Education: Bachelor's degree required
Professional Experiences: The candidate has 5-7 years of professional experience working in
public service industries. such as education, social services, and/or public policy.
In addition, the candidate has the following experience and/or has demonstrated the following
attributes: Experience with school-based program evaluation
Ability to establish connections with schools and experience in fostering partnerships with a
multitude of schools
Proficiency in analyzing and crafting data visualizations to represent student and school data
Understanding of continuous improvement practices and team-based change management
Ability to work effectively with school aged youth, educators, families and communities from a
wide range of cultural, social and economic backgrounds
Experience working in school-based settings, with knowledge about tenets of community
organizing, student support services, and youth development theories
Knowledgeable in issues related to K-12 schools and education reform at a national level
Knowledgeable in student support services
Experience in program implementation is desirable
Personal Qualities/Skills: The candidate for this role will possess a wealth of knowledge on
education in urban areas, with a strong understanding of research, evaluation, and data collection
methods. They should excel in problem-solving, planning, and prioritizing tasks, embodying an
ambitious spirit with a willingness to dive in and get things done. Experience in education reform and
supporting students is crucial, along with the ability to thrive in a demanding environment while
juggling multiple projects. Interpersonal skills are key, as the candidate should be adept at building
relationships both within the organization and our network of partnering community schools.
Additionally, experience in research, such as co-authoring reports, creating data reports, and crafting
narratives about community school initiatives, will be highly valued in this role.
The candidate will also demonstrate the following characteristics:
Excellent listening, writing, and speaking skills.
Highly effective time-management, goal setting, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
Ability to gather, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information from various sources.
Strong public speaking and group facilitation skills
Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively
Flexibility, resourcefulness, and willingness to work evenings and weekends when required for
successful and timely completion of projects
Ability to use discretion and judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information
Knowledge of and an enthusiastic commitment to the organization's mission, solutions, and
offerings
Ability to work collaboratively, with strong relationship building skills
Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, Google Suite, Adobe, and website design
Location
The Director of Program Impact & Continuous Improvement, Community Schools Strategy will be
based in New York City / Jersey City. Occasional travel (< 20%) throughout CSS's Northeast region
and elsewhere is expected. This is a hybrid role with school-based support and office-based work
required.
Work Environment/Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working at a computer, including participating in virtual
videoconference meetings
Communicating with others in writing and verbally to exchange information
Traveling long distances by plane/car
Compensation and Benefits
The anticipated starting date for this position is December 16, 2024. The annual salary range for this
position is $80,000-$85,000 per year. CSS offers the following benefits:
Comprehensive and competitive benefits plan, including health, dental, vision, flexible spending
accounts, health reimbursement accounts, commuter and transit accounts for employees who meet
the eligibility requirements
403(b) plan with employer match
Generous paid time off
Paid holidays and winter break
Flexible work option based on job role eligibility
Employee Assistance Program
Reduced schedule on Fridays during summer months
Phone stipend
To Apply
Interested candidates are requested to apply by emailing a cover letter and CV/rsum to
resumes@supportiveschools.org. Please include (1) the title of the position in the subject line of your
email and (2) where you found the position posting in your cover letter. If possible, please email all
documents in PDF format. Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) are strongly
encouraged to apply. NYC Department of Education fingerprinting and background clearances will be
required, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination from a WHO approved vaccine (two doses of
Pfizer, two doses of Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson.)
Center for Supportive Schools is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring and
dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and equity in its work and staff. CSS's Equal Employment
Opportunity and Affirmative Action related policies are available upon request.
Job Tags
Holiday work, Full time, Summer work, Remote job, Long distance, Flexible hours, Night shift, Weekend work, Afternoon shift,