Director of Postsecondary Initiatives
Company: Intrinsic Schools
Location: Chicago
Posted on: January 27, 2023
Job Description:
Introduction to Intrinsic SchoolsIntrinsic Schools is a public
charter network whose mission is to create a revolutionary new
school model that prepares all students for postsecondary success
and world-changing endeavors. We offer a chance to make a unique
impact in urban education by creating an academic model that
leverages great teaching and the precision of technology to
personalize education for each student. At our Belmont campus, we
serve students in grades 7-12. At our downtown campus, we serve
students in grades 9-12. Our student demographics are 90% people of
color, 86% free and reduced lunch and 19% students with
disabilities.Why IntrinsicWe offer a chance to make a unique impact
in urban education by creating an academic model that leverages
great teaching and the precision of technology to personalize
education for each student. Our goal is to prepare all students for
post-secondary success as demonstrated by high quality student
work, growth on assessments and "noncognitive" factors such as
empathy, student identity, perseverance, and intellectual
curiosity.Our Postsecondary ModelWe individualize the postsecondary
process for each student, provide students with information needed
to make informed choices and celebrate all decisions: 4 year
college, 2 year college, workforce, Military, or service. We are
committed to helping each student create the best plan based on
their interests, skills, values, and finances. We have a
data-driven approach to college match and help students through
each step of the college application process. Finally, we believe
families are a crucial part of the postsecondary process and are
committed to involving parents, families, and other influencers in
the decision making process.In order to help students and families
make the best postsecondary decision, we believe in providing
enriching experiences throughout a student's academic career.
Students engage in C Day (a weekly choice day with club and
academic blocks), Student Led Conferences (quarterly check ins with
students, families, and the student's advisor), and Seminar courses
(9th, 11th, and 12th grade classes where students explore their
strengths, interests, and values while strategically planning their
academic future) in addition to other schoolwide enrichment
activities, field trips, events, and opportunities.Intrinsic offers
annual scholarships up to $5,000 to students who attend schools
with graduation rates of 67%+. Intrinsic also offers loan
forgiveness to alumni who attend schools with a graduation rate of
67%+ and meet certain academic requirements.The
OpportunityIntrinsic's Belmont Campus graduated our first class in
2017, and our Downtown Campus will graduate our first class in the
spring of 2023. 90% of our students choose college, with ---- of
them choosing 4-year college. We have strategic college partners
who offer our students strong financial aid packages as well as
workforce development partners who offer our students job placement
in competitive fields. We have a strong team of collaborative and
mission-driven counselors and time-tested systems for data
collection and analysis. We are now ready for new leadership to
push our team towards two big goals:
- Get even smarter about where we are sending our students of all
academic ranges
- Create partnerships with strategic competitive schools outside
of the Midwest
- Create partnerships with scholarship programs and funders to
eliminate financial barriers for families
- Continue to identify college partners for students at all GPA
ranges, especially students with less competitive GPAs, to ensure
that all students have affordable and supportive college
options.
- Broaden our college visit opportunities
- Invest families in the process as early as possible
- Create network-wide momentum around Competitive Access
- Inform Intrinsic teachers and staff about college and career
access trends
- Motivate Intrinsic teachers and staff to support and encourage
students to earn strong grades and take more competitive
courses
- Collaborate with network leaders to offer more rigorous
coursework, particularly in 12th grade
- Champion our competitive access metrics in all conversations
and spacesJob DescriptionThe Director of Postsecondary Initiatives
is the most senior leader at Intrinsic focused on the core of our
mission: to prepare all students for postsecondary success and
world-changing endeavors. The Director of Postsecondary Initiatives
serves on the senior leadership team at Intrinsic and reports to
the CEO. Through their leadership, Intrinsic will have two of the
best non-selective high schools in Chicago, seeing students
matriculate to colleges and careers that will empower them to have
choice-filled lives. Additionally, the Director of Postsecondary
Initiatives will serve as a leader in the national education
community, collaborating with a national network of practitioners
and sharing Intrinsic's practices to the benefit of hundreds of
thousands of students around the country.Responsibilities
include:
- Lead the Postsecondary Teams at both our Belmont and Downtown
Campuses
- Manage and support the Heads of Counseling
- Maintain and/or create systems to ensure students are on track
for strong postsecondary plans (strong college lists, application
completion, FAFSA completion, strategic scholarship applications,
verification and appeals processes, decision making,
matriculation)
- Collaborate with principals on key school issues
- Maintain network accounts and databases (Overgrad, National
Student Clearinghouse, SalesForce, etc)
- Manage 1-2 direct reports. Team roles and responsibilities to
be designed after the Director is in place to allow for input. Team
responsibilities will include:
- Ensure that 80% of all Intrinsic students have participated in
an enrichment program by the time of graduation
- Provide opportunities for parents to engage with and lean about
the postsecondary process
- Plan and execute key exploration events (Networking Night,
college fairs, college visits)
- Collaborate with network leadership
- Apply knowledge of changing college and career landscape to
ensure both campuses have the most informed policies and practices
to reach our goals (including but not limited to grading
philosophy, transcripts, school profiles, competitive access
metrics, college-going mindsets)
- Share knowledge and expertise across Intrinsic on topics
relating to college completion and career success. This includes
advising Principals, other senior leaders, and Intrinsic staff
- Create strategic college and career partnerships
- Identify partners who will best serve our students after
graduation socially, academically, and financially
- Attend local, state, and national conferences to represent
Intrinsic and maintain our reputation and presence in these
spacesOur ideal candidate is:
- Compelling: Has a track record of influencing, motivating,
leading, and uniting others toward a common mission. 5+ years of
management experience preferred.
- Personable: Can build relationships across lines of difference
with students, families, staff members, senior leaders, and
partners.
- Experienced: Has 5+ years of experience in the college access
and success space (high school, CBO, private, or higher
education)
- Analytical: Has a strong command of data analysis, including
building and interpreting reports in Google Sheets or Excel.
- Innovative: Unafraid to find creative solutions to complex
problems facing students, families, and schools in times of
uncertainty and opportunity.Application Process
- Candidates should apply to all positions of interest through
the job posting .
- After you apply you will be contacted by a member of the
Intrinsic Recruitment Team.Equal Opportunity EmployerIntrinsic
Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Intrinsic Schools ensures
equal employment opportunities regardless of race, creed, gender,
color, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or
disability. Intrinsic Schools has a policy of active recruitment of
qualified minority teachers and non-certified employees. Any
individual needing assistance in making an application for any
opening should contact the Department of Human Resources.
Keywords: Intrinsic Schools, Chicago , Director of Postsecondary Initiatives, Executive , Chicago, Illinois
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