Job description

Who We Are

Launching the first public charter school network to serve the incredibly vibrant and diverse South Nashville community, in 2010 our team set out to do what everyone told our Founder couldn’t be done: provide a rigorous, inquiry-based STEM education for Nashville’s structurally underrepresented subgroups, preparing each student, regardless of home language or immigration status, to graduate from college. Nearly a decade after our doors opened to our founding 5th grade class, we operate two fully built out high-performing schools serving the highest percentage of limited english proficiency students in our sector: STEM Prep Academy Middle School (grades 5-8) and STEM Prep High School (grades 9-12). In 2014, we expanded our impact to launch one of the largest newcomer programs in the country, the Nashville Newcomer Academy, serving new arrival immigrant and refugee students and their families from around the world.

Today, our team is comprised of over 100 of the most tenacious, persistent, and mission-aligned teachers, leaders, and support staff working to secure the college-graduation mission for each and every one of our students and their families. We have the ACT scores and national growth data, the accolades and awards, the parent testimonials, the college scholarship funds, and the founding alumni, the college-graduating class of 2023, to prove that what we set out to do is in fact possible. We show up for our students and for each other every single day, motivated by the incredibly hard work it takes to give our students what they deserve (what everyone said couldn’t be done).

Join us.

At STEM Prep, we believe that the very best schools are deeply and broadly tied to the communities they serve. The Director of Family Recruitment & Engagement is responsible for ensuring that our schools are making that aspiration a reality. The Director of Family Recruitment & Engagement is responsible for overseeing the lifecycle of a STEM Prep family. They will set a clear vision, not only for community outreach and student recruitment, but also the experience and engagement of individual families throughout their time at STEM Prep. We aren’t looking for someone to simply increase our enrollment; we are looking for someone to lead us in creating and deepening community relationships in service of our families. Given the demographics of our student body, the most qualified candidates will also be bilingual and bring with them an established network in the Southeast Nashville community.

What You Will Do:

• In partnership with the Chief of Staff, develop and lead the network’s model and strategy for family engagement from recruitment through graduation.
• Design tracking and reporting mechanisms to ensure enrollment targets are met.
• Develop and implement robust communication mechanisms both internally and externally with key stakeholders.
• As the leader of Family Engagement, design and lead both formal and informal trainings on deepening community partnerships and family communication, as well as other relevant All Staff Professional Developments.
• Manage the community outreach coordinator.
• Interface with STEM Prep families - both current and future. Ensure families feel supported and cared for through both wrap-around services and the development of strong, interpersonal relationships.
• Represent STEM Prep while actively engaging in the surrounding community. Deepen current community relationships & create new ones that are strategically aligned to STEM Prep’s mission.
• Design and oversee a warm and thorough orientation season for new STEM Prep families, including summer orientation nights for each grade level in the network.
• Given the current political and social climate, the right candidate for this job is someone who can adapt to the needs of our families while maintaining student wellbeing + academic opportunity as their North Star.
• As an integral member of the broader STEM Prep team, become a trusted, familiar and welcomed face in all spaces - from classrooms to leadership team meetings - by building strong relationships across all teams.
• Participate in weekly Engagement Team meetings, bringing a collaborative and open spirit to the table.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You Bring:

• High School diploma or GED.
• Bilingual (Spanish or Arabic strongly preferred).
• 3+ years of experience doing family engagement work.
• 2+ years of management experience.
• Familiarity with Charter Schools and the Southeast Nashville community.
• Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Comfort with change.
• Eagerness for feedback from all stakeholders.
• Extraordinary ability to build bridges across lines of difference.
• Collaborative spirit.

The Top 3 Reasons You Choose Us.

1. WE SEE OPPORTUNITY WHERE OTHERS SEE IMPOSSIBILITY. STEM fields are the future. And our kids will be leading them.
Our students are achieving unprecedented success on a national scale.
-Since its first year of operation, our Middle and High School students have outperformed the district and state every year in both reading and math.
-On average, the number of our students performing on or above grade level in both English/Language Arts and Math is more than double that of zoned schools.
-Our newest arrivals have been ranked in the top 1% nationally for growth in reading and math on the NWEA MAP assessment.
-Nashville Newcomer Academy students made 11x the expected growth in math and 15x expected growth in reading.
College graduation.
-Last year, our founding class, the college graduating class of 2023, earned over 3 million dollars in scholarships.
-We secured funding and college access for every single one of our undocumented students.

2. YOU COMMIT TO INVESTING DEEPLY IN OUR KIDS. WE COMMIT TO INVESTING DEEPLY IN YOU.
Weekly professional development and personalized coaching.
Leadership development. Whether you want to lead as the best ELA teacher in the state or as the School Director, we have a pathway for that.
Competitive compensation & benefits.
-Annual Salary: On average, our teacher’s salaries are 10% higher than traditional district and choice sector teachers.
-Stipend eligibility (early decision, competitive roles, graduate school)
-Referral bonus ($1,000 for every teacher and leader candidate we hire)
-Licensure support
-Unlimited classroom supplies
Family & Wellbeing
-Paid Parental Leave
-Private nursing room for new moms.
-Retirement counseling
-Health center access
-Mental health counseling

3. THEY WANT GROWTH. WE WANT IMPACT.
We don’t believe in growth plans with goals around how many buildings we operate or how large our network is. We run through the wall to develop deep and lasting community partnerships that will transform the lives of our kids and families for generations to come. Our growth plan isn’t oriented towards meeting a financial goal or reaching a specific size. We are whole-heartedly committed to deepening our impact in this specific community. Here are some examples of our community-based efforts and impact so far:

-Home ownership classes no none of our families are in a predatory rent culture.
-English classes for all parents, including those who work third shift.
-When there is a family in crisis, we are the first people they call.
-When there is a quinceanera, every teacher is there.
-We have the largest mental health staff of any network (and a really great therapy dog).
-Our alumni are here almost every day of the week, drinking coffee in the breakroom, seeking feedback on their latest essay, and attending parent-teacher conference with their younger siblings.

We're different from the other guys. Our aim is to continue this level of deep impact and advance the outcomes, education and otherwise, for all students and families in the neighborhoods we serve.

STEM Preparatory Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, color, age, and/or disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, or activities. STEM Prep does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $1.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: One location

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