Student Support Associate

Position: Student Support Associate

Location: Los Angeles, California (Hollywood, Silver Lake, Mar Vista, West Valley, East Valley)

Reports to: Leadership Team

Fair Labor Standards Act Status: Non-Exempt

Work Class: Classified

Capacity: Part-time (29 hours per week) 11-month work agreement (August- June) 

Organization Overview

The mission of Citizens of the World Los Angeles (CWC LA) is to provide a socio-economically, culturally, and racially diverse community of students in Los Angeles with an intellectually challenging, experiential learning environment that develops each student's confidence, potential, and individual responsibility as citizens of the world. CWC schools:

• Service a socioeconomically, culturally, and racially diverse community;

• Develop students’ social and emotional skills to prepare them to become citizens of the world in an ever-changing future and

• Promote academic rigor through a constructivist, project-based learning approach to support and develop children’s natural intellectual curiosity.

CWC LA has a Regional Support Office that supports all CWC LA schools. We work with our network partners at Citizens of the World Charter Schools to link Los Angeles schools to CWC schools in other parts of the country.

Our core values are embraced by the entire community:

• Excellence: we demand lasting quality

• Diversity: we are better and stronger because of our differences

• Authenticity: we are our true selves in this work, and we are candid

• Community: we care deeply about people. We share and build partnerships. We celebrate, laugh, and seek joy, even in the tough times.

• Change: We welcome the unknown, embracing the unexpected and new. We adapt to meet the ever-changing times and find new ways.

Position Description

The Student Support Associateis an experienced and innovative school ambassador energized by our unique charter school environment. A Student Support Associate will be expected to work and support all community members to implement a high-quality, rigorous, and engaging school community. They will support the classroom, outdoor play, and/or individualized students to build and maintain a robust school culture. In addition, a Student Support Associate is a part of a team of educators working to provide a challenging and inclusive education for students with disabilities. The individual will be passionate about working with all children including those with disabilities, committed to a progressive and interdisciplinary approach to education, and desire to work within a highly collaborative staff culture.​​ The Student Support Associate must have a passion for and interest in teaching and learning practices grounded in constructivism, project-based learning, and the multiple intelligences theory.

Responsibilities

Classroom Support

• Assist the Lead Teacher in the ongoing student progress and achievement assessment by collecting and reporting on academic data using various means.

• Assist the Lead Teacher in using data to tailor instruction to meet individual students' academic and social needs. 

• Support and create a strong classroom culture developed through CWC’s social-emotional learning focus and contribute to the broader school community.

• Support social-emotional learning in the classrooms and the yard 

• Assist Lead Teacher with intervention support for struggling learners and English Language Learners.

Outdoor Play Support

• Support the creation of a strong play culture developed through CWC’s social-emotional learning focus and contribute to the broader school community.

• Provide an atmosphere and environment conducive to students' intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development.

• Establish and enforce rules of conduct; supervise students on the playground, athletic fields, and recess/lunch areas.

• Collaborate with other Student Support Associates to plan physical activities that engage students in play.

• Demonstrate skills being taught; assist students in performing skills.

• Teach safety rules for each activity in the playground, athletic fields, and recess/lunch areas.

• Create and maintain a safe environment for students during lunch and recess.

• Support in creating and enforcing safe bathrooms while students play outdoors. 

• Assist with the assessments of fitness levels; perform fitness testing once a year with 5th-grade students.

• Assist in creating and holding social-emotional learning lessons during outdoor play with groups of students that help facilitate student growth.

Individualized Student Support (RSP and Behavioral Intervention)

• Support with instruction to individuals or small groups of students with special needs as assigned.

• Assist students in prescribed learning activities.

• Assist students with behavioral challenges in and out of the classroom.

• Monitor student behavior and utilize approved behavior management techniques to redirect and modify inappropriate behaviors.

• Implement documented therapy plans for Behavior Intervention treatment.

• Monitor, observe, and report students' behavioral data according to approved procedures.

• Assist enrichment teachers, adapt activities to students with special needs, and develop appropriate modifications for I.E.P. and 504 plans.

• May provide adaptive support with eating and toileting.

School Culture Support and Collaboration

• Support in creating and maintaining a strong school culture (i.e., classroom and outdoor play) developed through CWC’s social-emotional learning focus and contributed to the broader school community.

• Collaborate with other Student Support Associates to assist with school-wide community events.

• Communicate and engage with students’ families, colleagues, and other school stakeholders, as coordinated and led by a school administrator.

• Participate as an active community member to provide stewardship of the school and adherence to its mission and guiding principles.

• Maintain a high level of professionalism, exhibited by meeting deadlines and commitments to self, students, and the community.

• Facilitate conflict resolution strategies with students when conflicts arise.

• Participate in professional development activities, both internal (led by the School Leadership Team and visiting experts) and external (visiting other schools, attending conferences, sharing best practices with others in the charter school community, etc.).

• Other duties, as assigned by the School Leadership Team.

Skills/Traits

The Student Support Associatemust have:

• Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and a can-do attitude.

• Investment in creating a safe and positive school community in which social-emotional learning is the foundation of the culture.

• Belief and willingness to ensure that all students can learn and achieve at high levels.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to effectively use those skills with a diverse audience. 

• Experience working with diverse populations, including English language learners and students with special needs.

• Ability to effectively manage and instruct both small and large groups of students.

• An exhibited ability to work with children in a caring and respectful manner creates a joyful and caring school environment. Instructional time includes community building, conflict resolution, skill-building, and empowering students to be peacemakers and agents for positive social change.

• Excitement about learning and implementing new teaching methods and effective practices aligned with the CWC model and positively impacting students.

• Enthusiasm for the opportunities and challenges inherent to working with school-aged children.

• ​​Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks

• and meet deadlines.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interact effectively with diverse stakeholders.

• Ability to work independently as well as part of a collaborative team.

• Comfort with ambiguity and working in a fast-paced school environment.

• Demonstrated initiative and tenacity.

Qualifications

Candidates must have the following:

● Some experience working in a relevant TK-8 grade school setting or other high-quality educational

setting.

● Experience or willingness to work in a socio-economically, racially, and culturally diverse classroom setting.

Physical Requirements

● Must be able to communicate verbally and in writing effectively.

● Approximately 50% of the time is spent sitting while frequently required to walk, stand, and bend.

● Occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

● Employees must lift and/or move unassisted up to 25 pounds.

Staff and Reporting Relationships

The Student Support Associatewill report to a School Leadership team member, collaborate with, and be mentored by the CWC LA Lead Teacher.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation will be commensurate with experience. Accelerators are available for individuals with valid CA teaching credentials or enrolled in teacher credentialing programs. Reimbursements are available for candidates who apply for their 30-Day Emergency Substitute Permit.  

Equal Opportunity Employer

Citizens of the World Charter Schools (CWC) prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation,and bullying in educational programs, activities, or employment based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, parental, pregnancy, family or marital status, military status, immigration status, or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. CWC requires that school personnel take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so when he or she witnesses an act of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Questions or complaints of alleged discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying, equity or Title IX equity and compliance concerns should be directed to CWC Talent and Human Resources Department at talent-hr@cwclosangeles.org