25-26 College and Career Counselor/Quest for Success

KIPP New Orleans Schools (KNOS) is a non-profit network of 13 college-preparatory, public charter schools serving 6,200 elementary, middle, and high school students. For over 15 years, we have a proven track record of preparing students for success in college, career, and beyond.

Our schools are part of the New Orleans public school system and enrollment is open to all students. As part of the national Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) network of 242 schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, we are committed to partnering with students, families, and community to ensure that all children have the knowledge, skills and character they need to achieve their dreams while making the world a better place.

KIPP New Orleans strives to be an increasingly anti-racist organization, and we seek to intentionally uplift Black and Brown lives. We value an inclusive environment and believe in providing programming that acknowledges racial injustices, biases and our own identities.

At KNOS, teachers, students, and families are united around the same goal: building academically excellent schools & creating unlimited opportunities for every student in New Orleans. We believe that an excellent college-preparatory education will support students to be successful in the life path they choose.

At KIPP New Orleans Schools, we are grounded in 5 beliefs Relentlessness, Equity, Achievement, Community and Hope. These 5 beliefs guide the work that we do to provide academically excellent schools and unlimited opportunity for every student in New Orleans.

As a school-based college and career counselor, CTE/Pathways liaison, and Quest for Success teacher, you will play a pivotal role in both the process of students choosing their pathway for their junior and senior years, and in helping students to find their postsecondary opportunity that aligns with their pathway choice. You, in partnership with the other school-based Quest for Success teacher, will also serve as a champion and advocate for the career trajectory at your school.

Quest for Success Teacher: Roles and Responsibilities

• Teach 1 section of Quest for Success to 10th graders

  • Execute regional Quest for Success curriculum

  • Execute YouScience program and 12 lessons of CKCS (Career Knowledge, College Success) curriculum

CTE/Pathways Liaison: Roles and Responsibilities

• Push in/message out to ALL 10th grade students on CTE/Pathways program, including the Alumni Teaching Program (1st semester)

• Work in collaboration with the Director of CTE/Pathways to participate and facilitate CTE/Pathways exposure events aligned to CTE/Pathway programming.

• Aid interested students in the application process to CTE/Pathways program and Alumni Teaching Program (2nd semester, 10th grade year, in Quest for Success class)

• Working in collaboration with the AP Seminar teacher/college counselor, aid interested students in the application process to Bard Early College New Orleans program (2nd semester, 10th grade year, in Quest for Success class)

• Attend weekly, 30-minute meetings with Director of CTE/Pathways and STEM Hub Manager

• Direct point of contact for 11th and 12th grade students engaged in CTE/Pathways programming.

  • Daily attendance monitoring to ensure students are attending pathway programming with fidelity.

  • Facilitate communication of program updates and general information regarding programming to students from CTE/Pathway partners (i.e. closures, testing updates, lack of progress, etc)

• Work with school-based Dean of Academic Guidance and Director of CTE/Pathways program to ensure all CTE/Pathways students/credits are aligned with an on-time high school graduation

  • Assist Dean of Academic Guidance to update CTE/Pathway grades in school-based grading system to progress monitor student progress.

College and Career Counselor: Roles and Responsibilities

(maximum caseload: 70 students per junior and senior grades; 140 students total)

• Lead College Application Process for all students on caseload

  • Manage the application process for all students on caseload to ensure all timelines are met (12th grade)

    • Push into CKCS classroom twice per week in the first and second semesters of students 12th grade years to facilitate students filling out college applications:

      • Facilitate students filling out the Common Application and linking their Common Application to Overgrad

        • Goal: 100% of students fill out the Common App and link Overgrad to their accounts

      • Facilitate use of Common Black College Application for students who have a Top Three choice school that is on CBCA, but not on Common App

      • Facilitate application process aligned to students current CTE/Pathway:

        • Working in collaboration with the Director of CTE/Pathways and the STEM Hub Manager, ensure all students on caseload have applied to the appropriate school in order to have the option to continue their CTE/Pathway in college

          • Goal: 100% of students on caseload apply to the program that continues their CTE/Pathway option in college

    • Facilitate recommendation process for students on caseload and ensure communication with key recommenders as to timeline and requirements

    • Facilitate personal statement writing process for all students on caseload, ensuring all students have a teacher revision (this revision can be executed by other teachers/adults)

    • Facilitate all students on caseload submitting all applications by January 15th

    • Upload all required documents for all students on caseload to Overgrad by January 15th

      • Goal: 100% of students on caseload have 100% of their applications and supporting documentation submitted by January 15th

    • With school-based counselors, facilitate on-time completion of FAFSA by January 15th (or required deadline for schools)

    • In second semester of students 12th grade years, facilitate one-on-one conversations with families and students to help understand financial aid packages; help students and families reach a final college decision aligned with the six Fit Factors

    • Send final transcripts to students final decision school by May 31st

    • Track students final decision schools in shared KNOS KIPP Forward Matriculation Tracker by May 31st

• Foster relationships with junior students

  • Meet one-on-one with junior students at least twice per semester (four times total) for 30 minutes per meeting during students junior year during their CKCS class

    • Update regional 1-on-1 tracker of meetings to ensure all students are met with consistently

  • With CKCS teacher, facilitate the junior wishlist process

  • At Parent/Teacher conferences four times per year, offer counseling 1-on-1 meetings with both junior and senior families

• In the 2nd semester of students junior years, meet one-on-one with junior students and families in order to align students wishlists with the Six Fit Factors

• Facilitate Youth Force NOLA program applications for junior students in second semester of junior year

  • Goal: at least five students apply to the YouthForce NOLA program each year

• Ensure Compliance with Regional and National Teams

  • Attend Student-Centered Goal meeting at beginning of year, led by school-based Dean of College and Career

  • With the Regional Match Manager, ensure 100% on-time completion of all KIPP Foundation surveys and deadlines

  • Attend weekly College Match meetings with Match Manager and Director of College, Career, and Persistence

  • Attend virtual, monthly regional match meetings across the three high school sites

  • Attend all in-person regional professional developments for college counseling training

Schedule

This is a position that requires a later end date (May 31st) and thus has a later start date than other, 11 month equivalent positions.

This is a hybrid role that requires the counselor to pull students during homeroom, during lunch periods, during classes, and during dismissal for students who stay after school. As such, this role does not require the counselor to have a morning duty post, lunch duty post, dismissal duty post, or coverage responsibilities. Additionally, as this position requires the counselor to span across all grade levels and serve as an ambassador for the CTE/Pathways trajectory, the role is grade level team-agnostic and does not require the counselor to take on any grade level-specific responsibilities. The counselor will push into grade level meetings as necessary to disseminate important information to grade level teams.

Note: This is a hybrid role that requires the counselor to pull students during homeroom, during lunch periods, during classes, and during dismissal for students who stay after school. As such, this role does not require the counselor to have a morning duty post, lunch duty post, dismissal duty post, or coverage responsibilities. Additionally, as this position requires the counselor to span across all grade levels and serve as an ambassador for the CTE/Pathways trajectory, the role is grade level team-agnostic and does not require the counselor to take on any grade level-specific responsibilities. The counselor will push into grade level meetings as necessary to disseminate important information to grade level teams.

• Bachelors degree required; Masters degree preferred. Degree in education, counseling, student affairs, or a related field preferred.

• Strong organization skills, with the ability to create strategic groupings and cohorts

• Minimum of 2 years of experience working in schools, with a combination of teaching and leadership experience with strong results.

• Extreme flexibility and strong work ethic required.

• Ability to manage own work flow and create own calendar of tasks and projects

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport with students, parents, educators, and administrators.

• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with a passion for empowering students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their full potential.

KNOS strives to provide the best, most equitable compensation and benefits package in recognition of the significant influence they have on the economic and personal welfare of our employees.

• Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience, and we routinely engage in compensation analysis for all roles across the organization to ensure that we remain competitive in the market.

• 403(b) retirement plan KNOS matches 100% of employee contribution up to the first 5% of salary and any bonuses. Vested immediately in 403(b)

• No waiting period for health benefits

• Ranked above the 90th percentile with 86% of Employees health benefits premium covered by KNOS

• Comprehensive, customizable health coverage, including disability, life insurance, hospital indemnity, FSAs for health and dependent care, and free dental and vision for employees

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with services to support employees and their families address personal and work-related issues that may impact their health and well-being

• KNOS employees are provided 27 paid holidays and additional paid time off

• On-going professional development opportunities

Disclaimer:

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• This job description shall not constitute or be construed as a promise of employment or as a contract between KNOS and any of its employees.

KIPP New Orleans Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer:

At KIPP New Orleans Schools, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran service, genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. KNOS expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on any of the characteristics listed here. Improper interference with the ability of KNOS employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated.

KNOS complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the KNOS has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Contact Us:

Please contact our regional Talent Team at [email protected] with any questions.