Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

You can see all our job opportunities at https://kipptexas.org/join-our-team/.

Job Description

The College & Career Instructor is responsible for developing and teaching a college and career curriculum for high school seniors, which will support students in preparing, finalizing and executing on post-secondary plan/s that will help them achieve their career of highest aspiration. In addition to teaching seniors, the College & Career Instructor is also responsible for building relationships and working with fellow teachers, school’s leadership team, local partner organizations and college / universities to ensure our students engage in experiences that help them expand their knowledge, connect them to resources, and develop and strengthen the skills they need to successfully matriculate to and thrive in their post-secondary education and beyond. It is the ultimate goal of the KIPP Forward department, through guidance, exposure and education, to ensure that all graduates have the ability to maintain success in their academic, professional, and personal lives.

This role is an ideal opportunity for a highly motivated, collaborative, results-driven and service minded leader with a passion for seeing others embrace their potential to live a fulfilling life.

Duties and Essential Job Functions:

Teach a Postsecondary and Career Readiness Course focused on college and career readiness:
○ Responsible for supporting KIPP seniors through rigorous and thoughtful lesson planning, lesson execution and classroom management
○ Collect, analyze and respond to student college and career data and classroom exit tickets to revise lesson content and priorities
○ Support students with finalizing and executing on strong post-secondary plans, including but not limited to, postsecondary and financial aid applications, and registering for standardized tests in a classroom setting
○ Foster a supportive and inclusive culture within the classroom
○ Participate on the grade level leadership team
○ Other duties as assigned by the School Leadership Team

Postsecondary and Career Counseling, Access and Knowledge development:
○ Advise and coach all students, including students with unique circumstances , in a classroom setting
○ Create access to postsecondary resources and exposure opportunities available to support underrepresented population
○ Write recommendations for students applying to college, scholarships, and summer enrichment programs
○ Schedule one-on-one meetings to learn about the families’ goals, needs and aspirations and inform them of the Postsecondary Match and Career Exploration processes and deadlines
○ Provide family engagement workshops related to postsecondary access and match
○ Co-lead college and career programming including college visits (overnight or day), career site visits and speakers, college and career fairs, financial aid workshops, postsecondary and career readiness workshops to educate students and parents

Collaborate with the KIPP Forward Team and other stakeholders to track and report data for support  Postsecondary Access:
○ Maintain consistent communication on students’ data progress with key stakeholders including: KIPP Foundation, KIPP Forward team, School and regional leadership, along with students and families
○ Collaborate with High School Leadership team to provide rigorous test prep and progress monitor ACT/SAT growth throughout senior year
○ Utilize various student management platforms to track, progress monitor and submit student data
○ Progress monitor all KIPP Forward postsecondary access goals including, but not limited to, YouScience Career assessment, FAFSA4Caster, balanced wish lists, summer enrichment applications, college application essays, Letters of Recommendation collection, and student and family one-on- ones
○ Attend, and actively participate in, all staff meetings, including weekly meetings with the Director of Postsecondary Match to discuss progress, prepare lessons, submit reports, etc. Develop positive, appropriate relationships with fellow KIPP staff members and teachers, viewing each other as teammates and professional colleagues
○ Responsibilities associated with this position may shift, expand and grow based on the regional needs of the organization

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience:
● Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution

Preferred Education and Experience:
● Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution
● At least 2 years prior experience teaching high school students (especially first-generation)
● Experience working with high school students (especially first-generation) and their families in the college counseling field, strongly preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
● Resilience, strong work ethic and outcomes oriented—demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities under stress and follow through, despite sometimes tight or back to back deadlines
● Previous experience in using data to drive decision making strongly
● Comfort with working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
● Strong interpersonal skills; Ability to work with a wide-range of people including teachers, parents, students, alumni, corporate partners, vendors and admissions personnel
● Ability to project plan, organize, and prioritize, with a collaborative spirit
● Fast learner with the ability to inquire and be open to feedback
● Proven written and verbal communication skills
● Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, but not required

Preferred Licensure/Certification/Specialized Training:
● Professional development course on college and career readiness and success, is essential

Physical Requirements:
● Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods.
● Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a cell phone, copy machine and computer printer.
● Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.
● Communicating with others to exchange information.
● Must be able to lift and carry or otherwise move up to 20 pounds occasionally.

Work Environment:
● Able to meet school schedule (i.e. 7:30am-4/5pm - depending on Professional Development days)
● Able to work evenings, holidays and weekends as necessary

Travel Requirements:
● Able to travel to other KIPP campuses for Professional Development, chaperon students to college/university campuses and career site visits
● Able to travel for home visits with alumni and families as necessary

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance, and disability plans.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.