Engagement Specialist - Erskine

Engagement Specialist

The Engagement Specialist is a dedicated advocate for student success, operating with the unwavering belief that all students can achieve when provided with the right supports. This role focuses on removing barriers through behavioral, attendance, and family-centered interventions. By utilizing an assets-based approach, the Engagement Specialist identifies the strengths of students, families, and staff to foster a positive school culture. As a key member of the building's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), they ensure that every student has the opportunity to engage fully with their education and reach their highest potential.

The Engagement Specialist will report directly to the Building Principal with support from the Executive Director of Student Services or designee and will have a working relationship with building staff, district staff, families, and community agencies.

The essential functions as shown below represent the key areas of responsibility that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Behavioral Intervention & PBIS Leadership

• Participating actively in PBIS and behavior intervention meetings to ensure school-wide systems support positive student outcomes.
• De-escalating behaviors with a trauma-informed lens, facilitating a student's successful reintegration into the classroom.
• Modeling and facilitating self-agency, empowering students to problem-solve and recognize their own capabilities.
• Applying an assets-based framework when developing and implementing strategies for students in crisis, focusing on student strengths rather than deficits.
• Collaborating with staff to deliver school-wide social, emotional, and behavioral programming that reinforces a positive school climate.

Family & Community Partnership

• Engaging families as essential partners, meeting them at school, in their homes, or in the community to collaborate on student needs through an assets-based lens.
• Building positive, respectful relationships with parents, staff, and community stakeholders, communicating with the belief that every family has valuable contributions to make to their child's success.
• Connecting youth and families to social services and community agencies, advocating for the resources necessary to ensure student achievement.

Data-Driven Advocacy & Support

• Monitoring student attendance and behavior data to identify and address conditions that place students at risk, implementing proactive plans of support.
• Maintaining accurate records of interactions with students and families to ensure continuity of care and service coordination.
• Supporting staff by sharing strategies that align behavioral and attendance interventions with the goal of academic achievement.

School Integration & Professionalism

• Serving as a collaborative member of the school staff, attending support team meetings to ensure a unified approach to student success.
• Providing up to 30 minutes daily supervision duties (e.g., lunch, recess), modeling positive behavioral expectations for students in all settings.
• Representing the school professionally, maintaining high standards of confidentiality and reflecting the district's commitment to equity and student potential.

Other duties as assigned by the Superintendent.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Mindset & Philosophy
• Assets-Based Perspective:
  The ability to view students, families, and colleagues through a lens of strength and potential rather than risk or deficit.
• Equity & Achievement: A core belief that all students can achieve and a commitment to identifying and removing the barriers that prevent it.
• PBIS Proficiency:
  Knowledge of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, with the ability to implement these frameworks with fidelity.
• Intervention & Collaboration
• Strength-Based Communication:
  Proficiency in communicating clearly and respectfully with diverse populations, always maintaining a focus on collaborative problem-solving.
• Crisis & De-escalation:
  Mastery of de-escalation and behavior management techniques that preserve student dignity and promote reintegration.
• Systemic Problem-Solving:
  An orientation toward continuous problem-solving and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
• Administrative Excellence
• Data Integrity:
  The ability to read, analyze, and interpret student data to inform interventions and report on progress.
• Resource Advocacy:
  Extensive knowledge of community resources and the ability to navigate complex systems to advocate for student needs.

Experience Requirements:

• Required:
  
  Bachelor's degree in human services or other related program of study
• Minimum two years of work experience in social service programs which provide services to youth and families.
• Valid Iowa Drivers License
• A driving record satisfactory to the District and the District's insurance carrier required
• Preferred:
  Experience with Multi-tiered…