Dean of Students; Academy Grand

Position: Dean of Students (Academy Grand)
Description

Position Title: Dean of Students

Department: UCAN Academy and High School

Reports to: Principal or Designated School Administrator

About the Program:

Comprised of two campuses in the Humboldt Park and Auburn-Gresham communities, the UCAN Academy is an innovative kindergarten - 12th grade, year-round therapeutic day school. Collectively, the multi-accredited schools make up the one of the largest and most recognized therapeutic day school operations in Chicago. Students come from diverse and distinct backgrounds and have experienced difficulties in public or private school settings.

Each youth has a unique set of needs that are met through the development and monitoring of their Individualized Education Plan. They are enrolled from Chicago Public Schools and several suburban districts, and many have become discouraged about learning. Our goal is to help them to see schooling in a positive light and to reach their highest potential. Our small class sizes of 10 students with a 5:1 student to staff ratio are geared to small teaching sessions and equipped to meet students' individual learning needs.

Position Summary:

The Dean of Students is a highly visible, student-facing leadership position responsible for supporting school culture, student behavior, safety, restorative practices, and compliance within UCAN Academies. This role is designed for a therapeutic school environment serving students with complex emotional, behavioral, social, and academic needs. The Dean of Students provides direct support to students throughout the school day, partners closely with teachers, Behavioral Intervention Specialists, clinicians, administrators, and families, and ensures that student accountability is balanced with trauma-informed care, restorative practice, dignity, and safety.

This position plays a critical role in strengthening school climate, reducing behavioral disruptions, supporting student regulation, improving classroom engagement, and ensuring compliance with ISBE Restraint and Time Out regulations. This position exists to strengthen student support, school climate, behavioral consistency, restorative accountability, and regulatory compliance across UCAN Academies. The Dean of Students is not simply a disciplinarian. This role is a therapeutic school culture leader who helps students stay connected to learning, supports staff in responding consistently, and ensures that safety and dignity remain at the center of the school day.

Essential Responsibilities:

Student Support and Direct Services

• Provide consistent, direct, student-facing support throughout the school day, including classrooms, hallways, transitions, arrival, dismissal, lunch, and other unstructured times.
• Build strong, consistent, and trusting relationships with students to support regulation, engagement, accountability, and school connectedness.
• Respond to student behavioral escalations using trauma-informed, therapeutic, and de-escalation strategies.
• Support students in identifying triggers, reflecting on behavior, repairing harm, and successfully reintegrating into the classroom or school community.
• Provide proactive support to students who require additional structure, coaching, redirection, or emotional regulation.
• Facilitate restorative conversations, circles, mediation, and conferences with students, families, and staff.
• Collaborate with clinical staff to ensure behavioral responses and interventions align with therapeutic goals, treatment needs, IEPs, and student support plans.
• Maintain a calm, firm, and supportive presence during crisis situations.
• Support students in developing replacement behaviors, coping skills, conflict resolution strategies, and accountability practices.

Behavior Systems and School Climate

• Lead and support implementation of school wide behavior systems aligned with PBIS, trauma-informed care, therapeutic education, and restorative practices.
• Monitor student behavior patterns and school climate trends using incident data, staff feedback, student observations, and team input.
• Assist in identifying students who may need increased behavioral, clinical, or administrative support.
• Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of individual student behavior plans.
• Provide coaching and guidance to staff on behavior management, classroom structure, de-escalation, relationship-building, and restorative responses.
• Maintain a highly visible presence throughout the school day to support safety, structure, and consistent expectations.
• Help ensure school wide expectations are clearly communicated, consistently reinforced, and developmentally appropriate.
• Partner with administration to address recurring behavior concerns and improve school climate.
• Support efforts to reduce suspensions, crisis episodes, classroom removals, and restrictive interventions whenever possible.

Restorative Justice Leadership

• Lead and model Restorative Justice practices with students, staff, and families.
• Facilitate restorative circles, mediation sessions, re-entry…