Cultural Specialist RiverEast Elem​/Secondary

General Information Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is looking to hire a full-time Cultural Specialist - 10 Mo for our River East Elem/Secondary in St. Paul, MN. We are aiming to fill this role in 2 - 4 weeks. Employees could be eligible for Medical/Dental/Vision/Pension and accrue sick and vacation time.

General Information Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is looking to hire a full-time Cultural Specialist - 10 Mo for our River East Elem/Secondary in St. Paul, MN. We are aiming to fill this role in 2 - 4 weeks. Employees could be eligible for Medical/Dental/Vision/Pension and accrue sick and vacation time.

Position Summary These positions provide support for a school or program in recognizing and responding to cultural differences in order to support high academic achievement by all students.

Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in education, behavioral sciences or a related field and two years of work experience involving serving as a community liaison, providing outreach services to a diverse population, public relations work, training and/or supervision. (Equivalent combinations of education and/or work experience will be considered.) Some positions may require bilingual skills.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Each position may receive knowledge, skills or abilities specific to an educational program.
• Knowledge of minority cultural issues.
• Knowledge of community structures.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Computer skills necessary to update and maintain the school's website.
• Ability to work with students and parents in academic, home and community settings.
• Ability to market the school to city residents.
• Ability to access community resources.
• Ability to bridge home and school environments.
• Ability to work independently.

• A position in the Cultural Specialist job classification may be assigned duties that are not included in the examples listed or it may not perform all the examples of duties listed.
• Facilitate meetings between students, parents and school staff who are from diverse cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds to facilitate home/school communication and assist in the resolution of misunderstandings and conflicts.
• Meet with students to gather information about needs/issues; organize and facilitate support groups to address identified needs/issues; assist students experiencing a wide variety of academic, social and/or emotional needs; serve as a role model and mentor for these students; encourage good attendance and promote high achievement.
• Serve on school teams/committees to represent parents and/or students of color; represent the views of the minority parent or student; explain the goals and objectives of the school in culturally sensitive language.
• Support classroom teachers in interactions with culturally diverse students and their families.
• Assist the school social worker in working with families to address truancy and attendance problems.
• Assist families in overcoming barriers to their attendance at parent - teacher conferences; attend conferences to assist parents to communicate with school staff as necessary.
• Serve as a member of the school site council and the school operations team; articulate the school's mission; document and follow-up on the concerns of parents.
• Recruit parents to participate on the School Site Council and in the Parent Teachers Association; promote participation by parents in other school events and functions.
• Team with the principal to develop strategies to include families in the implementation of school behavior and social skills programs.
• Review information gathered from meetings with parents; make recommendations to school administration on how to make the school a more inviting place, including recommendations on the physical design of the school.
• Orient new families to the school and provide assistance to help them participate in the school.

Work with students of color and monitor their academic progress, behavior and attendance.

• Serve as liaison to after school programs and cultivate additional after school program opportunities to meet the academic, cultural and social needs of the school's diverse student body.
• Initiate contacts with businesses and/or community groups to promote support for the school, attend community meetings to represent the school and to learn about what is going on in the community; prepare reports for school administration on how Franklin should respond to community problems.
• Develop school communications, including information to market the school to parents, the school calendar, a school newsletter, communications about specific school events and related communications.
• Work with school administrators and/or the volunteer coordinator to recruit, train, and schedule tutors and volunteers from diverse communities that mirror the school's student population.
• Work with the principal to develop team-building and leadership opportunities for students of color and facilitate leadership…