Job Description

THE CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY

Across the nation, only half of all students from low-income communities graduate from high school and only 10% earn a college degree. Even though 84% of their students are economically disadvantaged, YES Prep provides evidence that different outcomes are possible. Ninety-seven (97%) of YES Prep alumni matriculate to college within one year and alumni like Eddie Zapata are earning their college degrees at four times the rate of their peers with similar socioeconomic backgrounds. How do they do this? Each of YES Prep s 18 campuses serves 6th-12th graders like Monique Bowie. Students typically enter YES Prep one or more grade levels behind but quickly find themselves on a different life trajectory as a result of transformative relationships with teachers and leaders and access to excellent educational opportunities.

As the first minority-majority city, Houston s schools cannot keep up with demand from students like Eddie and Monique. Houston is the 4th largest city (on track to become the 3rd), and this booming population translates into 7,000 families on YES Prep s waitlist. YES Prep s student enrollment is estimated to grow from 12,600 to 17,000, between now and 2023.

YES Prep needs a dynamic and diverse College Counselorto make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, build transformative relationships, and eliminate educational inequities to advance social justice. To put it simply, you will directly impact the lives of hundreds of students and their ability to defy the odds and make it to and through college!

THE PERSON

We seek staff with diverse backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas to meet the needs of our growing body of students. Certain traits consistently shine through for our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, resilience, and humility.

When you join the YES Prep team, some of the exciting work will include:

Help coordinate and host high school visits and college fairs college admissions representatives;
Directly advise and counsel 40+ seniors and 40+ juniors per year and assist with all aspects of our comprehensive college counseling program;
Works closely with the Director of College Counseling to support campus-based alumni programming;
Work closely with college counseling department, as well as appropriate YES grade level chairs, selected course leaders and/or seminar teachers, and campus-based instructional support leaders, to plan, coordinate and facilitate the Seminar Program across the 9th-12th grade levels;
Teach up to four seminar classes each day during the school year, most likely Senior Seminar section (College 101) and Junior Seminar courses on the preparation for the college admissions process;
Executes student, family, and staff programming as it relates to the areas of Financial Aid and Scholarships, House Bill 1403/Senate Bill 1528 (working with undocumented students), Testing and Preparation, College Visitations Program, and Student Opportunities / Enrichment programs and college counseling parent engagement;
Assist with specific projects and areas as determined by the Director of College Counseling and/or School Director (based on expertise and knowledge base of college counselor); and
Additional duties as assigned.

THE MUST HAVES

Education/Certification:

Bachelor s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution
Counseling certification (preferred)
Conducting weekly tutorials outside of regular class day to provide additional instruction and support to students
Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
Demonstrated ability to work on a team
Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once
Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
Frequent prolonged and irregular hours of duty, including evenings and weekends

Experience:

2+ years of previous experience in either the high school counseling and/or college admissions field
Instructional experience (preferred)

THE TEAM

As a College Counselor, you will join a warm and welcoming Campus and Home Office College Initiatives Team at a campus location.

YES Prep teams understand they are setting the example for how their students experience their YES Prep education and want to make sure it feels like a second home to them. Teams are obsessed with improving themselves because they know that living the core values translates directly into stronger results and college access for all students.

THE TANGIBLE GOOD

YES Prep offers a competitive salary as well as a full benefit plan. We value longevity and performance over time through our Commit to Five program and opportunities provided for performance increases. YES Prep invests in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development. The strong culture of our campuses are just one of many reasons we were among Houston s Best Place to work. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well. Travel + Leisure recently named Houston the best city for foodies and, with an affordable cost of living Houstonians enjoy life and all the city has to offer.

For more detail about this opportunity, see our FAQ s here.

WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO EQUITY & DIVERSITY

YES Prep strives to recruit a diverse team of leaders. We believe there is a transformative academic and social benefit for students when their teachers and leaders reflect a diversity of backgrounds. 97% of staff members agree that the organization provides a welcoming environment given their background and identity according to our latest system survey.

YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.

THE NEXT STEPS

If this sounds like your just right job, please apply. If you are not sure this opportunity is for you, are simply curious, or know someone who would be perfect, please reach out to our Talent team to be connected to a recruiter at talent@yesprep. org.

This job was posted on Sat Oct 27 2018 and expired on Wed Oct 31 2018.

Minimum $11K /yr

$60K /yr Average

Maximum $178K /yr

Tasks

Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.

Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to discuss children's progress, resolve behavioral, academic, and other problems, and to determine priorities for students and their resource needs.

Identify cases of domestic abuse or other family problems and encourage students or parents to seek additional assistance from mental health professionals.

Counsel individuals to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.

Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.

Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.

Prepare students for later educational experiences by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.

Teach classes and present self-help or information sessions on subjects related to education and career planning.

Provide special services such as alcohol and drug prevention programs and classes that teach students to handle conflicts without resorting to violence.

Conduct follow-up interviews with counselees to determine if their needs have been met.

Instruct individuals in career development techniques, such as job search and application strategies, resume writing, and interview skills.

Plan and promote career and employment-related programs and events, such as career planning presentations, work experience programs, job fairs, and career workshops.

Plan and conduct orientation programs and group conferences to promote the adjustment of individuals to new life experiences, such as starting college.

Evaluate students' or individuals' abilities, interests, and personality characteristics, using tests, records, interviews, or professional sources.

Collaborate with teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of school programs and in the preparation of master schedules for curriculum offerings.

Observe students during classroom and play activities to evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.

Establish and enforce administration policies and rules governing student behavior.

Address community groups, faculty, and staff members to explain available counseling services.

Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.

Attend meetings, educational conferences, and training workshops and serve on committees.

Compile and study occupational, educational, and economic information to assist counselees in determining and carrying out vocational and educational objectives.

Plan, direct, and participate in recruitment and enrollment activities.

Supervise, train, and direct professional staff and interns.

Review transcripts to ensure that students meet graduation or college entrance requirements and write letters of recommendation.

Provide students with information on topics, such as college degree programs and admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade and technical schools, and apprenticeship programs.

Refer students to degree programs based on interests, aptitudes, or educational assessments.

Assess needs for assistance, such as rehabilitation, financial aid, or additional vocational training, and refer clients to the appropriate services.

Establish and supervise peer counseling and peer tutoring programs.

Provide information for teachers and staff members involved in helping students or graduates identify and pursue employment opportunities.

Establish contacts with employers to create internship and employment opportunities for students.

Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.

Refer qualified counselees to employers or employment services for job placement.

Interview clients to obtain information about employment history, educational background, and career goals, and to identify barriers to employment.

Sponsor extracurricular activities, such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests.

Skills

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge

Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.