Literacy Program Manager

Description

BACKGROUND

HopeWell is the largest nonprofit provider of foster care in Massachusetts and Connecticut, serving approximately 1000 foster care-involved youth annually through a comprehensive, youth-centered and trauma-informed approach. Through innovative solutions such as My First Place™, an education and employment program that provides safe, stable housing, and case management support for youth who have aged out of foster care, and with collaborative partnerships among stakeholders in government, health care, philanthropy, business, and social justice, HopeWell is driving the systems change urgently needed to raise the standards of the foster care experience so that every child can reach their potential in life.

THE OPPORTUNITY

HopeWell seeks a Literacy Program Manager to work toward closing the opportunity gap for youth in foster care from preschool through high school. The Literacy Program Manager will collaborate closely with the Education Director, external consultant(s), and other inaugural staff to support the launch and growth of our new program RISE: Readiness, Inquiry, Scholarship, Education. RISE provides intensive, long-term, one-on-one tutoring and educational support for youth in foster care that also addresses social, emotional, and cognitive needs. Unlike traditional tutoring programs, RISE Tutors are paired with students, not schools, so tutoring and support remains consistent throughout the four to eight changes of home placements and schools that most youth in foster care experience through age 18. With a deep commitment to education, child welfare, and social justice, the inaugural staff will bring an entrepreneurial mindset to the challenges of launching a new program and growing it statewide and beyond. A knowledgeable, skilled, and innovative literacy specialist, trainer, and coach, the Literacy Program Manager will bring proven experience to the work of developing, and supporting staff in implementing, a literacy program service delivery model from the ground up.

THE LITERACY PROGRAM MANAGER POSITION

The RISE program will start as a pilot in the fall of 2021, in the Greater Boston area. The pilot will address gaps in reading and literacy for students in foster care in kindergarten through 3rd grade while also focusing on social and emotional learning. In the coming months and years, we intend to grow to implement RISE to support students in all grades across Massachusetts and Connecticut, and to eventually partner with affiliate organizations across the country to adapt and implement RISE in their local communities.

The Literacy Program Manager will report into and collaborate with the Education Director to build and implement the RISE literacy program service delivery model. Key areas of responsibility will include developing and managing the literacy tutoring curriculum and impact measurement infrastructure, as well as training and coaching Tutors.

While High Impact Tutoring (often called High Dosage Tutoring or HDT) programs have recently demonstrated excellent outcomes data for the general population, they often don’t meet the unique needs of youth in foster care. We engaged in an intensive discovery sprint to develop an evidence-informed, new program that is tailored to respond to these unique needs, and we are now in the process of filling in the details. As such, there will be a lot to learn once the program launches in order to most effectively close the opportunity gap. The Literacy Program Manager will be engaged in a continuous cycle of collecting and analyzing data, and using learnings from the program outcomes data to hone the program model.

PROFILE SUMMARY

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a growing team to transform what is possible for youth in foster care. We are seeking someone who is passionate about education, child welfare, and social justice and is enthusiastic about the idea of piloting, strengthening, and growing a brand new education program that delivers real results. This position requires an experienced educator whose alignment with HopeWell’s mission and this new initiative is matched with experience using data to guide practice, knowledge about various literacy and social and emotional learning tools, and a proven track record of supporting staff in implementing these tools. The Literacy Program Manager will thrive on both taking an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to meeting youth’s educational needs, and ensuring that the infrastructure and details needed to implement the service delivery model day-to-day are in place. This individual will have the strong ability and desire to work well with BIPOC youth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Literacy Program Manager will:

· Develop and implement core tutoring curricula to address literacy, as well as social and emotional gaps of RISE participants for the pilot launch and beyond. This involves:

o Developing a model that provides frequent, in person tutoring sessions with a consistent Tutor. 

o Piloting this model by implementing assessment and intervention tools with an in person tutoring caseload of K-3 youth; identifying learnings and continuously adapting service delivery to best meet youth needs.

o Collaborating with external consultant(s) to incorporate learnings and develop a curriculum that meets the literacy, as well as social and emotional needs of youth in foster care and that can be effectively taught to and implemented by a team of Tutors.

o Creating and employing infrastructure for the day-to-day implementation of the literacy program model.

o Researching, piloting and implementing additional curricula as literacy program grows to other grades.

o Developing a framework for the scope and sequence of literacy tutoring supports RISE will offer across grades and skill levels.

· Create and lead Tutor training and ongoing Tutor coaching and support model. This involves:

o Developing and implementing Tutor on-boarding, training, ongoing coaching, and professional development model to ensure Tutors are prepared to deliver the RISE model in a way that is aligned with the program curricula and involves high quality, youth-centered supports that are trauma-informed, evidence-based, and grounded in best practices. 

o Developing and implementing a model that is largely in person, with the potential for some virtual components if our continuous cycle of analysis and assessment deems some virtual Tutor supports yield best outcomes for youth.

o Develop and implement systems for gathering data on Tutor performance through observation, surveying students and caregivers, and analysis of both a Tutor’s documentation and student outcomes data. As the program grows, this may involve collaborating with a Tutor Supervisor who will implement these systems directly.

o Adapting Tutor coaching and support model in response to data gathered on Tutor performance.

· Create and implement a measurement framework for diagnosing student needs and skill gaps, tracking program engagement, and assessing student progress over time. This involves:

o Collaborating with external consultant(s) and VP, Research, Policy, and Learning to research, pilot, and implement pre-existing measurement tools, and creating new tools where needed.

o Analyzing RISE participant achievement data (e.g. diagnostic tests, student work samples, progress assessments) to determine how to better develop curriculum materials and provide targeted, high quality Tutor training.

o Use data to continuously assess progam, curriculum, and service delivery fidelity. Adapt model as needed to ensure quality service delivery and best possible student outcomes.

· Collaborate with Education Specialist and Tutor Supervisor to ensure alignment across all areas of academic supports and provide comprehesive, program-wide ongoing professional development; additionally, collaborate as needed around supporting individual youth and caregivers.

· Actively participate in program and agency internal (e.g. collaborating with colleagues, staff meetings, town halls) and external meetings (e.g. collaborating with consultants, meeting with funders) both in person and virtually as assigned.

· Other duties as assigned. RISE is a brand new program, and as such, the program model will be subjected to a continuous cycle of analysis and assessment as it launches. It will change iteratively as we learn more about how to best support youth needs, and as a result the roles and responsibilities of various team members will likely adapt and change as the program is launched and evolves. 

Requirements

This is a comprehensive list of qualifications that we believe will lead to success in the role. We understand that any one candidate may not have every qualification on this list. We strongly encourage candidates with lived experience with the foster care system to apply.

· M.Ed. or equivalent degree. 

· 5-10 years of experience in educational settings, including at least 5 years specializing in literacy instruction.

· Knowledge of special education, including how to adapt curriculum to meet the needs of all students.

· Experience serving youth who have experienced trauma and implementing support. strategies that use student-centered and trauma-informed approaches. 

· Experience in Massachusetts public education system a plus. 

· Ability to gather and use information and data to monitor program outcomes and manage workloads.

· Demonstrated understanding of and competence in serving BIPOC youth.

· Demonstrated flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit; thoughtful, curious, and open-minded approach to learning, growth, and change.

· Demonstrated ability to organize, plan, and prioritize activities, ensuring that details and daily program operations are effectively addressed.

· Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to coach toward high levels of performance, engagement, and accountability. 

· A high degree of effective oral and written communications skills. 

· Must be comfortable working in community settings and supporting a team who is consistently in the field.

· Computer skills sufficient to perform essential functions.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

· Daily access to an automobile is required

· A valid MA State Driver’s License

· Clearing of background checks as required by state and federal law