Persistence Adviser

Who we are:

KIPP St. Louis is a part of a national network of free, open-enrollment, public charter schools offering a choice to families and children in St. Louis city. As the largest charter school system in the city, we are driven and committed to our mission, vision, and equity statement.

Mission: Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Vision: Every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities.

Equity Statement: KIPP St. Louis is committed to becoming an anti-racist and anti-sexist organization by confronting inequities, barriers, and oppressive policies and systems.

KIPP St. Louis currently educates over 2,000 students and at full growth, we will educate nearly 3,600 students and hundreds of alumni. Today, our St. Louis network consists of two middle schools, three elementary schools, and a high school.

Position Overview

The KIPP Forward (KF) program is responsible for implementing robust programming for KIPP St. Louis students in each phase of their high school and post-secondary education and training. The KF program seeks to support all KSL students in becoming successful adults in their academic, professional and personal lives. The Persistence Adviser will support students and families in navigating the transition from high school to post-secondary, regardless of the pathway. The Persistence Adviser will be the main contact and support for KIPP St. Louis High School alumni in their first two years after high school graduation. The Persistence Adviser will perform additional duties and do whatever it takes for ALL students to be successful at KIPP St. Louis schools and on their postsecondary journeys. The Persistence Adviser will report to the Persistence Manager for KIPP St. Louis.

This position is available for the 2022-2023 school year with an immediate start date.

Position type: Full time, exempt, 12 month position

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the persistence adviser for KIPP St. Louis High School (KHS) alumni in their first and second year post-graduation; this may include alumni enrolled in college or CTE program or those enlisting in the military or working full-time

• Support KHS seniors in the transition from KHS to their post-secondary pathway during spring semester

• Maintain bi-weekly contact with all alumni regardless of post-secondary pathway

• Support and coach alumni, individually and/or in groups, to monitor their own performance in their program, and to get and stay involved/connected with the alumni to advocate for them when necessary

• Support and coach families, individually and/or in groups, to monitor their student’s performance in their post-secondary program, and to get and stay involved/connected with the students to advocate for them when necessary

• Manage and review data for college-enrolled alumni progress, semester grades, and academic standing and plan for intervention when necessary

• Input and monitor academic progress and maintain student files in the Salesforce database with progress reports, semester grades, academic progress plans, parental involvement, intervention meetings, financial aid awards, college persistence, scholarship applications and awards, progress towards educational or career goals, etc.

• Educate and connect alumni to personal finance (money management, budgeting, etc.) and connect them to available resources for these purposes

• Advise alumni on academic planning when necessary/appropriate

• Match and provide guidance to eligible alumni to success programs, employment opportunities and summer internships

• Assist students in on-going scholarship research and applications starting in summer

• Travel to college campuses 25% of time and connect alumni with on-campus or community support resources (mental health, financial, academic, etc)

• Counsel alumni on college transferring if applicable, by providing one-on-one assistance, feedback, and deadline tracking

• Advise alumni on college life (homesickness, fitting in/involvement, add/drop deadlines & consequences, study habits and midterms/finals) and support/connect alumni with internships, summer program, summer classes, and scholarship applications by providing one-on-one assistance, feedback, and deadline tracking

• When necessary, research aspects of college placement and persistence: financial aid, scholarships, applications, retention, graduation and admissions standards

• Assist students by connecting them to other post-secondary options that will yield certifications or long-term employment

• Foster relationships with community organizations that will support students in post-secondary persistence

• Recognize achievement and motivate alumni through regular email and text correspondence, college care packages, encouraging messages

• Maintain regular communication with students by call, text, or email to monitor challenges and help with solutions

• Support the planning and execution of a career workshop focused on networking to eventually prepare students for a coordinated networking event with various professionals in collaboration with our board members.

• Support KIPP Forward program and initiatives

• Coordinate with other KIPP Forward staff to arrange for students and alumni at all grade levels to visit colleges and interact with KIPP St. Louis alumni when possible and applicable

• Support with planning and execution of the FAFSA event and FAFSA completion

• Manage data entry in Alumni Database

Qualifications:

• A passion for working with students in the city of St. Louis and a desire to provide whatever resources are necessary to ensure that all students will succeed

• A relentless drive to improve the minds and lives of alumni in and out of school.

• Commitment to doing whatever it takes, whenever it needs to be done, to empower our alumni to be successful.

• Shared responsibility for program activities, some of which take place during evenings or Saturdays

• Commitment to personal professional growth.

• Excellent communication skills, especially with students and parents

• Dedication to helping children grow and learn

• Relentlessness, maturity, humility, a strong work ethic, grit, a sense of humor, relatable, zest, and a “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude.

• A high standard for post-secondary achievement for all students

• Outstanding organizational skills and high attention to detail; outstanding written and oral communication skills.

• A minimum of 2 years of successful experience in an underserved community

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field

• Experience with first generation college students and college persistence is highly preferred

What we bring to the table:

We are a fast paced, energetic team and family with passionate people who are leading a movement and to cultivate the their best working environment we provide the following:

• $0 deductible healthcare plan option, including medical, vision and dental.
• Employer Paid Short Term Disability
• $50,000 life insurance policy at no cost to the employee
• Retirement plan through PSRSSL with a 15% match and an optional 403b as a supplement to our pension program
• Employee Recognition: When we succeed together, we celebrate together with our annual gala award ceremony, christmas party, and more!
• Non-profit student loan forgiveness program qualified employer
• Longevity Bonuses: 2, 5, and 10 year financial rewards
• Generous time off:
• Paid leave for illness, personal days, bereavement, jury duty, and military-related leave
• Paid parental leave for new families
• Paid holidays, as well as a one week Thanksgiving break, a two-week winter break, a week-long spring break
• Wellness days and Fabulous Fridays (leave at 1:30 on Friday once a month)
• On-going professional development opportunities:
• Weekly coaching sessions
• Weekly school-based professional development
• Five in-person PD days during the year for all KIPP St. Louis teachers

Check out our KIPP St. Louis video to learn more about KIPP St. Louis Public Schools!

KIPP St. Louis is committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all our students, families, teachers, staff and community members. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.