Tribal Education Specialist

About Treehouse:

At Treehouse, we envision a world where every child who has experienced foster care has the opportunities and support they need to pursue their dreams and launch successfully into adulthood. And our team of staff who embody and deliver the heart and care of our work is our secret sauce.

Treehouse seeks to hire passionate individuals who understand the power of young people, celebrate diverse voices and challenge themselves to do better for youth in foster care. We are committed to providing opportunities for staff to learn, grow and stay with the organization during an exciting time as we expand our services and reach statewide.

Benefit Summary:

Treehouse values work-life balance and prioritizes the health and well-being of our staff. Benefits include medical, dental, vision and life insurance plans with 100% employer-paid premiums; a retirement plan with 3% employer match; and paid leave that includes 9 holidays, generous PTO and two weeks of staff appreciation days off.

Pay for this position starts at $26.56 per hour. This role has the potential to go up to $35.09 per hour, with time and demonstrated success.

· Generous PTO of 4 weeks

· Healthcare Benefit plan options include 100% covered preventive care

· 2 Weeks off (separate from PTO) for Staff Appreciation Weeks

· 403B Retirement Plan Matching

· The company covers 100% of payroll taxes for state family medical leave

· Free convenient parking

· Dog Friendly Office Space

Position Summary:

Tribal Education Specialists (TEdS) work closely with partnering tribes, school administration, faculty, and staff, including Foster Care Liaison’s and School Building Points of Contact, as well as the Department of Children Youth & Families and community partners, to support a caseload of youth and tribal youth experiencing foster care. TEdS provide academic support, resource navigation, coaching, mentoring services, and culturally appropriate interventions. They regularly monitor youth attendance, behavior, and course performance using data received from schools, caregivers and youth. TEdS perform personalized, timely interventions focused on problem-solving, skill building, goal setting, self-advocacy, enrichment support and academic achievement. They work closely with youth and their support teams to achieve high school completion and assist in developing and implementing a post-high school plan for their future. TEdS may work with youth that are concentrated in a geographic region or statewide, depending on the needs of that area.

Essential Functions:

• Manage an assigned caseload of youth, using established case procedures.

• Build relationships with social workers, caregivers, school personnel, and other collaborators to support youth holistically.

• Partnering and establishing healthy working relationships with partnering Indian Child Welfare offices.

• Responsible for analyzing data (attendance, educational history, behaviors, performance, etc.) for assigned youth to create and inform educational plans (i.e. 504 and IEP).

• Responsible for adhering to requirements for mandated reporting, school district policies and following data confidentiality procedures.

• Responsible for coaching youth on problem solving, self-advocacy, self-determination, academic mindset, self-regulation, persistence, and positive behavior.

• Responsible for identifying and referring youth to appropriate resources to support education, social/emotional development, or other needs.

• Responsible for acquiring consent forms for each assigned youth and collecting school records as needed.

• Responsible for scheduling and facilitating interagency meetings, facilitating transportation plans assisting with credit transfer/retrieval, negotiating services and disciplinary appeals, etc.

• Responsible for maintaining complete, accurate, and updated case records for each youth in the program’s database.

• Responsible for providing timely case progress reports to supervisor and team, social workers and caregivers.

• Partner with management to provide recommendations on success stories to represent organizational mission upon request.

• Facilitate training and skills shares to support standardization and program fidelity.

• Work from within the assigned school location(s) to provide outreach, and case coverage for other schools in assigned service area.

• Responsible for providing culturally appropriate case consultations with other direct service staff for Tribal youth.

• Responsible for identifying opportunities to build relationships with larger tribal communities as part of an ongoing effort to establish trust, belonging and rapport.

• Responsible for serving statewide cases remotely as needed.

• Other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:

• Full-time position

• Monday to Friday

• 8:00am to 5:00pm

• Occasional evenings and weekends

• Frequent local travel to attend meetings on behalf of youth and to build relationships with schools, caregivers, social workers and other service providers.

• Travel requirements vary per assignment and will change depending on the needs of the Tribal Education Specialists caseload.

• Overnight travel 1-3 weeks a year for training, conferences and retreats.

• Work is expected to be conducted in person at schools.

• Remote work expectations will be determined through the Tribal Engagement Manager.

• Travel to Treehouse worksites may be requested with advanced notice.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent.

• 2+ years’ experience working or partnering with tribal communities

• Experience providing affirming and engaging support services to youth from diverse and traditionally underserved or historically marginalized populations, including students of color, low-income students, or students with disabilities.

• Ability to deploy critical thinking, problem solving, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence when communicating on behalf of Treehouse.

• Demonstrate willingness to take initiative and collaborate with manager and team to enhance program quality and service delivery.

• Deep commitment to racial equity and social justice and ability to effectively engage in candid conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.

• Ability to maintain records and data and use program data to inform decision-making and service delivery strategies.

• Demonstrate a willingness to engage in, learn and implement Trauma Informed Practice.

• Demonstrated experience collaborating and coordinating services with school districts, community agencies, caregivers, volunteers and others.

• Ability to set boundaries and utilize support services to manage the personal impact of working with youth who have been placed at risk.

• Strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.

• Demonstrated ability to build positive and effective working relationships with individuals of various ages, cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds and abilities.

• Ability and aptitude with online database systems to maintain records and data to support effective decision making and service delivery strategies.

• Knowledge of educational and community resources available to promote educational attainment for youth.

• Must thrive while working independently and be able to maintain relationships with coworkers and managers.

• Ability and aptitude with Microsoft Office Suite and other technology necessary for successful day-to-day functioning in a business environment.

Complete nationwide criminal background check and driving record background check.

Preferred Experience:

• Knowledge of federal and state education law, including special education and Indian Child Welfare laws.

• Prior experience facilitating, coordinating multiple stakeholders and Tribal nations through complex situations.

• Prior experience navigating special education evaluations and education plans.

• 2+ years’ experience providing advocacy of and support of youth experiencing foster care or other vulnerable student populations.

Physical and Mental Requirements:• Mental Requirements – Ability to reason logically and make sound decisions, to consider alternative and diverse perspectives, to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, to remain poised under all circumstances, and to interact effectively with people in a positive manner that creates confidence and trust.• Physical Requirements – long periods of stationary work, working on a computer, moving between various work areas, going up and down stairs, talking on the phone, working with office/computer equipment, and sitting at desk or table while listening, talking and taking notes.

DISCLAIMER:

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. As an adaptive organization, responsibilities can and will change in alignment with greater efficiencies and mission metrics.