Danbury Public Schools is a diverse community located in the western part of Connecticut and serving more than 12,500 students spread across the City of Danbury, Connecticut. We are committed to cultivating equity and excellence for all of our students, closing the opportunity gaps, and preparing students for post-secondary success. The mission of Danbury Public Schools, in partnership with families and the community, is to provide transformational learning experiences, designed to nurture thoughtful and prepared graduates. We have set very ambitious and rigorous goals to assure that our students graduate prepared to transform our world, and we are always searching for staff who are committed to our mission and the success of our students. Our schools range from 13 different and unique elementary schools including an interdistrict magnet school for International Studies, to three middle schools, including an intra-district magnet school focused on STEM and World Studies, to our flagship Danbury Career Academies that are transforming how we deliver education to students with a wide range of interests taught by a faculty with real world and academic experiences. DPS recruits and commits to educators with passion, who are committed to our vision to aspire to advance ALL learners to their highest potential.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The K-12 school counselor provides academic; career; college access, affordability and admission; and social-emotional competencies to every student annually by helping design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive evidence-based school counseling program in each school across the district. The school counselor provides an annual plan and advises every student, classroom school counseling lessons in collaboration with other educators for all students, group and individual counseling for some students. The school counselor also provides additional school-wide activities that promote student success helping to close achievement, opportunity, and attainment gaps, increase student career/college success, and improves mental health/well-being. The school counselor is an advocate, leader, and change-agent partnering with colleagues inside the schools, in the community, and with family members for optimal student success. The school counselor is supervised by theAssistant Superintendent for Special Education & Pupil Personnel in consultation with the building Principal.
Services to Students
- Plans, delivers, and evaluates school counseling interventions to help close achievement, opportunity, and attainment gaps.
- Delivers academic success skills including: organization, time management, study skills to all students annually.
- Delivers career development skills including assessments, career clusters, use of Occupational Outlook Handbook, creating resumes/cover letters, job shadowing/searching techniques.
- Delivers college access/affordability/admission skills to all students with attention to first-generation students, students with disabilities, and students needing affordability resources.
- Provides social-emotional skills to all students including anti-violence/ anti-bullying, stress management, cultural diversity, and strategies to improve energy/ mood Ensures every student has an annually updated ACCESS & Accomplishments Plan.
- Ensures ethical practice by using a decision-making model and sharing most recent updates of the ACA, ASCA & NACAC codes of ethics with all stakeholders.
- Coordinates orientation for new and transfer students and families.
- Applies developmental, learning, counseling, and education theories.
- Uses Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success standards (ASCA) in the school counseling program.
- Demonstrates an understanding of the impact of cultural, social and environmental influences on student success and opportunities.
- Designs and implements instruction aligned to Mindsets and Behaviors in Classroom, Group, and Individual Settings.
- Provides appraisal/advisement in Classroom, Group, and Individual Settings.
- Provides short-term counseling in Group and Individual Settings.
Collaboration with School and Professional Staff - Collaborates with teachers, school social workers, and school psychologists for optimal student success.
- Collaborates with multiple school systems and peers for systemic change: as Equity Consultants on the Master Schedule, supporting all students’ access to challenging coursework for all students, Academic Support Services, and Co-Curricular Activities.
- Consults with teachers on creative, culturally responsive interventions to support struggling students including noncognitive factors affecting student success.
- Participates in PPT/504 meetings, team meetings, and restorative justice settings.
- Makes referrals to appropriate school resources.
- Consults with educators for student achievement and success.
Liaison and Collaboration with Outside Resources - Maintains professional memberships in state and national school and college counseling organizations (ASCA/CSCA, ACA, NACAC/NEACAC).
- Collaborates with family members and community agencies/businesses in a school/family/community partnership for student achievement/success.
- Makes referrals to appropriate community resources.
Planning and School Counseling Program Development/Evaluation - Demonstrates leadership as a system change agent for equity by developing and implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.
- Establishes and maintains School Counseling Program Advisory Council.
- Assists in annual Equity Audit of school programs/policies/practices.
- Uses disaggregated data to plan School Counseling Program interventions.
- Uses technology effectively in the school counseling program.
- Annually updates school counselor/administrator agreement.
- Analyzes school disaggregated data to inform school counseling program best practices.
- Demonstrates understanding of educational systems, legal issues, policies, research, and trends Applies school counseling professional standard, competencies and legal and ethical principles to the school counseling profession.
- Creates school counseling program beliefs, vision and mission statements aligned with school and district.
- Identifies gaps in achievement, attendance, discipline, opportunity, and resources.
- Develops annual student outcome goals based on data.
- Develops and implements action plans aligned with student outcome goals and data.
- Assesses and reports program results to the school community.
- Uses time appropriately according to national recommendations and student/school data.
- Establishes annual agreement with building leaders about the SC program.
- Uses a SC appraisal process (ASCA SC Appraisal/101 Solutions-CAFE Model).
- Maintains weekly and annual calendars of SC use of time and school counseling program/ school-wide events for all stakeholders.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: - Effective skills in working with all school stakeholders and community partners.
- Ability to identify students with disabilities and refer for appropriate services and accommodations.
- Ability to affirm and work effectively with students and other stakeholders of multiple cultural and linguistic identities.
- Knowledge of ACA, ASCA and NACAC professional codes of ethics for school and college counselors.
- Experience in implementing and evaluating a school counseling program model such as the ASCA National Model.
- Experience in advising/planning for all students, developmental school counseling curriculum lessons, group counseling, and individual counseling.
- Technology skills including use of spreadsheets, social media, websites, apps, and other ways that build and enhance the school counseling program effectiveness with all stakeholders.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: - Bilingual Fluent in Spanish preferred.
- Experience and understanding of bilingual students’ unique academic and social-emotional strengths and challenges.
- Experience in urban, diverse environments.
- K-12 teaching, advising, and/or coaching experience.
- Experience using the ASCA Model, Code of Ethics, Professional Competencies, & Mindsets & Behaviors.
- Experience in career and college access, affordability, and admission counseling.
- Experience in a distance learning work environment.
Qualifications/Certificates: - 068 School Counselor certification/eligibility in CT.
- Master’s degree in Counselor Education/School Counseling.
- Knowledge of evidence-based research and best practices in designing, implementing, and evaluating a school counseling program and interventions including school counseling curriculum lessons, group and individual counseling, and planning/advising for all students.
- Demonstrated professional identity/memberships in state and national school and college counseling professional organizations.
- Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Superintendent and/or Danbury Board of Education may find appropriate
Salary: Salary and wages are paid in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement between NEA Danbury and the Danbury Board of Education which can be found on our website.