| Long Term Substitute Middle School Social Worker | | Long Term Substitute Social Worker Role 09/01/2026 - 06/30/2027 This position reports to the Pupil Services Division in a midsize urban school district located in the Capital region of Upstate New York. The social worker will work with teachers, parents, and school leaders to develop plans and strategies to improve students’ academic performance and social emotional development. Students and their families will be referred to the social worker to deal with problems such as aggressive behavior, bullying, or frequent absences from school. This position requires a high degree of self-awareness, knowledge on the educational impacts of trauma and creativity when it comes to addressing the needs of students. Social Worker Expectations - Successful intervention work with high poverty populations;
- Successful intervention work with students with mental health needs;
- Ability to articulate their understanding of and support for high academic expectations; through their work with students and families;
- Able to articulate the barriers and strategies for overcoming those barriers of working with students and families in an urban setting;
- Knowledge of and linkage to community agencies and resources available to families and children;
- Advocates for children and families;
- Skill in collection and analyzing data needed to plan for student centered interventions ability to articulate this to other staff;
- Must be able to implement classroom behavior modification strategies;
- Be the lead in developing and implementing FBA’s and BIP's;
- Work with students to build their resiliency and strengthen their assets to enable them to improve their pro-social skills within the school and community;
- Knowledge of Cognitive Behavioral Supports, Culturally Responsive Education Anti-Racist policies and Trauma sensitive practices;
- Support classroom staff with classroom management practices;
- Strengthen the bond between students and school through home visits, resulting in improved attendance.
Social Worker Key Qualities - Able to be empathetic by caring, understanding, and cultivating an empowering environment for all students;
- Demonstrates patience with serious issues, students and families;
- Able to be dependable in ways that develop trust with students;
- Able to implement an organizational system to support both case management and student needs simultaneously;
- Being able to observe with skill and listen closely;
- Being able to make impartial informed decisions on behalf of students and families;
- Ability to be persistent and resilient when dealing with setbacks;
- Willing to be flexible and multitask as needed on demand;
- Ability to use a culturally responsive approach to develop relationships and execute interventions with fidelity;
- Willingness to learn, in order to be relatable, flexible, personable and adaptable;
- Engages in continuous self-care.
| $54,100-$88,382 per year |
| Student Engagement and School Attendance Specialist | | DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: This position exists in the Schenectady City School District and involves the responsibility of reducing student chronic absenteeism & increasing student engagement, in order to improve student academic success. The Student Engagement & School Attendance Specialist uses an anti-racist and trauma informed lens to identify and eliminate barriers to student engagement & school attendance. The position helps ensure that district wide processes and procedures are integrated and implemented consistently in the areas of school attendance and helps district staff understand the correlation between attendance and behavior/academic success. Direct supervision is received from the Assistant District of Student Engagement & School Attendance with wide leeway given for carrying out the details of the work. The incumbent does related work as required. TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES: - Supports a district wide approach to promote the importance of regular student attendance.
- Attendance school meetings to identify follow up and planning required in the area of school attendance.
- Conducts home visits to follow up on chronically absent students and gain parental support in students’ educational, behavioral and social development.
- Identify and implement appropriate family intervention strategies to enhance student attendance in school.
- Work with school staff to identify chronically absent students and students on the verge of being chronically absent to implement strategies to increase student attendance.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies implemented to reduce chronic absenteeism rates.
- Identify and assist in eliminating obstacles to regular school attendance.
- Maintains knowledge of current laws, regulations, school board policies and procedures, as well as emerging trends and current research in school engagement & attendance.
- Ensure that students experiencing barriers to attending school are identified as early as possible to provide appropriate support services and interventions.
- Works with school staff, students, parents, community agencies, to implement Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to improve student attendance and engagement.
- Run school/student attendance reports regularly
- Monitor and analyze data to create action plans aimed at continuous improvement
- Inform and assist families with services, resources and activities that are on-going within the district and community
- Other duties as assigned by the Superintendent and/or Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services
FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Good knowledge of school district programs; Good knowledge of methods and procedures used in record maintenance; Good organizational skills; Excellent interpersonal skills; Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; Ability to enlist the cooperation of others to meet a defined goal; Ability to understand and carry out complex oral and written instructions; Ability to work with youth in an urban setting; Ability to develop quality relationships with parents, students, administration and the school board; Ability to assist the schools in effective communication with parents; Ability to organize meetings; Ability to organize members of the community to develop grassroots concerns and communicate them effectively; Ability to advocate for parents; Ability to seek information to assist families; Compassion and respect for others; Cultural sensitivity to various populations within the school district; Tact, courtesy and resourcefulness in dealing with people; Ability to work evenings and attend evening meetings. | $48,000-$56,000 commensurate with experience |