Great Oaks Fellowship (AmeriCorps) (October 2020-June 2021) (Housing & Stipend Provided)
Position Summary
GO Fellows are integral members of the Great Oaks community. Over the course of one school year (August through June), GO Fellows will collaborate with diverse stakeholders to instruct and mentor students and help develop a community where our students thrive.
As a member of the Great Oaks Fellowship, you will be directly responsible for providing individualized instruction, mentorship, and enrichment opportunities to several small groups (range from 1 to 6 students per group) of middle or high school students each day. This is a service role with AmeriCorps with an average day of 7:30am-5pm. Members serve Monday-Friday and some Saturdays.
In order to support your year of service, you will receive a living stipend, a fully furnished housing benefit (utilities included), access to health insurance, and professional development throughout the year. You will also be eligible for a Segal Education Award through AmeriCorps after the successful completion of your term of service - defined as completing 1,700 hours of service (and the school year) in good standing. Most importantly, you will gain invaluable experience working in an urban charter school, acquiring both educational, teamwork and leadership skills as the year progresses.
The ideal candidate for the Great Oaks Fellowship is a recent college graduate, passionate about service and working with youth. Great Oaks has schools in Newark, NJ; New York, NY; Bridgeport, CT, and Wilmington, DE, and is seeking Fellows for Connecticut and New Jersey. Great Oaks is seeking individuals who are team-oriented, student-centered, and up for one of the most rewarding challenges of their lives.
Responsibilities
Instruct for Mastery - The GO Fellowship, with its intense focus on individualized instruction, changes education outcomes for students. Small group instruction delivered in the context of a supportive relationship between student and AmeriCorps Fellow will result in a significant increase in student math and ELA achievement. Members will deliver on average, over 200 hours of individualized instruction per student - high-quality lesson time that students in other schools do not receive.
- Provide daily individualized instruction (tutoring) to students in math and/or English Language Arts for an average of five (50 minute) periods a day
- Provide students with extra academic supports during after school and/or Saturday Academy over the course of the school year when necessary (dependent on campus placement)
- Work with students to set individualized student driven academic goals
- Actively participate in student and/or content focused meetings with Fellow leadership, school leadership, and teachers
- Assess student progress on a regular basis and effectively use data to inform more personalized instruction
- Provide in-class or curriculum support depending on your role in the program
Mentor for Leadership - Fellows have a fundamental role in supporting students in their social and emotional growth. Fellows collaborate with teachers to coach their students to have a personal investment in their success and to build an understanding that they have control over their lives. Fellows help empower our students to evolve into leaders.
- Provide daily mentorship to small groups of Great Oaks students in formal and informal settings
- Collaborate with teachers and administrators to support the individualized learning needs of students (ie: identifying students who need counseling, creating behavior improvement plans, etc.)
- Constantly serve as a model of professional behavior for students
- Work with students to set individualized student directed social emotional goals
- Develop relationships with families through weekly phone calls and other communications, maintain an open conversation about student progress
Develop a Community - Members will help develop Great Oaks schools into positive, holistic community for students. AmeriCorps members will also develop as people and professionals.
- Support the development of an enriching school environment by being present during morning entry and afternoon exit, being present in the hallways during student transitions, engaging with students during lunch, supporting during school based events, and generally being an active and present member in the school community
- Learn and acclimate to the Great Oaks school culture and procedures, hold students accountable to expectations when necessary
- Actively participate in professional development sessions that are focused on student instruction (tutorial) techniques, student data, personal career development, diversity and inclusion, etc.
- Attend and support student and/or family events to help further build the school community
- Participate in school wide mandatory and voluntary service days such as 9/11 Day of Service and Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service
- Lead after-school clubs and homework support (varies depending on campus)
- Support sports programming (varies depending on campus)
- Additional responsibilities may be established by school leadership in collaboration with network leadership
Qualifications and Competencies
A successful candidate will bring the following qualifications and competencies:
- Completed a Bachelor’s degree by October 1, 2020
- Citizenship or legal Permanent Residency in the United States (AmeriCorps requirement)
- A commitment to serving children in under-resourced, urban communities
- An unshakeable belief that all students can succeed
- Some experience working or volunteering with children; tutoring or mentorship experience preferable
- Some experience working on teams; exceptional relationship building, communication, and collaborative skills
- A remarkable ability to stay organized and to adhere strictly to deadlines even in extremely busy time periods
- A do-whatever-it takes attitude that coincides with an innate drive to get the details right in a flexible manner
- A passion for service and a resilient, positive mindset
- An exceptional ability to respond well to and implement feedback
- A zeal to drive innovation, disrupt the status quo, try new approaches, and tackle problems from many angles and with creative solutions
- An open minded sensibility; a willingness to learn, follow the lead of others, and take leadership opportunities when appropriate
General Information
This AmeriCorps service role will start in October 2020 and run through June 2021. GO Fellow positions are currently available in Newark, NJ and Bridgeport, CT..
Application Process:
- From the date of your application, you can expect to receive notice within a week regarding your eligibility
- After reviewing your qualifications and background, we will schedule you for a brief phone screen interview with one of our Recruitment Associates
- Should you move on in the process, you will be scheduled for an interview and work product evaluation with one of our four locations
(If you are applying through a mobile phone, we suggest using the notes feature and copying and pasting your paragraph into the application to ensure the clarity of your writing.)