Regional Family Engagement Manager

The WISD’s Mission is to promote the continuous improvement of achievement for every student while providing high-quality service to our customers through leadership, innovation, and collaboration.
 
The WISD’s Vision is to be a leader in empowering, facilitating, and delivering high-quality, boundary-spanning, educational system that educates all children through an equitable, inclusive, and holistic approach.
 
SUMMARY:
The role of the Regional Family Engagement Manager is to develop a system of support across Region 9 for educators/providers working with families. This position is currently funded by (35i) for three (3) years, for Family Engagement Centers. The Centers are a system of support rather than a physical space with a goal of expanding parental knowledge regarding literacy instruction practices, and awareness of and participation in local Great Start Collaboratives and Family Coalitions. In addition, the goal is to raise awareness of the availability of before, during and after school literacy support programs and to build on the existing practices of the regional literacy hubs and MiFamily Engagement Centers. (Must have access to reliable transportation).
 
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Demonstrates a strong commitment to equity, social justice, and inclusion in all practices and position responsibilities.
• Demonstrates the ability to examine how his/her/their position (directly or indirectly) impacts educational inequities in student achievement outcomes.
• Engages in reflection and ongoing learning and development on critical concepts and terms identified in the Washtenaw ISD Educational Equity Policy including concepts such as cultural proficiency, racial equity, and systemic and structural inequities.
• Supports the WISD vision and mission to enhance achievement for all students.
• Collaborates with representatives from the six ISDs in Region 9 on the development and implementation of a shared, co-designed action plan that includes a sense of purpose, community specific needs for children’s literacy development from birth to grade 5, and family engagement for birth through grade 12.
• Identifies and cultivates relationships with a Family Engagement lead in each ISD to support work in their county.
• Brings together the ISD family engagement leaders (educators, parents, community partners) in each county to conduct a (SWOT) analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to learn about the strengths and needs of each community to ensure the action plan addresses those needs, identifies the families for focus, identifies the successful family engagement work already being done.
• Facilitates and organizes the knowledge of educators, families, and community partners for each county to identify their key families of focus (i.e., low-income families, families of color, English learner families).
• Identifies lead parents/caregivers and educators and leverage those relationships to include them as full partners in the SWOT analysis and implementation of the action plan.
• Coordinates lead parents/caregivers to develop an understanding of the region’s location of low-income, English learners, and families of color and ensure and empower their active participation in the action plan.
• Identifies and builds upon existing relationships and collaborations such as those developed by the literacy support network hub, the Great Start Collaboratives/Great Start Family Coalitions, and Literacy Coaches.
• Works in collaboration with the family engagement leaders and school administrators to select a pilot elementary school to build and demonstrate a model family engagement program.
• Collaborates with the local Literacy Coaches to survey teachers about their goals around family engagement and their needs for coaching, training, and technical assistance, and online learning modules.
• Develops a community, school, and parent collaborative model that can be used in communities throughout Region 9 to support student success.
• Implements the MiFamily Framework “From Vision to Practice,” (which outlines the family engagement strategies that have a higher impact on child learning and development for early childhood programs and elementary schools) to support the ideas of educators, families, and community partners and to inform the collaborative family engagement model.
• Collaborates with the Great Start Collaborative and Family Coalitions to identify actions that have been successful in each community to engage families in activities and their child’s learning.
• Develops a supportive network between literacy coaches and teachers to launch activities that provide training, coaching, technical assistance, and online modules that use literacy to engage families and to better support families and students.
• Fosters the partnership between classroom teachers and literacy coaches to have better feedback on interaction with targeted families.
• Coordinates with literacy coaches in each county to support the implementation of the Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy, Essential 10 (which focuses on the collaboration with families and caregivers in promoting literacy). Work with K-5 teachers in the pilot school to identify and support training, coaching and technical assistance to bring Essential 10 into their classroom. Work with Early Literacy coaches to assess the activities teachers have successfully engaged in with families and build a “best practices” list for distribution to all Pre-K and K-12 teachers in the region.
• Collects and analyze data and synthesize it into work plan, timeline, and reporting for completion of project deliverables and continuous improvement.
• Provides as needed, the establishment and facilitation of a multi-sector Advisory committee to inform family engagement strategies.
• Maintains regular, predictable attendance.
• Other related duties as assigned.

 
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• N/A.

 
QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Alternative requirements that may be appropriate and acceptable to the Board of Education may be considered.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE (REQUIRED):

• Bachelor’s degree in education, Social Work or related field.
• Minimum 3 years of related work experience.
• Experience or knowledge of literacy instruction practices, community partnerships and family engagement.
• Understanding of the needs of high-risk families.
• Excellent data management and assessment skills.
• Leadership ability and cultural sensitivity to develop relationships between diverse populations and multiple agencies across the region.
• Experience in mentoring or coaching, strategic planning, data integration and analysis, community outreach and fundraising.

 
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• Valid driver’s license (with proof of insurance).

 
LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Possesses excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates ability to read, analyze and interpret periodicals and professional journals.
• Demonstrates ability to write reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals.
• Demonstrates ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of educators, customers, and the general public.
• Demonstrates ability to facilitate effective group process.
• Demonstrates ability to express self clearly, both orally and in writing.

 
TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Possesses excellent records management skills and practices.
• Demonstrates proficiency in the use of a personal computer (PC) or MAC in a networked environment to utilize the Internet and other electronic communications mechanisms such as email, conferencing, bulletin boards, etc.
• Exhibits excellent knowledge of productivity applications such as Microsoft Office (word processing, spreadsheets, database, and presentation software) and other technology to support efficient and effective office operation is required.
• Demonstrates ability to integrate technology into the everyday workflow is necessary.
• Demonstrates ability to implement new technologies.
• Demonstrates ability to follow data collection information to support functional behavioral assessment.

 
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

• Demonstrates ability to apply the concepts of basic math, algebra, and geometry consistent with the duties of this position.

 
REASONING ABILITY:

• Exhibits a high proficiency in subject areas of reasoning, problem solving, organizational dynamics and emotional intelligence.
• Demonstrates ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Demonstrates ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Exhibits a high level of professionalism with the ability to handle confidential information, use good judgment, plan, and handle complex projects and maintain a flexible attitude.
• Demonstrates ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Demonstrates ability to use positive behavior support intervention techniques autonomously.

 
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

• Possesses excellent organizational, leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Possess a genuine empathy for and understanding of families and young children.
• Exhibits ability to work independently with management guidance.
• Demonstrates excellent customer service and communication skills with a client-centered focus.
• Demonstrates ability to build rapport with others and to serve diverse publics.
• Demonstrates ability to take initiative; work well with others as a collaborative team member and exhibit good communication skills.
• Demonstrates ability to work effectively and collaboratively with other departments, agencies, and individuals.

 
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 
 
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, talk, see and hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl and reach with hands and arms.  The employee is continuously repeating the same hand, arm or finger motion many times. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds such as books and training material. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distant vision and the ability to adjust focus. Frequent travel and/or driving to various off-site locations is required. In addition to travel by bus, airplane or train may also be required in association with attendance at conferences and meeting. Work is generally performed in a classroom setting or in an office environment, involving face-to-face communication. 
 
The position requires the individual to sometimes work irregular or extended work hours and meet multiple demands from several people such as parent committee meetings, family nights and other activities including social and community activities.
 
ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 
 
The noise level in the work environment is quiet to loud depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day. The employee may be required to be outdoors for periods of time, and therefore subject to varying weather conditions, for purposes of accomplishing the essential functions of this job.
 
FUNCTIONS OF POSITION DESCRIPTION:
This position description has been prepared to define the general duties of the position, provide examples of work and to detail the required knowledge, skills and ability as well as the acceptable experience and training for the position.  The description is not intended to limit or modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct and control the duties of employees under supervision.  The WISD retains and reserves any and all rights to change, modify, amend, add to or delete from any portion of this description in its sole judgment.
 
This position description is not a contract for employment.
 
The WISD is an equal opportunity employer, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The District will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
 
TERMS: 
Contract, salary, and other employment conditions to be established by the Board of Education as reflected in the Non-Affiliated Manual. The starting salary range (dependent upon experience) is from $75,477. to $92,762.

Washtenaw Intermediate School District is a drug-free workplace.  

It is the policy and commitment of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, height, weight, familial status, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any legally protected characteristic, in its educational programs, activities, admissions, or employment policies in accordance with Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments, executive order 11246 as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and all other pertinent state and federal regulations.