FRAMINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

DEPARTMENT OF ADULT ESL PLUS

TITLE:

Adult ESL Educational and Career Advisor (0.2 FTE)

Town of Milton Site

POSITION SUMMARY:

Educational and Career Advisors will provide support services to adult students to assist them in effectively addressing educational challenges and potential barriers to learning.  Advisors will also provide the resources, referrals, and support needed to help students develop Next Steps plans to further their educational and/or career plans.

OUR MISSION:

Framingham Public Schools is committed to excellence for all students. Our mission statement guides our work: Through a comprehensive education, we aim to create and empower free-thinking, responsible citizens who can participate equally in our rich and diverse community. FPS and the community stand united in our core values: Providing a safe, inclusive, culturally responsive teaching and learning environment; Engaging antiracist and responsible civic advocates; Respecting diversity of thought, learners, cultures, and community; Fostering learning and healthy growth of all students and staff; Ensuring every school will be an active, participatory, equitable community.

Diversity among teachers undoubtedly advances the academic achievement of students. Compliance obligations establish a baseline which we seek to exceed. As a district, Framingham Public Schools is committed to achieving, developing, and maintaining a workforce reflective of the rich racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity of our students. Framingham Public Schools aims to teach our children, and ourselves, to be culturally proficient and inclusive in order to live, learn, and work together in a vibrant and diverse world.  

Indeed, Framingham Public Schools is committed to inspiring our school community to be accepting and willing to learn from individuals with differing backgrounds. Our goal is to reflect the diverse community we serve and create a great place to work for everyone by embracing the individual skills, perspectives, and experiences our people bring to the workplace and harnessing these for high performance and improved service delivery. We want our employees to feel included, valued, and respected and have access to equal opportunity, which supports full participation at work. Framingham Public Schools seeks to retain the diverse talent in our workforce and support our people to maintain a long and productive working career.

Framingham Public Schools is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications from persons with disabilities and who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

Certified in BEST Plus, TABE CLAS-E.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor's Degree in Education, Counseling, or related fields. Experience/training with non-native speakers; and experience/training working with adult learners. Experience in educational counseling. Bilingual Portuguese or Spanish skills. 

SKILLS AND ABILITY:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. 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.

Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory in the educational field; to communicate clearly and concisely both in oral and written form; to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups including staff, and the general public; to read, analyze and interpret professional periodicals and journals, technical procedures and governmental regulations; to write reports and correspondence, as needed; to use reasoning ability to evaluate information and determine/recommend an appropriate course of action; to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions; to use professional literature, evidence-based research, and continuing education content to make practice decision; to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff, the contracting company, and the community; to work independently, prioritize tasks and manage several projects simultaneously; to perform duties with awareness of all relevant district requirements, state and federal laws, and Framingham Public Schools policies; to work with students of diverse backgrounds with diverse needs in an equitable and inclusive manner that bears to witness to cultural proficiency; to maintain appropriate confidential records; to react professionally and objectively to unpredictable situations (e.g. environmental changes, behavior/aggression, seizure activity, etc.);  to operate and/or acquire skills to operate a computer and related software including but not limited to Google; and ability/willingness to plan, coordinate, conduct and participate in ongoing professional and staff development.

Experience evaluating student skills and writing reports to interpret/summarize findings. Strong collaborative, teaching, coaching, and leadership skills to support student programming and work in a team setting. Strong problem-solving skills to support student success. Strong data-collection skills to help to inform decisions for students. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Strong organizational skills to balance the demands of a multi-tasking position. A proactive and solution-focused approach to meeting student needs. Knowledge of specialized content area as well as any related laws and procedures.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as an illustration of the various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee, and is subject to change by the employer, as the needs of the employer and the requirements of the job change.

• Counsel individuals to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational situations.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required.
• Confer with students, teachers, other counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral, academic, and other problems.
• Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at school.
• Prepare students for later educational experiences by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
• Provide students with information on such topics as college degree programs, admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade/ technical schools, and apprenticeship programs.
• Assist students in evaluating their abilities, interests, and personality characteristics using tests, records, interviews, and professional sources.
• Help students develop next steps plans for themselves and share this information with teachers.
• Conduct follow-up interviews with counselees to determine if their needs have been met.
• Assess needs for assistance such as financial aid or additional training, and refer clients to the appropriate services.
• Compile and study occupational, educational, and economic information to assist counselees in determining and carrying out career and educational objectives.
• Interview clients to obtain information about employment history, educational background, and career goals, and to identify barriers to employment.
• Refer qualified counselees to employers or employment services for job placement.
• Assist administrative team with other outreach and student services.

PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to move about and may be required to traverse occasionally throughout the school building. The employee must also often remain in a stationary position for considerable periods of time. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and sit, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee is expected to lift at least 20 lbs (i.e. books, school supplies, etc.). The employee must frequently use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and use hand strength to grasp tools. Occasionally s/he operates a computer and other office productivity machinery (i.e., a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer). The employee must be able to input information into a computer and as well as read material from a computer monitor as well as handwritten or printed matter with or without visual aids. The employee must be able to communicate effectively with students and other staff members in person and on the telephone. In the classroom, the employee must be able to see and hear on a continuous basis in order to ensure the safety of students as well as speak frequently to provide instruction. On rare occasions, it may be necessary to move quickly across even or uneven surfaces. The employee will be working in a normal school environment with an acceptable level of noise. The employee is directly responsible for the safety, well-being, and work output of students. The employee interacts with students and other staff members and occasionally must meet multiple demands from several people. While the majority of the workday is spent inside, the employee must spend time outdoors for fire drills.  

The physical demands and 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. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee, and is subject to change by the employer, as the needs of the employer and the requirements of the job change.

REPORTS TO:  

Director of Adult ESL Plus

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

None.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) CLASSIFICATION:

This position is classified as Non-Exempt.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Covered under Framingham School Committee Policy.

HELPFUL LINKS: 

Framingham Policies & Procedures Handbook 

Framingham Public Schools provides equal employment. opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Framingham Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the District has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Framingham Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, ancestry, marital status, or veteran status.

Rev. 2023