Persistence Advisor

  • Full-time
  • Subject: College and Career Readiness
  • Start Date: Immediate opening
  • Department: College & Career Counseling

Company Description

Founded in Houston in 1994, KIPP has become a national leader in partnering  with families and communities, to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose — college, career, and beyond — so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

In 2005, KIPP schools in Tulsa, OK was formed  to become KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools, a nonprofit public charter school network, accelerating student academic outcomes and impacting more students in Tulsa, OK. KIPP began with 1 campus,  90 5th grade students,  to now serving students in grade 5-12 on two campuses, by the end of the 2021-2022 School year.  Through partnership with the local school district, KIPP Tulsa can more effectively leverage the talent, resources, instructional expertise, financial strength, and advocacy in the public charter school movement, in order to have an even larger impact with educationally underserved communities across our city.

KIPP Tulsa is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools educating early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students. KIPP schools are part of the free public school system and enrollment is open to all students. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income families.

The Five Pillars of KIPP

1.      High Expectations. KIPP schools have clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and conduct that make no excuses based on the students' backgrounds. Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support through a range of formal and informal rewards and consequences for academic performance and behavior.

2.      Choice & Commitment. Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP school choose to participate in the program. No one is assigned or forced to attend a KIPP school. Everyone must make and uphold a commitment to the school and to each other to put in the time and effort required to achieve success.

3.      More Time. KIPP schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.

4.      Power to Lead. The principals of KIPP schools are effective academic and organizational leaders who understand that great schools require great school leaders. They have control over their school budget and personnel. They are free to swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum effectiveness in helping students learn.

5.      Focus on Results. KIPP schools relentlessly focus on high student performance on standardized tests and other objective measures. Just as there are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to achieve a level of academic performance that will enable them to succeed at the nation's best high schools and colleges.  Teachers will be provided consistent and constant professional development opportunities and will be expected to support each other’s growth as a team and family. 

 

Job Description

The KIPP Through College (KTC) program is responsible for implementing robust programming for alumni in each phase of their high school and college education in order to maximize the number of KIPP Tulsa alumni who go to and graduate from college. The KTC program seeks to support all KIPP Tulsa students in becoming successful adults in their academic, professional and personal lives. The College and Persistence Adviser will be responsible for ensuring that our college-age alumni from KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools receive the academic, social, and emotional support needed to be successful in college and in life. 

 

The College and Persistence Adviser will perform additional duties and do whatever it takes for ALL students to be successful at KIPP Tulsa Public Charter schools, in high school, and in all post-secondary programs. The Persistence Advisor will work closely with the Director of KIPP Through College, students, students’ colleges, parents, and community organizations to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to enter a post-secondary program and persist in their chosen program. The Persistence Advisor will report to the Director of KIPP Through College.

 

 

  • Serve as the persistence adviser for college-enrolled students

    • Maintain quarterly contact with all students currently enrolled in college or other post-secondary programs

    • Support and coach students, individually and/or in groups, to monitor their own performance in their program, and to get and stay involved/connected with the students to advocate for them when necessary

    • Support and coach families, individually and/or in groups, to monitor their student’s performance in their post-secondary program, and to get and stay involved/connected with the students to advocate for them when necessary

    • Review college-age alumni progress, semester grades, and academic standing

    • Track academic progress and maintain student files in the Salesforce database with progress reports, semester grades, academic progress plans, parental involvement, intervention meetings, financial aid awards, college persistence, scholarship applications, and awards, etc.

    • Educate college-age alumni on personal finance (money management, budgeting, etc.) and connect them to available resources for these purposes

    • Advise students on academic planning 

    • Match eligible students to college success programs, employment opportunities, and summer internships

    • Assist students in ongoing scholarship research and applications starting in the summer 

    • Introduce KIPP and KTC programming to and develop relationships with college admissions counselors, financial aid advisors, deans, and retention support staff at colleges and universities to facilitate the tracking of students’ progress to assist in their college experience

    • Connect alumni with on-campus support services

    • Counsel alumni on college transferring, by providing one-on-one assistance, feedback, and deadline tracking

    • Advise alumni on college life (homesickness, fitting in/involvement, add/drop deadlines & consequences, study habits and midterms/finals) and support/connect alumni with internships, summer program, summer classes, and scholarship applications by providing one-on-one assistance, feedback, and deadline tracking

    • When necessary, research aspects of college placement and persistence: financial aid, scholarships, applications, retention, graduation, and admissions standards

    • Assist students by connecting them to other post-secondary options that will yield certifications or long-term employment

    • Foster relationships with community organizations that will support students in post-secondary persistence

  • Create and maintain regular communication with college-enrolled students 

  • Recognize achievement and motivate alumni through regular email and text correspondence, college care packages, encouraging messages

  • Maintain regular communication with students by call, text, or email to monitor challenges and help with solutions

  • Support the planning and execution of a career workshop focused on networking to eventually prepare students for a coordinated networking event with various professionals in collaboration with our board members. 

  • Support KTC programming and initiatives

  • Coordinate with other KTC staff to arrange for students and alumni at all grade levels to visit colleges and interact with KIPP Tulsa alumni when possible and applicable

  • Coordinate with other KTC staff to plan and support the summer program and winter programs and internships to ensure college-age students are maximizing their experiences to ensure college graduation and a job upon college graduation 

  • Support with planning and execution of transition activities such as the Pennant Ceremony and Ascend Pre-College Institute

  • Support with planning and execution of the FAFSA event and FAFSA completion

  • Manage data entry in Alumni Database

    • Track academic progress and maintain student files in the Salesforce database with progress reports, semester grades, academic progress plans, parental involvement, intervention meetings, financial aid awards, college persistence, scholarship applications, and awards, etc.

    • Run reports and consistently assess progress towards regional goals with the Director of KIPP Through College

    • Track and confirm college acceptances, matriculations, and enrollments

    • Complete and input pre-college benchmarks 

    • Complete and input at least two college persistence benchmarks for 100% of college-enrolled students

  • Manage relationships with stakeholders

    • Cultivate and maintain relationships with high schools, community partners, college access programs, and high school, university, and college leaders.

    • Establish and maintain relationships/partnerships with colleges, universities, outreach programs, and scholarship organizations

    • Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships within the community, namely organizations that can help prepare alumni for success in college, including academic support, social support, summer opportunities, and employment opportunities


 

Qualifications

  • A passion for working with students in the city of Tulsa and a desire to provide whatever resources are necessary to ensure that all students will succeed

  • A relentless drive to improve the minds and lives of alumni in and out of school. 

  • Commitment to doing whatever it takes, whenever it needs to be done, to empower our alumni to be successful.

  • Shared responsibility for program activities, some of which take place during evenings or Saturdays

  • Commitment to personal professional growth. 

  • Excellent communication skills, especially with students and parents

  • Dedication to helping children grow and learn

  • Relentlessness, maturity, humility, a strong work ethic, grit, a sense of humor, relatable, zest, and a “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude.

  • A high standard for post-secondary achievement for all students

  • Outstanding organizational skills and high attention to detail; outstanding written and oral communication skills.

  • A minimum of 2 years of successful experience in an underserved community 

  • A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field

  • Experience with first-generation college students and college persistence is highly preferred

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits:

This is a full-time, exempt position. We offer competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. As an equal opportunity employer, KIPP Tulsa does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or any other basis made unlawful by applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations.

 

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