Join the Aspire Team
Everyone at Aspire Education is an educator first; we are as committed to learning as we are to teaching, constantly evolving with the best in educational practices and techniques. We recognize that any educational program is only as good as those who provide it, so we strive to attract, develop, and reward the best, most effective educators.
Open Positions
Director of Community Reading Buddies
Overview
Every year, two-thirds of Oakland’s low-income children arrive to kindergarten already behind. Graduation is 12 years away, but they’re already 4 times as likely not to graduate high school. That’s where Aspire’s flagship program, Community Reading Buddies (CRB), comes in. By pairing young children with well-trained, compassionate youth mentors and a proven curriculum, students learn critical literacy skills over the course of two months and are ignited with a passion for reading. But it’s not only the younger children who receive an early education. So do the youth mentors. Before they even begin, they’re given training on how to connect, understand, and communicate, all of which helps prepare them to become independent, emotionally intelligent adults.
This summer CRB went digital for the first time. Young readers grew by an average of one-third of a grade level in literacy in only 7 weeks, while 96% youth mentors said they felt more empowered as a leader and contributor.
Now, after 26 years of CRB only being a summer program, we’re beginning to offer it as a school-year program for the first time. But we need a Director to lead the charge - someone who is bold and creative, with strong operational and relationship skills, and a passion for equity.
Description & Details
The Director of Community Reading Buddies’ primary responsibility will be leading and managing every aspect of the CRB program. The Director of CRB will report to the Executive Director, work on cross team-projects with other Directors, and be assisted by Aspire’s Program Assistant and CRB Interns.
Major areas of responsibility:
- Oversight of the Program
Coordinate all aspects of the CRB program to drive positive student outcomes; including liaising with School District partners, program planning (year round) and daily operations when the program is running, preparing and executing trainings for teen mentors, screening and hiring temporary program staff, overseeing data collection and management on program impact, and above all working with children, youth, teachers, and families to foster a love of reading and meaningful literacy growth among Bay Area students.
Networking in Early Childhood Education and Literacy Community
With the Executive Director, build and grow relationships within East Bay and SF literacy organizations, schools, and district staff to explore partnership opportunities and expand Aspire’s presence and reach in the community.
Curriculum development
The Director of CRB will expand and maintain and explore ways to continually optimize the CRB curriculum, in collaboration with the Board of Directors, Executive Director, and outside volunteers.
Grant writing
The CRB program is primarily funded by grants from local corporations, foundations, and individuals. Grant writing experience and/or strong persuasive writing skills is desirable.
Qualifications
Teaching and Pedagogy
- At least three years of experience in teaching, tutoring, education, and/or youth programs with students is required, with strong preference for experience in elementary and literacy education.
Management and Leadership
- At least one year experience managing programs and people, preferably in an educational context.
- Comfort with prioritizing tasks in a limited resource environment, flexible problem solver, good at striking balances between innovation and continuity, and the ability to work both independently and as a collaborator.
- Strong team player, able to creatively and energetically support the team efforts of Aspire Education within and beyond the CRB program.
- Knowledge of and a strong reputation within the Bay Area/California education community is preferred.
General competencies and communication
- A high degree of attention to detail, follow-through, and aptitude for operations and execution, including an ability to communicate effectively with multiple stakeholders.
- The ability to represent Aspire Education in many different settings – a funder's office, a school hallway, a partner organization's playground, or a neighborhood meeting.
- Clear writer and compelling speaker who can communicate effectively and compellingly present the work and mission of CRB in many different contexts.
- Ability to engage partners in data collection, survey, and interpret results for final Outcomes report that is provided to Grantors.
- Experience with nonprofit marketing and/or social media a plus
- Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin proficiency a plus.
The Basics
- Must have a strong understanding of and/or ability to learn various digital. tools--Google Drive, Office, database management platforms, MailChimp, etc.
- Bachelor's Degree required, and teaching credential - MEd or MA in a related field (such as education or management) - preferred.
- Some evenings and weekends required.
Early Literacy Specialist
Description & Details
Aspire Education seeks an Early Literacy Specialist Tutor who is either a certified Early Literacy Specialist or an uncertified specialist with 2+ years of experience supporting the literacy development of Elementary School students. This position will work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. Many of the students at BGCSF sites read at least two levels below their grade and do not meet standards for grade level expectations on their report cards.
We seek a highly qualified individual who can provide one-on-one support to a selected group of students to help advance their reading level and help them move closer to meeting their grade level expectations. This specialist should be able to speak to their successes working with children who have not yet learned to read or are reading below level, and should be able to explain strategies and curriculum they have successfully used.
Experience working with Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) reading levels and understanding the importance of sight words is highly recommended.
Use of a car to commute is highly recommended, as the location of this position is in an area not easily accessible by public transit.
Good fit candidates:
This is a part-time position. The listing is for a position throughout the 2019-2020 SFUSD school year, with the possibility for additional hours in the future. Hours are variable and can adjust to the right candidate’s needs. Ideal candidates for this position may include Literacy Specialists, Resource Teachers and Specialists, and former elementary teachers interested in an engaging part-time position.
Qualifications:
Teaching and Pedagogy
- Varied experience in teaching, tutoring, education, and/or youth programs with students is required, with strong preference for experience in early, elementary, and literacy education.
Compensation:
Compensation dependent on experience (up to $32/hour).
How to apply:
Please submit a resume and cover letter to hr@aspireeducation.org. Include the words "Early Literacy Specialist" in the subject line.
Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis, starting immediately, with hiring and onboarding occurring as soon as possible.
Academic Tutor
Aspire Education is seeking experienced, communicative, academically-strong tutors interested in working one-on-one in family homes and at school sites. We especially need tutors with expertise in: mathematics (through Calculus), sciences (up to the AP level), Spanish language, and ACT/SAT Test Preparation (we provide additional training). Expect to engage in tutoring and mentoring both one-on-one and in groups. Pay ranges from $25 to $40 per hour. Schedule will be based on the number of client-tutoring requests. Our high demand hours are from 3 to 6pm on weekdays.
Job Details
Qualified applicants will have:
- Previous tutoring experience, ability to demonstrate and teach strong study habits to students
- Strategies for active tutoring; ability to build rapport with students and families
- Strong academic subject-knowledge
- The ability to work well and communicate with a variety of people including teenagers, parents and adults
- A demonstrable interest in educational equity and/or social justice, and professionalism and organization in conduct. (Special Plus: specific subject strengths, flexible schedule. Transportation options an enormous plus.)
Our hiring needs change as we develop new partnerships with Bay Area schools, community-based organizations, and families. This requires a dynamic hiring process. If you are interested in applying to the above position, please take note of the following:
- Applicants must have interest, skill and some experience in academic teaching or tutoring at Middle or High School levels.
- Due to a high volume of applicants, we may not respond to your application. You can be sure that if you are a competitive candidate for a position that has not been filled, we will contact you.
- We cannot review applications that are improperly submitted. Your cover letter and resume will reflect to us your level of professionalism and proficiency in the written word.
- We may keep your application on file and contact you in the near or distant future if a new position/need/opportunity arises.
How to Apply
If you meet our application requirements you can apply online. Your cover letter is an especially important opportunity to convince us that you meet the qualifications described above.