The Schools. The Background

 

There are two Travis Hill Schools (Schools) in New Orleans. One is located inside of the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC), the detention facility for New Orleans teens who are being held pre-trial, and the other is located inside of the Orleans Justice Center (OJC), the pretrial detention facility for adults.

 

The Travis Hill Schools are run by Breakfree Education. Breakfree Education is a nonprofit organization devoted to improving schools in juvenile and criminal justice facilities across the nation. The first Travis School opened in August 2016 at JJIC. In late August 2017, we opened the Travis Hill School at the Orleans Justice Center (OJC). Additional information about Breakfree and the Travis Hill Schools is available at our website, https://www.breakfree-ed.org and https://ceeasorg.wixsite.com/travishillschools.

 

The School. The Opportunity

 

Approximately 40 students are detained at JJIC on a daily basis. They range in age from 11 to 18 years old. All students attend our school located inside of JJIC. Nearly 1,500 individuals are held at the OJC. We operate a full-time school for approximately 60 students between 17 and 21 years old.

 

Nearly all the students have faced school failure--many did not attend school regularly when they were younger, most have been suspended or expelled at some point, nearly all of them are far behind their peers academically, and 30-40% of them have special education needs. Despite this, they all have hopes and dreams, skills and talents, and family and friends who care for them.

 

Our mission at Travis Hill is to create a transformative learning environment where students held at JJIC or OJC develop the academic and socio-emotional skills they need to become positive, contributing members of their community when they are released. re released.

 

Position Description

 

This is multi-faceted position that will hold an important role at our schools. At Travis Hill we work with many of the City’s most at-risk and neglected teens and young adults. We believe in our students, and are committed to helping them develop the skills they need to be successful. Many of them have not been successful at school generally and specifically have BreakFree Education Teachers 03.18 fared poorly on standardized tests and assessments. At Travis Hill we want our students to enjoy school, to develop a passion for learning--and to excel on both state-mandated, standardized tests, as well as authentic, performance-based assessments. We provide students with the opportunity to take the LEAP 2025 exam, ACT tests, and other diagnostic assessments that provide us with robust data to successfully serve the student, and open pathways for students to earn additional credits and gain admission to college. This position will coordinate school-wide testing cycles in collaboration with school leadership.

 

In addition to testing coordination, this position will be responsible for data collection. It is essential that the school has accurate documentation of student enrollment dates, records collection, testing data, and credit accumulation in order to measure our progress towards school-wide goals and accountability metrics. This position will use already established data collection tools to maintain this data and provide reports as needed.

 

Lastly, this position is responsible for making sure that students who have completed high school, or who have nearly completed high school, receive individualized support as they pursue post-secondary, dual-credit, or highly specialized courses. This is a rewarding and demanding job--one that requires someone who is fully committed to our students and who is fully invested in doing anything and everything to make education happen at our sites. We are looking for someone who truly believes all students can succeed, who believes that students who are detained or incarcerated deserve the best education possible and who is relentless and won’t stop working when it gets difficult.

 

At Travis Hill we want people who are grounded in doing what is right and just, who are self-reflective, aren’t afraid to ask for help and who are willing and open to trying new and innovative ways to reach students.

 

For the right person, this is the perfect job.

 

Primary Responsibilities

 

Responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

 

● Ensuring that all Travis Hill Students are assessed as a part of their welcome and orientation to the school and at agreed-to intervals thereafter. This responsibility includes:

● Ensuring that all Travis Hill Students are assessed using agreed-to assessment tools aligned with those administered at orientation

● Utilizing established processes to share student results effectively with both students and staff, so that the assessments are meaningfully used to support teaching and learning

 

● Serving as lead test administrator for both campuses for all mandated state (and local) course exams. This responsibility includes:

● Attending all required meetings for test administrators

● Working with the school principals, the chief academic officer, and the special education coordinator to ensure that each campus has detailed testing plans in place for all testing periods (December, May, June).

● Working with the manager of data and technology to ensure that each campus is fully prepared for all testing technology-wise BreakFree Education Teachers 03.18

● Using established practices to share assessment data with students and staff, so that these assessments are meaningfully used to support teaching and learning

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● Coordinating data collection for Travis Hill using existing data collection tools

○ Managing google sheets that contain school-wide data

○ Following up with staff to ensure data is entered in a timely manner

○ Creating reports as needed to summarize school-wide data

 

● Coordinating and providing direct, individualized support and instruction for Travis Hill Students who are pursuing individualized course(s). This responsibility may include:

○ Developing plans for and supporting students to take post-secondary courses and specialized high school courses, often using Edgenuity

○ Coordinating teaching assistants, volunteers and others to support students taking these individualized courses

○ Ensuring that students are prepared for, take and are successful in earning credits for these courses

○ Supporting the development and continued improvement of accelerated course offerings at Travis Hill by developing and submitting to the state for approval proficiency assessments for high school courses.

 

Qualifications and Experiences

 

● Two or more years of teaching experience

● Prior experience administering or supporting the administration of Louisiana mandated state-exams

● Attention to detail and strong project management skills

● Solid comfort with, and interest and capacity to improve skills with, Google Suites, MS Office, basic graphic and communication software (Canva, mailchimp, SurveyMonkey), and website building tools such as WIX.

● An understanding of what it means to make learning relevant and meaningful

● An unyielding belief that with the appropriate supports, coupled with high expectations, all students can significantly improve their academic skills, and can develop prosocial and skills and habits that will enable them to succeed at school and beyond

● Embrace and nurture a school culture filled with hope and high expectations, where students will radically improve their academic, employment and socio-emotional skills

● Possess an unrelenting belief that all students can achieve and succeed

 

Essential Competencies

 

● Work collaboratively with teachers and other members of the Student Support Team. Collaboration among professionals is necessary for supporting teaching and learning. Attending team meetings, assisting in meeting students’ needs, supporting social-emotional safety, and sharing appropriate and relevant information sets students up for success.

● Demonstrate effective communication in working with colleagues, students, families, previous school personnel, lawyers, advocates, organizations, communities and colleagues. Written, oral and electronic communication regarding students is professional, relevant, and on a need-to-know basis. BreakFree Education Teachers 03.18

● Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional school values to guide practice. We distinguish between our personal and professional selves and refrain from imposing our personal value system on students.

● Take on responsibilities that lie outside of your areas of specialty. In light of student needs, we must be flexible and willing, with professional development and support, to meet students where they are.

● Meet basic administrative expectations. Timeliness, reading and responding to emails, requesting leave, establishing and maintaining accurate student records, and attending scheduled meetings are necessary to the success of our school.

● Invest fully in the school’s ongoing efforts to use restorative justice practices. We believe in and use a solutions-focused approach to misbehavior.

● Understand that students with significant behavioral, mental health and trauma-related challenges will attend school. The students we serve are facing significant life challenges and we must collectively support them in meeting with success.

 

Salary and Benefits

 

BreakFree Education offers Travis Hill staff a competitive salary and benefits package. Our teacher and student support salaries are on par with local schools, adjusted for our increased academic year, and based on skills and experience. BreakFree Education offers a 401(K) plan for all staff and provides a 4% employer contribution once staff has worked for 12 months. BreakFree Education provides health care coverage for all staff and covers approximately 80% of the monthly premiums and 50% for dependents of employees. This position is a 12 month, full-time position, that runs through the summer, with specified school holidays when staff is off.

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BreakFree is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that a diverse staff is a better staff. Women and persons of color are encouraged to apply to work with us at the Travis Hill Schools.

 

For additional information about BreakFree Education and the Travis Hill Schools, please visit our website at www.breakfree-ed.org.

 

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Effective: March 15, 2022