Reading Partners AmeriCorps Member (2020-21)

Dallas, TX

 

Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers and AmeriCorps service members in under-resourced elementary schools. Our dedicated and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are the heart and soul of our organization, and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that works. Join our stellar team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Learn more about us at www.readingpartners.org.

 

AmeriCorps/VISTA engages more than 80,000 Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country. Since the program’s founding in 1994, over 1 million AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1.4 billion hours in service across America while tackling pressing problems and mobilizing more than 2.3 million volunteers for the organizations they serve.

 

At Reading Partners we have to mobilize 350 full-time AmeriCorps and VISTA members to serve in various positions across the country.  This AmeriCorps service opportunity is school-based supporting and implementing the Reading Partners mission while at the same time exemplifying the AmeriCorps motto of “getting things done.” Reading Partners strives to recruit AmeriCorps members dedicated to a year of service in the community. 

 

The Roles

Interested in direct service in one or multiple elementary schools? Check out our school-based AmeriCorps opportunities below!

 

The AmeriCorps Literacy Lead is a direct tutoring support within our reading centers and using our remote tutoring system for distance tutoring, focusing on target students in need of more individualized instruction. This is an exciting opportunity to provide intensive tutoring to kids, and get a hands-on approach to an educational program that works! Our top Literacy Leads are ambassadors for service, demonstrate a passion for tutoring elementary school students, and strongly believe in our vision and values.

 

What you’ll do & how you’ll do it:

Direct Tutoring & Student Support

Tutor an average of 10-15 target students twice per week, identifying alternative methods to provide more intensive and individualized literacy strategies to meet our students’ learning needs.

  • The Literacy Lead is an exciting role that hones in on tutoring and educational best practices. Literacy Leads partner with the region’s school-based team to support site setup at multiple reading centers through the first month of launch. Once assigned to a reading center, our Literacy Leads collaborate with AmeriCorps Site Coordinators and AmeriCorps Distance Tutoring Coordinators to identify, assess, and tutor students in need of additional instruction. A strong ability to understand our program is crucial, as is a love for serving directly with students. 

 

Relationship Management & Communication

Forge and maintain positive relationships within the elementary school community to create a positive tutoring environment for students and caregivers.

  • Creating strong relationships with target students is a significant aspect of the Literacy Lead’s role. Because Literacy Leads regularly tutor a portfolio of approximately 10-15 students, an inherent passion and ability to connect with and motivate children towards success is crucial.

 

The AmeriCorps Distance Tutoring Coordinator plays a critical role in our school-based team within the region. In response to Covid-19, Reading Partners will implement a distance tutoring program, for which the AmeriCorps Distance Tutoring Coordinator will work in collaboration with the Site Coordinator as a team to deliver the program.  This role will co-lead, with the Site Coordinator, all student support services to ensure their success in the program. The Distance Tutoring Coordinator also serves as the lead logistical and family, student, and volunteer engagement support, ensuring all parties are equipped to attend and successfully complete their sessions. They accomplish this by coordinating and coaching tutors, coordinating and supporting families, observing distance tutoring sessions for student needs, and maintaining data systems related to distance tutoring in collaboration with AmeriCorps Site Coordinators. This is an exciting new role that supports new programming created in response to Covid-19 and is an opportunity to serve and get involved in a literacy program that works! Our Distance Tutoring Coordinators are ambassadors for service, demonstrate strong leadership skills, and strongly believe in our vision and values.       

 

What you’ll do & how you’ll do it:

Program Implementation & Support

Co-lead student support, lead family and volunteer logistic support. This is accomplished through collaboration with AmeriCorps Site Coordinators to implement the Reading Partners program at a portfolio of partner school sites, ensuring that all students and tutors receive support to meet their session needs in distance tutoring.

  • The Distance Tutoring Coordinator is an extension of the greater Reading Partners team. In serving multiple school sites, Distance Tutoring Coordinators must develop a strong understanding of our curriculum and how to implement using our remote tutoring system to support tutors and families.   They will be trained to become our technology experts to support student and volunteer success. This knowledge is key to ensuring students and tutors have successful distance tutoring sessions in order to meet student growth outcome goals. Distance Tutoring Coordinators focus on providing additional targeted tutoring support to students and coaching to volunteer tutors to improve program quality. 

 

Relationship Management & Communication

Forge and maintain positive relationships with student families, tutors, and with AmeriCorps peers to create welcoming environments for students, caregivers, and volunteer tutors.

  • Strong relationships are a cornerstone of the Distance Tutoring Coordinator’s success. Because Distance Tutoring Coordinators interact with a significant number of students, families, volunteer tutors, and Reading Partners staff across the region, the ability to foster trust and positive relationships is a must. The aptitude to guide and give feedback to volunteer tutors is critical, as is the ability to identify student and tutor trends throughout individual school sites.   

 

 

Additional Information

  • Except when under shelter in place orders or if schools/offices are otherwise closed to Reading Partners, the essential functions of this role are performed in schools and/or in designated locations where programming may be delivered, such as a Reading Partners regional office, or another Reading Partners approved location where volunteers may be convened to tutor students using our remote tutoring system. To promote a safe environment, AmeriCorps members will be required to properly wear a mask when serving on-site. Reading Partners will provide AmeriCorps members with a mask.
  • Should schools and/or Reading Partners offices close due to the public health crisis, members may be asked to continue their service remotely under the Reading Partners “teleservice” policy, a copy of which will be provided during Reading Partners AmeriCorps Orientation (RPAO).
  • Due to the changing nature of serving in public education AmeriCorps members may, at any time, be asked to transition to another Reading Partners AmeriCorps position within the OneStar awarded Reading Partners Texas Program.
  • AmeriCorps members are required to wear the AmeriCorps logo on a daily basis while actively serving. A Reading Partners AmeriCorps branded lanyard will be provided
  • This position has access to vulnerable populations and, upon acceptance to the program, requires clearance of a National Service Criminal History Check (NSCHC). Vulnerable populations include children 17 years of age or younger, persons age 60 and older, or people with disabilities.
  • In the event of a local, state, or federal disaster declaration, AmeriCorps members may be asked on a volunteer basis or be required by OneStar to activate to assist in disaster response and recovery activities within their communities.  This may involve virtual service opportunities or in-person service opportunities. This may include service opportunities outside of the member’s standard service hours or in place of their standard service duties. In the event of a large-scale, high needs local, state, or federal disaster, AmeriCorps members may voluntarily or be required by OneStar to deploy to an area outside of their service area to assist in disaster response and recovery activities.

About You!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

  • Are dedicated to national and community service
  • Understand this position is an AmeriCorps service commitment and are dedicated to successfully completing a full term term of service.
  • Demonstrate a passion for working with children
  • Possess a natural ability to connect with people
  • Are eager for a dynamic schedule
  • Pay strong attention to detail and manage competing priorities effectively
  • Boast a deep belief in and passionately promote our mission
  • Demonstrate a love for relationship building and public speaking
  • Have flexibility and adaptability in both work style and work environment  
  • Take initiative in meeting goals and seeking professional growth
  • Can problem-solve through challenges and failures
  • Can quickly learn new technology systems like Salesforce, and have a high level of comfort with Microsoft Office and Google Apps
  • Root your work in our core values
  • Possess a high school diploma or GED
  • Hold US Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status
  • Have not completed more than three (3) prior AmeriCorps or VISTA service terms

Bonus Points if you:

  • Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alum/alumna
  • Have experience volunteering with other community-based or education programs

 

What we offer:

  • AmeriCorps members earn an annual living stipend of up to $16,500
  • AmeriCorps members are eligible for medical, dental, and vision coverage at no cost for our members; childcare assistance is available through AmeriCorps for those who qualify.
  • AmeriCorps members can earn an education award of $6,195 after successfully completing their service term.
  • You may be eligible for student loan forbearance on federal student loans.
  • We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us. As such, we provide ongoing professional development opportunities.

The other things you need to know:

  • Service Terms: AmeriCorps members serve full-time (approximately 40 hours/week) from September or October 2020 through July 2021, and must commit to a service term of 1700 hours over a 10-11 month period.
  • Travel: AmeriCorps members regularly travel to school sites throughout the week, and need access to reliable transportation on a daily basis. AmeriCorps members also make occasional trips to regional offices and service day events.
  • Reading Partners AmeriCorps Orientation: At the start of each program year, Reading Partners holds an intensive program orientation training to take a deeper dive into our program, foster relationships with regional teams, and learn the skills necessary to execute their respective AmeriCorps role.   
  • Onboarding Paperwork: This summer, all incoming first-year AmeriCorps members will need access to a few required identification documents (for example, their ID and Social Security Card), which can be securely and electronically sent to our AmeriCorps HR team. Unfortunately, we are unable to make exceptions to this requirement
    • Note: A legible photograph of the required document is absolutely okay.

 

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Position will remain posted until filled. No phone inquiries.

At Reading Partners we respect and honor the diversity in our workforce, and we are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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