Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Secondary Reading Instructor, The Pittsburgh Project - Pittsburgh, PA

Posted: 1/5/10

About The Pittsburgh Project:
The Pittsburgh Project is a nonprofit community development organization with a 24-year track record of developing leaders and serving the city’s most vulnerable residents.  Our year-round staff of 57 operates a progressive series of summer and afterschool programs for urban young people, deploys over 2800 people annually to perform free home repairs for Pittsburgh’s in-need elderly homeowners, and spearheads economic development and job training efforts in our Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Nature and Scope of the Position:

Reading Instruction: 

• The Instructor will work directly with small groups of middle school and high school students to provide supplemental reading instruction.
• The Instructor should maintain healthy relationships with the students participating in supplemental reading instruction.
• The Instructor will design lessons and fun learning activities for students to improve in specific areas of reading achievement where they are struggling. 
• The Instructor will work with the Middle School Coordinator and the Reach Academy and Underground afterschool teachers to assist students in reaching high levels of reading achievement.  This may include but is not limited to leading training sessions for the Afterschool teachers and providing them with games and materials for use in their classrooms.
• The Instructor will maintain a safe learning environment for all students involved in reading instruction.
• The Instructor will monitor the reading achievement of the students enrolled in The Pittsburgh Project’s Reach Academy and Underground afterschool programs during the 2009-2010 school year. 
• The Instructor will communicate with teachers from the local Pittsburgh Public Schools to gain information about the reading curriculum in the schools and about students’ progress.
• The Instructor will communicate regularly with the Middle School Coordinator about students’ progress in supplemental instruction.
• The Instructor should remain up-to-date on current issues and practices in reading education.
• The Instructor will work to assist students in reaching the Youth Development benchmarks and long-term outcomes.

Organizational Responsibilities: 

• The Instructor will provide supervision for students as needed and assist with programming.
• The Instructor will assist with supervising students at dismissal until 6:30 PM twice a month.
• The Instructor will participate in regularly scheduled afterschool teacher meetings and Youth Development training events.
• The Instructor will be intentional about building honest, nurturing, and healthy relationships with other staff members of The Pittsburgh Project.
• The Instructor may also be asked to carry out additional responsibilities as determined by the Middle School Coordinator.
• The Instructor will affirm and support the mission of The Pittsburgh Project, will serve the Board as called upon and will abide by the policies as outlined in the staff handbook.

Qualifications:

Personal:  The Reading Instructor must demonstrate a faithful commitment to following Jesus Christ.  He/she must be willing to serve on a team and to affirm the vision, mission and goals of The Pittsburgh Project.

Education:  The Reading Instructor should hold a bachelor’s degree in English or a related subject, preferably with a certification in Secondary Education or as a reading specialist.

Experience:  The Reading Instructor should have a minimum of one year of experience in working with youth in an educational setting.

Skills:  The Reading Instructor should have excellent interpersonal skills.  This person should demonstrate a high degree of initiative and creativity and should be able to administer, score and use various reading assessments for middle school and high school age students.  This person should be familiar with Pennsylvania’s State standards for communication, the Pittsburgh Public School’s reading curricula and the PSSA tests for 6th-8th grade students and for 11th grade students.  The Instructor should possess strong written and oral communication skills, organizational skills and problem solving skills.

Type of Position: Hourly

Schedule:  January 18, 2010-June 1, 2010, Mondays through Thursdays, 3:00-6:00 pm; plus regular staff meetings, visits to schools and to students’ teachers, training events and planning time

Hourly rate:  $10-$12 an hour

Accountability:  This position is part of The Pittsburgh Project’s Youth Development team
and is supervised by Bruce Foster, Middle School Coordinator.

TO APPLY:  Please download a complete job description and application at www.pittsburghproject.org. Please note that we only consider applicants who complete the entire application, so please do not send only your resume. Contact Julie Minton at 412/321-1678 x154 or jminton@pittsburghproject.org with questions.

Please mention that you heard about this opportunity from Dewey & Kaye Jobs Watch in your cover letter when applying for this position.

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