Director of Learning Support Services

Fenn seeks a Director of Learning Support Services to begin on July 1, 2023. The Director of Learning Support Services is responsible for identifying, evaluating, supporting, and monitoring students with learning differences; assisting administrators with academic placement and support; assisting the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid with evaluation of applicants and coordination of financial aid support for Learning Support Services; overseeing learning specialists (tutors) and the tutoring program; and serving as Fenn’s learning differences diagnostician and liaison with relevant professionals inside and outside of Fenn. The successful candidate will be a proactive and collaborative educator who can support the mission of the school and communicate well and partner effectively with faculty and staff, parents, and students.

Responsibilities:

• Consult with and inform faculty regarding the learning styles and learning difficulties of students (i.e., providing testing summaries, observations, evaluation of formal checklists, recommendations for classroom accommodations, and teaching strategies).
   
• Receive and evaluate faculty referrals for tutoring and contact parents if tutoring is recommended.
   
• Evaluate, in conjunction with colleagues (Division Heads, Academic Department Chairs, School Psychologist, Teachers, Advisor, and/or Learning Specialists), the effectiveness of accommodations.
   
• Assist the Director of Admissions and admissions committee with assessment of applicants and their ability to complete Fenn’s program. Recommend accommodations as necessary.
   
• Depending on school needs and candidate's background, teach an academic course or help in academic classrooms.
   
• Attend relevant meetings (faculty and staff meetings, division meetings, department chair meetings, public school IEP meetings).
   
• Investigate relevant research and share best practices with faculty via briefings and workshops.
   
• Recommend resources to faculty, specialists, and academic departments.
   
• Advise parents/guardians about their child’s learning style, including referrals for testing, referral to consulting psychologist, advice on outside services in speech and language, OT, PT, pragmatics, summer programs, etc.
   
• Communicate policies to parents and faculty regarding modifications (re: extended time accommodations, standardized testing accommodations, tutoring).
   
• Serve as liaison between Fenn and educational consultants, counselors, and school districts to gather information about prospective and current Fenn students and to represent Fenn students when transitioning out of Fenn. In this capacity, act as not simply a receiver of information from the outside but as a translator and assessor of information received from these sources.
   
• Act as Fenn’s educational diagnostician by interpreting and summarizing internal and external educational testing for administrators, faculty, secondary school counseling, admissions, and parents/guardians. Complete diagnostic testing if appropriate for a given situation.
   
• Assist Secondary Counseling Office in assessing and identifying which boys may need accommodations for the SSAT.
   
• Administer annual ERB testing for students in grades four, five, and six.
   
• Interpret ERB results for administrators, faculty, and parents.
   
• Create and manage databases for tutorials, test reports, and accommodations.
   
• Schedule and run round tables in coordination with Division Heads.
   
• Conference and collaborate as necessary with Fenn’s school psychologist.
   
• Oversee and manage Fenn’s tutorial program, including managing scheduling and billing of tutorial services and hiring, supervision, and evaluation of learning specialists.
   
• Reading, editing, and revising specialists’ reports midyear and at the end of the year.

Desired Qualifications:

• Five or more years of experience in teaching, learning support services, and educational administration at the elementary and middle school levels.
   
• Master’s degree in special education or other relevant field.
   
• Knowledge of:
  • Cognitive and educational testing
  • Child development and psychology
  • Differences in learning profiles
  • Instructional accommodations for executive function and language processing learning disabilities
     
• Leadership experience; strong communication skills; a track record of effective organization; and a commitment to collaboration.
   
• Experience with and commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work in a school setting.
   
• A passion for and understanding of working with adolescent boys.
   
• Experience engaging in productive conversations with faculty, parents, and students.

The Fenn School is fully committed to a culturally diverse faculty and student body. A successful candidate will, therefore, be a proactive and collaborative educator who is also committed to the manifestation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the Fenn community. The ideal candidate will be able to support Fenn’s mission in all work with students, parents, faculty, and staff. Fenn strongly encourages applications from traditionally underrepresented groups.

Fenn offers a highly competitive salary and a generous benefits package. Interested candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest, resume, statement of educational philosophy, and contact information for professional references via email attachment to Nat Carr, Assistant Head of School, at the following email address: employment@fenn.org. Receipt of materials will be acknowledged via email.

The Fenn School does not discriminate in hiring or terms or conditions of employment on the basis of sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, age, marital status, military or veteran status, application for military service, race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, mental or physical disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.