Dear Colleagues...

 

As part of our growth and expansion processes and our commitment to
provide the highest quality experience to our families, Computers for
Youth (CFY) is hiring a *Director of Professional Development and
Student Software Initiatives*.

 

This exciting, entrepreneurial position will definitely be a lot of fun
for the right person. :)

 

Please take a look at the job description and distribute it widely to
people you think might be qualified!  Applicants should follow the
directions exactly as indicated in the description below.

 

While we are accepting applications on a rolling basis, we do hope to
hire for the position by mid-September.

 

Warmly,

--Kallen Tsikalas :)

 

Director of Research & Learning Services

Computers for Youth

 

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
=================================================================

Position:  Director of Professional Development and Student Software
Initiative

Location: CFY's New York City Office -- New York, NY 

 

ABOUT COMPUTERS FOR YOUTH

Computers for Youth (CFY), a national non-profit organization, is the
leader in improving the home learning environment for low-income middle
school children. We select public schools with high poverty statistics
and then offer all the sixth graders and their parents a free
computer-based home learning center, which they are taught to use at our
Saturday Family Learning Workshops before taking it home. Our home
learning centers come with Internet access, award-winning educational
software and tailored web content.  Our supplementary programs increase
parental involvement in their children's education and train teachers to
strengthen the home-school connection. CFY is one of the largest
non-profits of its kind; with operations in three cities and over 10,000
families served since operations began in 1999.  CFY's expansion
objectives are ambitious: by 2010 our goal is to operate in five cities,
serving almost 10,000 students annually, and to support affiliates in
each of the 50 U.S. states. CFY has begun drawing upon its programmatic
experience and research findings to influence policy at the local and
national level. For more information, please visit www.cfy.org.

 

NYC - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOFTWARE OBJECTIVES

CFY is beginning to build its capacity to provide professional
development to teachers in New York City.  As a new vendor to the NYC
Department of Education, we have been approved to offer courses in the
following areas: 1) Supporting Families as Learning Partners; 2)
Interactive Homework; 3) Developing Self-Directed Learners; and 4)
Family Technology Nights.  All of these courses make extensive use of
home computing resources in supporting students' learning.  Our goal is
to help schools actively support and engage parents and families as
active learning partners.

 

The Student Software Specialist program was launched two years ago (in
FY05-06) to test software for CFY's annual Family Learning Software
Award and inclusion on CFY's home learning centers.  The team members
--15-20 middle school students from CFY's NYC partner schools -- are
trained to be media emissaries for CFY, to test software products and to
present software to educational technology executives and to other
influential adults. The team experience introduces students to peers
from different neighborhoods, and it builds their skills in teamwork,
communication, media literacy, and computers.   CFY is now expanding
this program to test and develop software with key companies in the
software and publishing sectors.

 

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Director of Professional Development and Student Software
Initiatives is a new and highly entrepreneurial position.  S/he will be
responsible for building and directing two distinct programs for which
CFY has already laid the groundwork.  Key responsibilities include
day-to-day operations; recruitment and hiring; and program quality and
oversight. This position will report to the Executive Director of
CFY-NYC and work closely with CFY's National Director of Research and
Learning Services. 

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

 

(1) Student Software Specialist Program:

--> In concert with CFY's overall strategy, set the goals and key
milestones for CFY's Student Software Specialist Program. 

--> Recruit student team members and schedule team meetings. (The team
has historically met on Saturdays twice a month from November - May, and
weekly during the months of January and February.)

--> Train students to evaluate software (based on appeal, usability, and
comprehensibility) and to make public presentations using existing CFY
curricula. 

--> Identify and recruit guest speakers and presenters (volunteers); and
organize relevant field trips for students.

--> Further develop/improve the Student Software Specialist Team
curriculum and outreach opportunities in conjunction with CFY's
Department of Research and Learning Services.

--> Manage CFY's annual Education Executives Day -- a full-day event
where students demonstrate software to education executives from some of
the most prominent school districts across the country. 

--> Identify and develop opportunities for students to present software
at non-CFY events, such as citywide or regional educational conferences.

--> Work with CFY's Research Department to (1) identify high-quality
educational software to be placed on CFY's home learning centers; (2)
solicit nominations for CFY's Annual Family Learning Software Award; and
(3) manage CFY's Software Experts Panel.

--> Develop strong relationships with software publishing partners in
conjunction with CFY's Development Department and CFY's Department of
Research and Learning Services.

--> Supervise program assistants (college and high school interns).

--> Work with CFY's Research Department to evaluate the success of the
program.

 

(2) Teacher and Family Professional Development Program

--> In concert with CFY's overall strategy, set the goals and key
milestones for CFY's Teacher and Family Professional Development
Program. 

--> Develop and refine existing professional development courses with
the help of CFY's National Program Director and National Research
Director.  This involves identifying new technologies that support
learning in the home and utilizing relevant research findings on
effective training methods for diverse populations.

--> Assist CFY's Program Director in marketing courses to CFY partner
schools in NYC and design and implement strategy for marketing courses
for non-CFY partner schools. 

--> Serve as an instructor for CFY courses.

--> Recruit, hire and supervise other CFY instructors.

--> Develop and utilize tools to track program performance and/or
promote community.

--> Document qualitative and quantitative program features.

--> Work with CFY's Research Department to evaluate the success of the
program.

 

NOTE: This position requires occasional work on Saturdays (up to about
15 Saturdays per year).

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS

- BA or BS

- Proficiency with computers, MS Office products and web technologies

- At least 5 years experience working with students and teachers (work
with middle school students is a plus)

- Formal experience in teaching or training

- Excellent interpersonal skills

- Experience with and sensitivity to working with low-income populations

- Detail-oriented with strong writing and project management skills

- Team-player who is also capable of working independently and with
minimal oversight

- Problem solver

- Self-motivated with the ability to thrive under pressure and on
deadline

- Demonstrated flexibility when priorities change

- Capacity to simultaneously work on multiple tasks and projects, and
the ability to set priorities for self, team and peers

- Spanish language fluency is a plus

 

COMPENSATION: Generous salary and benefits package, commensurate with
experience.

 

TO APPLY: 

Please send a resume, cover letter, and writing sample as attachments to
jobs at cfy.org using the following conventions:

 

Subject line:    Director of PD and SSI Search 

Cover Letter:  yourfirstname_yourlastname_coverletter.doc 

Resume:  yourfirstname_yourlastname_resume.doc 

Writing Sample:  yourfirstname_yourlastname_writingsample.doc 

 

Your cover letter should be one page and describe how your experience
and background would make you an excellent fit for this position. We
will ONLY accept materials via email. Applications will be reviewed on
an ongoing basis.

 

Computers for Youth is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes
candidates from diverse backgrounds.

 

 

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