Manager of Counseling - Iowa Connections Academy

School Summary

Iowa Connections Academy (IACA) is a tuition-free, full-time virtual public school for students in grades K-12 throughout Iowa. The school operates in partnership with the CAM Community School District in Anita, IA. IACA is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, an accrediting division of AdvancED.

Iowa Connections Academy strives to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the diversity of the people we serve. We foster fairness, equity, and inclusion to create a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

Position Summary:

Working remotely from a home office or from the IACA office in Anita, Iowa, the Manager of Counseling Services works in conjunction with the school's leadership team to support students and ensure each child successfully completes their instructional program. The Manager of Counseling Services provides leadership and direction to the counseling staff while assisting students and parents in understanding and meeting graduation requirements, course selection and scheduling, post-secondary planning, and crisis intervention.

Key responsibilities include the following:

• Supervise all counselors;
• Ensure the academic success of individual students by utilizing all levels of academic support available and by maintaining a high level of communication with parents to deliver program information and address individual student needs; 
• Provide specified assistance to families in need of additional support to prevent unnecessary withdrawals and encourage a high level of participation; 
• Handle any student problems escalated by parents and teachers; 
• Develop, plan and implement counseling programs for students and families related to academic and career planning and graduation;
• Oversee and maintain the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) of each student; 
• Keep abreast of all high school graduation requirements, including special requirements such as community service, and communicate this information to the High School Coordinator and the principal; 
• Plan and supervise the secondary school course selection process according to specific state credit and graduation requirements and student needs and interests.  An integral part of this process is assisting students and parents to develop a Four-Year Plan for meeting graduation requirements;
• Counsel students with issues related to dropping courses and changing schedules; 
• Supervise the review of student transcripts and the entry of credits into the online transcript system; 
• Develop and implement procedures to ensure that transcriptsare accurate and up to date; 
• Supervise efforts to secure complete and accurate records for Reach students; 
• Generate and authorize official transcripts for families upon request; 
• Counsel families through the school withdrawal process, assisting with data collection regarding withdrawal; 
• Develop, plan and implement counseling programs for students and families related to interpersonal adjustment issues; 
• Design and implement crisis prevention and management plans for the school and provide leadership to the Crisis Management Team; 
• Report and refer critical incidents that jeopardize student well-being as obligated by law, administrative regulations, or ethical standards; 
• Lead school teams in identifying school and community resources and maintain an up-to-date list of those resources, making them available to school teams and to families; 
• Develop and implement processes to regularly and frequently review the status of each secondary school student related to attendance, participation, and performance; 
• Ensure that the counseling staff is able to assist teachers when students enroll mid-semester, making sure that teachers receive guidance on integrating the students into their coursework, and ensuring that previous grades, credits, and evaluations are handled appropriately; 
• Research, develop and implement special programs such as Advanced Placement support, SAT and ACT Preparation, and college entrance preparation.  
• Design and implement professional development activities for teachers and school staff members; 
• Design and coordinate high school graduation ceremonies; 
• Coordinate a team of middle and high school teachers, helping to identify students who are at risk or in crisis; 
• Provide state testing support including logistics for scheduling, tracking participation and contracting for testing facilities; 
• All other duties assigned 

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years teaching experience and some counseling or management experience
• Counseling license required
• Administrative license is preferred
• Advanced degree 
• Technologically proficient (especially with Microsoft Office products) 
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written 
• Customer focused approach 
• High degree of flexibility 
• Demonstrated ability to work well in fast paced environment 
• Team player track record