Career Center

Social Worker 

The School at Columbia University is an independent K-8 school founded in 2003 with the goal of providing an excellent education to a diverse student body. Our intentional school culture embraces shared beliefs across disciplines and grades, which underlie important values expressed through everyday behaviors and visible symbols throughout our community.

We dedicate ourselves to fostering in our students’ personal resourcefulness and integrity, a sense of social responsibility, and a lifelong appreciation of learning through an innovative, socially and emotionally supportive, and academically challenging program. Our pedagogical and curricular philosophies embrace multicultural perspectives, which challenge educators and learners to examine their preconceived notions of race, gender, ethnicity, class, ability, religion, and sexual orientation. We adhere to a common code of civility among all constituents. We tailor our instruction so that the needs of the individual students are met. A committed faculty and administration strive to create a school that will stand as a model for what K-8 education can be, and serve as a genuine and enduring partnership between Columbia University and its neighbors.

Reporting to the Head of School, the Social Worker will commit to the academic and social mission of The School, which requires differentiation to meet the needs of a diverse community. Works under general supervision of the Head of School and the Division Directors for support with students/families.

Responsibilities:

• Provides information; resource identification and referral services; mediation services; advocacy services; and education of individuals, groups, couples, and families.
• Performs case management; coordination; casework intervention; and monitoring of social work service plans in areas of personal, social, or economic resources, conditions, or problems.
• Prepares and evaluates assessments, development, and implementation of social work service plans.
• Participates in departmental functions such as staff meetings, staff in-services, and committees, as assigned.
• Documents according to departmental standards and federal and state regulations.
• Leads regular workshops for parents, guardians, and caregivers about navigating independent schools. Including powerful parenting coffees, and providing information about summer opportunities. Leads the New Family Orientation Series.
• Serves as a resource and liaison between school, family, and community resources.
• Collaborates with school administrators and the Child Study Team (CST) to liaise with external agencies. This includes regular attendance at the CST meetings at each division and the supervision, set-up, and coordination of all service providers from the Department of Education who work with TSC students and their families.
• Serves as The School’s primary liaison in planning, implementation, and follow-up phases of the Individual Education Plan process with the Department of Education. This includes setting up classroom observations, distributing and collecting teacher reports, and providing families and the division director regular updates about the status of the student.
• Serves as an advocate for the student in regard to related services and accommodations for assessments.
• Follows students’ attendance, arranges strategies to help families address excessive lateness or absence, and collaborates with the registrar and communicates with divisional directors and the Head of School.
• Maintains applicable school records and maintains the Social Work module in TED.
• Serves as a chief liaison to outside clinical and social support resources.
• Helps identify, develop, and maintain a network of outside providers and institutions to whom students (both with or without student health insurance) can be referred.
• Makes referrals to public and private agencies with appropriate follow-up.
• Complies data and creates periodic reports on all liaison and consultation activities; participates in quality assurance activities related to assigned scope of duties. 
• Participates in ad hoc projects and department requests as it relates to this position.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• B.A./B.S. degree or an equivalent degree or educational qualification from an accredited college or university
• At least two years of full-time teaching experience in K-8 public, parochial, or independent schools beyond student teaching
• Strong skill sets in literacy, mathematics, social studies, and meeting the social and emotional needs of children
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Wide-ranging intellectual and educational interests
• Commitment to equity and justice including knowledge and skills related to cultural competencies
• Familiarity with new technologies

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent related experience required
• 3–5 years’ related experience required
• Commitment to equity and justice including knowledge and skills related to cultural competencies

Preferred Qualifications:

• M.S.W. degree or equivalent
• Demonstrated commitment and sensitivity to families and students, and knowledge of issues related to socioeconomic diversity
• Ability to inspire confidence among adults and trust among students
• Ability to commit to an integrated curriculum
• Commitment to diversity and collegiality

Apply here: https://opportunities.columbia.edu/jobs/efdc526c-7744-4713-aa6c-182294e04722?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=organic

The School at Columbia University is dedicated to promoting and advocating for diversity and inclusion within our school community. We celebrate many types of diversity including ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, ability, religion, sexual orientation, family configuration, language, gender, and adoption status. Columbia University is an equal opportunity employer/disability/veteran.

About The School at Columbia University

The School at Columbia University is an independent K-8 school founded in 2003 with the goal of providing an excellent education to a diverse student body. Our intentional school culture embraces shared beliefs across disciplines and grades, which underlie important values expressed through everyday behaviors and visible symbols throughout our community: Collaboration: Encouraging creative problem-solving in dynamic groups where outcomes are not always predictable, but ultimately greater than any individual perspective could envision. Community: Promoting inclusivity, facilitating open communication, and providing clear expectations to all members of the community to ensure a healthy, productive environment, inside and outside the school. Diversity: Reveling in an environment of myriad learning experiences that address important aspects of diversity, including identity development, anti-bias skills, and the idea that difference is better. Innovation: Taking thoughtful risks grounded in current research, putting new technologies to work in classrooms, and always seeking new approaches to learning to provide a meaningful 21st-century education to all students.

Connections working at The School at Columbia University