Franklin Academy is seeking dedicated and proactive candidates for the role of Academic Advisor to work with a cohort of neurodivergent 16-24 students, providing tailored academic support and interventions based on individual performance and learning needs. This role will involve direct monitoring of student progress, academic course advising, conducting both 1:1 and group interventions, and collaborating with faculty, student life advisors, and department chairs to ensure that students receive the academic and personal support needed to succeed in the classroom. The ideal candidate will have a background in education or special education and a passion for helping students build skills in areas like organization, goal setting, executive functioning, and social engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Case Management & Student Support:
• Write and monitor student 504 accommodation plans.
• Serve as the primary point of contact and “case manager” for a cohort of 16-24 students, providing ongoing academic and emotional support.
• Monitor and assess student performance, developing personalized learning plans and intervention strategies for academic success.
• Communicate regularly with students, faculty, and parents about student progress, goals, and interventions.
• Conduct 1:1 and group interventions to support academic growth, organizational skills, study strategies, and social engagement.
2. Collaboration & Communication:
• Work collaboratively with other academic advisors, student life advisors, and department chairs to create a coordinated support system for students.
• Coordinate communication and scheduling with additional support services (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy, counseling) to ensure students’ holistic needs are addressed.
• Ensure that students’ learning plans and 504 accommodations are effectively communicated to faculty and staff and follow up as needed.
3. Progress Monitoring & Reporting:
• Collect and analyze data on student performance to identify trends, areas of improvement, and opportunities for further support.
• Regularly update parents and guardians on student progress, providing clear and actionable feedback regarding academic and behavioral growth.
• Report on the effectiveness of interventions, suggesting adjustments or new strategies as needed.
4. Student Transition & Support:
• Assist with student transitions, particularly for new or rolling admissions, by coordinating course selection, answering logistical questions, and preparing faculty with necessary student information.
• Support students during their onboarding, ensuring they are acclimating to their academic environment and receiving appropriate services.
5. Executive Functioning & Study Skills Support:
• Provide individualized and group-based support in either advising meetings or a class for students to improve executive functioning, study skills, and organizational strategies.
6. Parent and Faculty Liaison:
• Serve as the primary point of contact for parents, ensuring they are informed about their child’s progress and any necessary interventions.
• Foster strong communication channels between faculty, part-time staff (e.g., speech, OT), and other support personnel to ensure a seamless support experience for students.

About Franklin Academy Inc

Franklin Academy is located in East Haddam, Connecticut, along the beautiful and scenic Connecticut River. Our 75-acre rural campus is situated next to the 700-acre Chapman Pond Preserve, which runs along the river. We are halfway between Old Saybrook on the Long Island shoreline and Middletown, the home of Wesleyan University. We are 40 minutes to Hartford and New Haven and 90 minutes to New York City and Boston. Our staff is the "heart and soul" of Franklin Academy, and we look for professionals who are eager to serve students with special needs. Our students are dedicated to learning but learn differently than typical students; most are auditory learners who struggle with visual/spatial and visual/motor demands. Given the needs of our students and the round-the-clock responsibilities of a boarding school, we acknowledge that Franklin Academy is not the right school for every educator. However, for aspiring educators who want to make a positive difference in their students' lives, Franklin Academy is a great place to live and work. Our students present a unique set of neurological and behavioral characteristics that make success unlikely in a traditionally structured schoo...l environment. Franklin Academy's task has been to develop a program that allows our students to thrive. Our program does not fit neatly into a traditional boarding school paradigm, a language-based learning disabilities program, or a more therapeutically structured setting. We have borrowed elements and best practices from all three types of programs, molding useful components into a thoughtfully integrated structure to produce a "gestalt-based program." We do not compartmentalize program areas, such as differentiating the academic and residential programs. Instead, we embrace a holistic philosophy to address each student's social, emotional, behavioral, and intellectual functioning, identifying what a student needs to learn to be successful in college and life. If you want more information about the school, please visit our website at www.fa-ct.org. Thank you very much for your interest in Franklin Academy. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Connections working at Franklin Academy Inc