Community Partnership Specialist

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

Located within the Office of Teaching and Learning, the Department of Student Voice & Engagement leads the district's inclusive and responsive education strategy that aims to ensure all aspects of schooling in CPS are inclusive of and responsive to the lived experiences of our students, and includes young people as key stakeholders in making decisions that impact them. An important aspect of the Department of Student Voice and Engagement's strategy is to improve learning by centering identity, relationships, and community.

Job Summary:

The Community Partnership Specialist will connect partners, educators, and students in experiences that develop the skills, knowledge, and habits needed for strong relationships and shared responsibility in community and school improvement. This internal and external-facing position will work with various district stakeholders (ie: students, teachers, administrators, families and partners), ensuring they have the information, tools, and resources to meaningfully enhance classroom instruction by connecting with community partners. The Community Partnership Specialist will report to the Manager of Civic Engagement and Leadership, and will collaborate with colleagues across the Office of Teaching & Learning to support high-quality partnerships that advance the CPS Instructional Core vision.

The Community Partnership Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

Actively seek out and engage with community-based organizations interested in partnering with schools in support of the Districts; instructional core vision
Create, cultivate, maintain and leverage professional relationships with community-based partners through one-on-one conversations, community meetings, strategy roundtables, and project planning meetings
Regularly update CPS partner directory to build and shape neighborhood community-school partnerships
Identify and motivate various community partners (e.g. philanthropy, non-profit, university, etc.) to collaborate with students on Inquiry to Action projects on issues relevant to youth and rooted in classroom content
Collaborate with team members in the Department of Student Voice & Engagement to coordinate, plan, and facilitate community-building events that connect CPS students and adults on topics and issues that impact youth, and inform district continuous improvement in alignment with department strategic priorities (i.e. student town halls, intergenerational professional development, etc).
Collaborate with colleagues across CPS departments to identify and create opportunities to enrich classroom learning with guest speakers and authentic learning experiences
Collaborate closely with classroom teachers and subject matter experts across Teaching & Learning, including content and curriculum teams, to ensure support is available for classroom-specific Skyline curriculum
Utilize various data collection techniques (eg: surveys, observation rubric(s), focus groups, interviews) in order to:
Measure the outcome, quality and instructional impact of the community partnerships in place and the opportunities offered by the department (eg: educational enrichment, community events)
Document the perspectives and experiences of those who take part in the opportunities provided
Compile the information, and data collected for use in establishing best practices, improving instructional opportunities and resources, promoting department initiatives, and providing strategic support to shape the vision and direction of the Instructional Core strategy
Incorporate relevant data and stories into curated communication to be shared with community partners, schools, and students via newsletters, etc.
Other duties as assigned
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Community Partnership Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required
Master's degree in Education, Change Management, Policy, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration or similar field is preferred
Experience Required

Minimum of four (4) years of relevant professional experience, including the following, is required:
Experience planning, organizing, and measuring the impact of small and large-scale events and learning experiences for adults and/or youth
Experience coordinating events that convene community and/or school individuals and groups for collaboration, information sharing, and/or decision-making purposes, preferably in Chicago
Experience in a role responsible for networking and facilitating professional communication with a broad audience through the use of various mediums (ex: writing emails, newsletters, internet postings, etc.)
Minimum of three (3) years of experience working with or within Chicago Public Schools, and/or working with schools and community groups on Chicago's south and west sides, preferred
Experience with project-based learning or civic action projects, preferred
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present information to all levels of internal and external stakeholders
Self-starter capable of independently networking and developing new partnerships and opportunities for students and teachers
Highly-effective, collaborative, and empathetic team leader
Knowledge of anti-bias, anti-racist, and anti-adultist pedagogy; commitment to providing an educational environment free of discrimination and bias that uplifts Black and Brown students, celebrating their impact on our communities and world.
Dedicated to developing and providing high-quality youth voice, civic education and democratic learning opportunities for CPS teachers and students.
Capable of fostering collaboration across diverse groups in potentially challenging or politically-charged environments
Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals, and align/manage activities toward goal fulfillment
Skilled in developing and supporting digital communication systems (ex: web social media, etc.) to engage and connect various internal and external stakeholders
Excellent data collection and critical thinking skills; capable of analyzing data to inform daily decisions, define problems, and take action
Capable of identifying challenges, building consensus, and pursuing collaborative solutions to meet the needs of multiple parties
Highly organized self-starter with the ability to adapt to shifting priorities and conduct multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of a collaborative team
Familiarity with Google Sheets and other Google suite business tools, preferred
Familiarity with the diverse neighborhoods and schools of Chicago, preferred
Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, preferred
Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency

- Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19

- Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.

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