Job Summary

Under the supervision of the Chief Academic Officer, the Director of School Counseling provides division-wide leadership for comprehensive PreK-12 school counseling programs and services, ensuring consistent, high-quality support for students across all schools. This role advances academic achievement, student well-being, graduation, and college and career readiness through effective school counseling practices, systems, and supports. The Director collaborates closely with school leaders and division departments to align school counseling programs, student supports, and college and career readiness efforts with division priorities and student needs.

Essential Duties

1. Provides leadership for the planning, implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of the division-wide PreK-12 comprehensive school counseling program in alignment with division priorities and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model.
2. Establishes division-wide expectations, procedures, resources, and systems to support consistent and effective implementation of school counseling programs and services across all schools.
3. Provides leadership, coaching, professional learning, and technical assistance to school counselors, College and Career Specialists, administrators, and assigned staff.
4. Leads division-wide efforts related to academic and postsecondary planning, including course selection, graduation requirements, diploma pathways, college and career readiness, and successful student transitions.
5. Provides leadership and oversight for college and career readiness programs, platforms, assessments, partnerships, and initiatives and collaborates with division leaders to expand student access to postsecondary and advanced learning opportunities.
6. Develops and implements systems to identify and support students who are at risk of falling off track for promotion, graduation, or successful postsecondary transition.
7. Monitors student outcome and program implementation data, conducts regular school visits, evaluates program effectiveness, and works with school and division leaders to identify and address areas requiring improvement or additional support.
8. Provides leadership and technical assistance related to Section 504 eligibility, accommodations, services, and compliance and supports consistent implementation of Student Support Team processes across the division.
9. Collaborates with school and division leaders, including attendance, special education, mental health, and other student support personnel, to develop coordinated approaches to addressing barriers to student achievement, engagement, attendance, and school completion.
10. Promotes effective family engagement and ensures students and families have access to information, resources, and support related to academic planning, graduation, and college and career opportunities.
11. Supervises and evaluates assigned staff and assists with the recruitment, selection, onboarding, development, and retention of highly qualified school counselors and program personnel.
12. Develops and monitors assigned budgets, grants, partnerships, programs, and resources to ensure effective use of resources and alignment with division priorities and student needs.
13. Serves as a member of the Department of Teaching and Learning leadership team and the division-wide crisis response team and contributes to strategic planning, academic improvement, policy development, and cross-functional initiatives supporting student success.
14. Maintains current knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, research, professional standards, and best practices related to school counseling, college and career readiness, and assigned areas of responsibility.

(These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.)

Other Duties

Performs any other related duties as assigned by the Chief Academic Officer.

Job Specifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills and/or Abilities Required)

Must possess a Master's degree and be eligible for an Administration and Supervision endorsement and Virginia License as a school counselor. Must possess experience as a school counselor to include some experience at the secondary school level. Must possess the ability to organize and lead school guidance program and guide/train staff in effective techniques and strategies. Must possess an in-depth knowledge of child development, group and individual counseling techniques, conflict resolution techniques, and community resources. Must possess excellent leadership, communication, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. Must possess the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, parents, and staff members.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Must have the ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time; exhibit manual dexterity to dial a telephone, to enter data into a computer terminal/typewriter; to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids; hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors and on the telephone; speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms, outdoors and on the telephone; physical agility to lift up to 25 pounds; to bend, stoop, climb stairs, walk and reach overhead.

Work EnvironmentThe work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Duties are normally performed in an office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Supervision Exercised: Assigned staff

Supervision Received: Chief Academic Officer

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The Director of School Counseling will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other related duties as assigned by the Chief Academic Officer or appropriate administrator. Newport News Public Schools reserves the right to update, revise or change this job description and related duties at any time.