Job Description
Our public school students need your expertise, passion and leadership. We are looking for highly motivated and skilled talent to join our team at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). We seek individuals who are passionate about transforming the DC school system and making a significant difference in the lives of public school students, parents, principals, teachers, and central office employees.
DCPS serves 50,000 students in the nation's capital through the efforts of approximately 4,000 educators in 118 schools. As part of a comprehensive reform effort to become the preeminent urban school system in America, DCPS intends to have the highest-performing, best paid, most satisfied, and most honored educator force in the nation and a distinctive central office staff whose work supports and drives instructional excellence and significant achievement gains for DCPS students.
Position Overview The mission of the Office of School Improvement and Supports (OSIS) is to ensure we support our schools and our students to succeed and to meet the Goals of our Strategic Plan. The Office works to dramatically accelerate the number of excellent schools through school transformation, including design, partnerships, Connected Schools, and Comprehensive School Planning (CSP). The Office develops, aligns, and delivers high-quality supports to ensure students, particularly students furthest away from opportunity, are in school, able to engage in rigorous learning, and have a joyous educational environment. The Office ensures our schools have excellent leaders, educators, and staff who are prepared to meet the diverse needs of the young people we serve.
Divisions/Teams School Improvement - School Performance: Promotes data-driven decision-making through a cycle of continuous improvement to develop, implement, and monitor the comprehensive school plan designed to move schools toward a consistent standard of excellence.
- Design: Designs innovative school models that transform learning for our students furthest from opportunity and supports District workstreams to be more grounded in community voice by anchoring in data, community engagement and understanding, and elevating and integrating student voice.
- Connected Schools: Supports schools in implementing the DCPS Connected Schools Model. Connected Schools take a whole child, whole school, whole community approach by making schools spaces that support not only a student's academic development, but also the student and family's overall wellbeing through access to resources related to health, employment, housing, and more.
- Equity Strategy and Programing: Supports DCPS' equity priority by ensuring systemically underserved students are provided with opportunities, skills, and engagements that support their success, and that DCPS staff and stakeholders are centering equity as a central lens and practice.
Student Supports - School Mental Health: Ensures that students' behavioral and social-emotional needs are met to increase access to the curriculum.
- Student Placement: Ensures that schools have the necessary supports to address the needs of the whole child and create the conditions where all students are ready to learn.
- Student Health Services: Ensures that all students are healthy and are supported with the appropriate services and accommodations to support their wellness and continued learning.
Learning and Development Sciences - The Learning and Development Sciences Division(LDS) is charged with supporting the district's transformation to becoming a whole child-centered, anti-racist school system-DCPS Becoming. Grounded in science and powered by lived experiences, the district's approach is a long-term vision that counts on each district and school staff member knowing the science of learning and development and applying this research to their own work. Charged with building the capacity of district and school staff, as well as integrating a whole-child and anti-racist lens into the district's key priorities, the LDS Division will leverage the experiences of school leaders and staff to translate the research into systems, tools, and practices.
- SEL and School Culture: Ensures that schools have the resources to provide a safe and supportive learning environment where all students are able to thrive academically and socially
IMPACT : IMPACT is DCPS' Evaluation and Feedback System for School-Based Personnel.
- IMPACT Operations : Supports the daily implementation of both Staff and School Leader IMPACT. The team ensures IMPACT policy is followed with fidelity, manages a helpline where staff can reach out with questions, handles IMPACT appeals, and fulfills all IMPACT data analysis requests.
- IMPACT Align : Ensures all evaluators have the tools they need to accurately and consistently apply the DCPS classroom observation rubric (the Essential Practices) when evaluating teacher practice. Provides tools for teachers to support excellent performance with respect to the Essential Practices.
- IMPACT Design : Gathers and responds to feedback from DCPS leadership and staff and uses this feedback to consider possible IMPACT design changes for the future. The team also liaises with other states, districts, education groups, and researchers to learn from the best practices and lessons learned in the field of staff and school leader evaluation.
The Student Supports division is comprised of the following:
- School Mental Health: Ensures that students' behavioral and social-emotional needs are met to increase access to the curriculum.
- SEL and School Culture: Ensures that schools have the resources to provide a safe and supportive learning environment where all students are able to thrive academically and socially.
- Student Placement: Ensures that schools have the necessary supports to address the needs of the whole child and create the conditions where all students are ready to learn.
- Student Health Services: Ensures that all students are healthy and are supported with the appropriate services and accommodations to support their wellness and continued learning.
DC Public Schools is seeking a dedicated and passionate School Psychology Intern to join our team. This role offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in school psychology while contributing to the educational and emotional well-being of our diverse student population. The intern will work under the supervision of experienced school psychologists, supporting various psychological services within our school system.
This position is a safety-sensitive position. As a result, throughout employment this position will be subject to the Employee Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy.
The School Psychology Intern will report to the Director School Mental Health.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.
- Participate in training and receive supervision for selecting, administering, scoring, and interpreting psychological assessments aimed at evaluating intellectual capacity, social-emotional/behavioral wellness, academic performance, and adaptive skills.
- Acquire experience in report writing and effectively communicating assessment outcomes to families and members of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team.
- Engage in training and supervision for delivering short-term counseling services within a school setting.
- Learn to conduct Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and create Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) under guidance.
- Assist in the development and implementation of tier I interventions, including Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
- Attend various school meetings such as Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and IEP meetings, along with department meetings.
- Offer consultation and training to school staff and families concerning student psychological needs.
- Collaborate with administrative team members and other school staff regarding students' mental health requirements and available services.
- Carry out additional relevant duties as assigned.
Qualifications - Completion of Practicum program in School Psychology
- Currently enrolled in a School Psychologist Graduate School Program
DCPS Values - STUDENTS FIRST : We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
- COURAGE : We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
- EQUITY : We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
- EXCELLENCE : We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
- TEAMWORK : We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
- JOY : We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.
Job Tags
Temporary work, Internship,