Family and Community Engagement 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.

The Office of Family and Community Engagement creates opportunities for parents, schools, families, and communities to work together to create meaningful partnerships that ultimately lead to student achievement.

Job Summary:

The Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Specialist will specialize in working directly with schools, families, and communities to cultivate a generational learning experience that empowers educators, parents, and community stakeholders to sustain family engagement and improve student performance in their Network. The FACE Specialist will represent CPS in a positive manner and implement cross-functional strategies in the areas of Family and Community Engagement, Title 1 PAC/PLN, and Student Achievement.

The FACE Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Organize monthly Title 1 PAC/PLN meetings at Parent University sites to provide parents with leadership skills to help improve student academics.
• Proactively outreach and engage parents and community members to attend Title 1 PAC/PLN monthly meetings.
• Collaborate with CPS departments and external partners to provide content-based and research-based parent workshops.
• Assist Network Chiefs and school principals in channeling engagement in ways that support and add value to student achievement.
• Understand federal and state law in relation to Title I, Part A Parent Involvement, and Local School Councils to ensure the District’s compliance with State Board of Education rules and the District’s parental involvement policy.
• Build relationships and establish ongoing communication with principals to help increase their school’s parent engagement efforts and student achievement.
• Attend community events/festivals/meetings/workshops facilitated by schools, community organizations, and elected officials, that help drive student achievement.
• Develop a Network database of stakeholders, community leaders, business owners, and parents that will provide support to District Initiatives.
• Actively participate in district-wide initiatives and mandates including monthly Board Meetings.
• Provide excellent customer service experience for parents, schools, and community members to foster a collaborative learning environment.
• Attend mandatory capacity-building training facilitated by Executive Leadership including comprehensive Title 1, Community Engagement, and data management training.
• Organizing, analyzing, and reporting on school- and community-level data as established by Executive Leadership’s metrics and goals.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the FACE Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Master’s degree preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of 4+ years in community engagement, education policy, and/or public affairs.
• Experience in building community partnerships, facilitating training, developing both high-level and parent-friendly presentations, and crisis management preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Education, Community Engagement, Public Policy background
• Demonstrated excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Motivated self-starter
• Willing and able to perform assigned duties in a manner that is sensitive to different personalities, respectful of the role and authority of school leaders, sensitive to community dynamics and political implications
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders
• Excellent organizational skills
• Exceptional negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Deep understanding of CPS policies and structure
• Ability to analyze, create, and present custom data reports
• Proven customer service skills
• Proven resourcefulness
• Team player who possesses group-thinking skills

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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