We are proactively hiring this role for the 2024-2025 school year. This is a full-time on-site position, the general range is $16-20 per hour and includes full benefits (below):

The Behavior Specialist serves as a member of the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) team at the Indianapolis Metropolitan High School and will be a member of a school community with an educational model that complements the acclaimed barrier removal work Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana does at The Excel Centers, Nurse-Family Partnership, and other award-winning programs. Utilizing a positive behavior and restorative model, the specialist works with the SEL team to implement the SEL model and provide targeted assistance and services to students in grades 9-12 in a "best fit" environment for teenagers with significant barriers to education. With our core values of Professional, Unstoppable, Motivated, Accountable, and Supportive, the school priorities include:

• High rigor, high support instruction to close academic gaps and prepare students for post-secondary opportunities.

• Trauma-informed social-emotional learning.

• Student and family empowerment through coordination with a robust student services team of coaches, counselors, and more.

Example Duties and Activities

• Executes proactive and reactive systems to influence student behavior and build social-emotional skills in alignment with the school's social-emotional learning (SEL) model:

  • Responds to and influences student behavior with a focus on positive incentives, restorative strategies, and explicit teaching of new social-emotional skills.

  • Provides consistent and fair follow-through on both major and minor behaviors per school policies.

  • Uses restorative practices and SEL strategies to identify root causes of behavior alongside students, families, staff, and stakeholders.

  • Implements a progressive series of consequences focused on the teaching of skills and prevention of future behaviors.

  • Invests students, families, and stakeholders in the vision for restorative practices including developing prosocial behaviors and SEL skill-focused consequences.

  • Uses restorative practices to de-escalate challenging situations, helps those in disagreement to listen to each other, and facilitates the creation of shared agreements.

  • Prioritizes competing, time-sensitive demands with proactive priorities while upholding commitments consistently.

  • Models self-regulation and maintains composure in stressful or escalated situations.

• Assists students with academic work completion when in redirection for an extended period of time.

• Tracks, maintains, and reviews accurate, compliant data about student behavior and identifies patterns in students served. Monitors student progress and adjusts plans based on ongoing data review.

• Assists with supervision of the school building, including escorting students from class as needed and monitoring the cafeteria, hallways, or other areas as needed. Assists students to their destinations, aiding teachers with traffic monitoring.

• Drives mini-bus to help with daily transportation of students. As needed, travels on Indy Go buses with students and provides supervision at bus stops/stations to support student behavior and safety.

• Builds relationships with students and their webs of support. Communicates strengths and challenges frequently and uses restorative approaches to resolve conflict.

• Partners with colleagues to refer and connect students to wraparound supports including Family Empowerment Coaching for internal and community resources, Social-Emotional Learning, Special Education, and more.

Required Competencies

• Degree and Credential Requirements - High school diploma or GED required.

• Industry Expertise - Has worked ideally with high school students, in helping them successfully learn and practice key areas of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

• Behavior Interventions - Has assisted in implementing restorative practices, trauma-informed practices, positive behavior interventions and supports, and crisis prevention and intervention.

• Communication Skills - Articulates thoughts and expresses ideas effectively using oral, written, visual, and non-verbal communication skills, as well as listening skills to comprehend customers' needs.

• Student Engagement - Takes a strengths-based, student-centered approach to developing relationships at all levels while establishing appropriate boundaries. Adept at delivering feedback that is constructive and unbiased. Creates and maintains a safe environment for open discussions.

• Conflict Resolution - Anticipates, diffuses, and resolves disagreements, confrontations, tensions, and complaints in a practical and constructive manner in order to achieve results. Models concepts of motivational interviewing, coaching, and reflective practice.

• Data Review and Reporting - Collects, interprets, and examines data to identify root causes, evaluate actions, and continuously improve processes to achieve program goals.

• Organizational Aptitude - Plans and attends to details and pursues quality in accomplishing multiple tasks in an organized and timely fashion. Exhibits careful attention to detail and follow-through.

Preferred Competencies

• Diversity Awareness - Works with diverse populations including people who have experienced barriers to their education.

Other Requirements

• Background Screening - All candidates must pass a pre-employment background check. Must have a valid driver's license, a good driving record, and qualify under the district's insurance carrier when driving a district vehicle.

Benefits: Full-time employees may participate in a comprehensive benefits program that includes:

• Continuing education and leadership development as well as tuition reimbursement

• Comprehensive health plan

• Generous paid time off (PTO) and paid holidays

• Sabbatical and parental leaves

• Life, dental and vision insurance

• Short- and long-term disability plans

• Nationally recognized preventive health and wellness program

• Section 125 pretax health spending account, dependent care spending account, and premiums

• Retirement planning options with generous company % match

• Eligible for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program

Goodwill Education Initiatives

Goodwill strongly believes it is essential to raise education attainment levels in Indiana. Not only are the lifetime earnings of high school graduates significantly higher than those of dropouts, children of high school graduates are 50% less likely to drop out of high school than the children of dropouts are. Goodwill provides opportunities for adults (The Excel Center) and youth (Indianapolis Metropolitan High School).

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Charter High School

Indianapolis Metropolitan High School is a free public school offering a high school education to students in grades 9-12. Indianapolis Met is a best-fit school for students experiencing circumstance that may present a barrier to education. Our school places an emphasis on ensuring students enroll in college or enter into a career that offers a living wage post-graduation.

Indianapolis Met is designed to serve students who are experiencing circumstances that may become barriers to their education.

Mission and Values: