Associate Director of Attendance & Engagement

Partners for Rural Impact’s (PRI) ultimate goal is for an America where all kids are successful, regardless of zip code, income, background, or ability.  At PRI, our focus is on ensuring that all children in rural places achieve success. Partners for Rural Impact was born out of our place-based partnership in Appalachia, where we’ve worked for 25 years to create student opportunity and success. 

  Position Summary 

The Associate Director of Attendance & Engagement is a full-time, key role that reports to the Director of Integrated Strategies. The Associate Director of Attendance & Engagement enhances school attendance and engagement through innovative practices and programs utilizing the whole-child approach in the 21st century learning environment. This role supports district partners in developing effective strategies and models, identifies and evaluates evidence-based attendance practices, and ensures initiatives align with current research and continuous improvement standards to benefit all student groups. The Associate Director is responsible for ensuring that risk management is implemented with fidelity within all assigned work and is compliant with all Partners for Rural Impact and funder requirements. The position leads and operates with the goal that All Rural Students Succeed. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements of the position are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required, with regular and predictable attendance essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Serve as project lead in building cross-functional teams to implement trainings and attendance summits that meet local needs  
• Develop assessment and fidelity tools to gather valuable feedback related to trainings/summits 
• Build capacity of grant programs to provide attendance consultations with districts  
• Build capacities of partners to create and implement plans to increase attendance and decrease chronic absence  
• Research instructional strategies and curricula best suited for rural implementation  
• Oversee attendance & engagement communities of practice and other relevant communities of practice to develop partners and staff  
• Create a model and timeline for attendance summits and pre/post consults  
• Regularly consult with attendance experts nationwide  
• Consulting with districts and partners to identify and improve issues related to attendance and engagement  
• Develop and communicate a library of best practices for creating a robust attendance plans and initiatives  
• Regular collaboration with the team to develop structures and trainings to integrate other content areas into best practices across PLACE Team school districts  
• Maintain an expert level of knowledge of evidence-based practices in attendance and positive learning conditions that promote the whole-child approach to student development and success, ensuring that students are empowered, challenged, supported, engaged, safe, and healthy  
• Provide consultation to Project Directors and others to ensure that programmatic and operational performance measures are established and met in the areas of attendance  
• Lead both formal and informal training opportunities in evidence/research-based and innovative programs and practices  
• Make research-based recommendations for implementation of programs and practices  
• Serve on Integrated Strategies Leadership Team  
• Implement and model results-based and data-informed continuous improvement frame 
• Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist and support in the attainment of our mission, All Rural Students Succeed 

Position Location & Schedule 

The position will be considered for remote work.

Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Because of the nature of the responsibility to schools, partners, funders, and to the service region, individual offices or departments may have operating hours that extend beyond this period and may include evening and/or weekend hours. 

Minimum Qualifications 

Education required to ensure success in this position: 

• Master’s degree in education or related field or equivalent combination of experience, training, and education 

Experience required to ensure success in this position: 

• Five years experience in teaching, educational consulting, instructional leadership, or educational research  
• Clear understanding of research and evidence-based attendance and engagement programs, practices, and pedagogy  
• Demonstrated knowledge of the whole-child approach of creating environments that are supportive, engaging, safe, healthy, challenging, and empowering to help students thrive  
• Knowledge of current effective practices in attendance and engagement  
• Experience implementing attendance initiatives in rural schools and communities  
• Experience building positive, welcoming, and inclusive school culture

Experience preferred to ensure success in this position: 

• Experience and knowledge of working in Kentucky schools

Special skills, knowledge and abilities: 

• Excellent oral and written communication skills  
• Proficiency in Attendance Works best practices and recommendations  
• Superior interpersonal and organizational skills  
• Ability to develop and implement trainings related to attendance & engagement  
• Project management  
• Ability to work in a team environment  
• A commitment to students from diverse economic, social, and cultural backgrounds  
• Computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite  
• A commitment to a growth-mindset and an inclusive model of building school culture and the whole child  
• Attention to detail in event/conference/summit planning