The FAO Schwarz Fellowship at Boston Collegiate Charter School
Boston, MA
The mission of Boston Collegiate Charter School is simple yet ambitious: to prepare each student for college. One hundred percent of our graduates have been accepted to college; the majority of them will be the first in their families to complete a college degree.
About the Fellowship Position
The Fellow will engage with students as a tutor and small-group facilitator as their direct service work and support Boston Collegiate’s strategic goal of collaborating with peer organizations and sharing innovations and best practices across the educational sector as their special project work.
Direct Service
The FAO Schwarz Fellow will engage with students as a tutor and small-group facilitator for their direct service work, contributing to a positive educational environment through their support and advocacy of students. After the first year of service, the Fellow will have increased autonomy in their student-facing work, as well as an expectation of improved student outcomes that reflect a year of experience.
The Fellow will:
- Work with principals and the Chief Academic Officer to identify and support students performing below grade level who could benefit from high-dosage tutoring.
- During both the school year and in the summer, provide high-dosage tutoring to students in math and/or reading (approximately 15-18 periods/hours a week).
- During both the school year and the summer, plan and facilitate small-group social-emotional learning and/or leadership growth opportunities for students.
- Track student growth and outcomes using the available tools and growth measures (including iReady assessments and other evaluations and diagnostics) used by the wider instructional and student support services teams.
Special Project
For their special project, the Fellow will take a lead role in supporting Boston Collegiate’s strategic goal of collaborating with peer organizations and sharing innovations and best practices across the educational sector. In collaboration with our senior leadership team, the Fellow will spearhead the documentation and dissemination of key initiatives. In the first year of the fellowship, the focus will be on research and documentation, with an emphasis in the second year on publication and dissemination.
The Fellow will:
- Identify educational innovations and practices within Boston Collegiate to research and document in cooperation with the senior leadership team.
- Confirm the effectiveness of programs and initiatives by tracking performance data and outcomes, developing and implementing appropriate evaluation methods if necessary.
- Document programs and initiatives to support dissemination through publication and other media, including but not limited to conference involvement, hosting tours, and so on.
- Work on additional projects in social media, events, and public relations to support the sharing of Boston Collegiate’s best practices and community efforts.
LOCATION Boston, MA
WEB bostoncollegiate.org
FOUNDED 1998
STAFF 139
How to Apply
Applicants must be college seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities on track to graduate between December 1, 2024 and June 31, 2025. They must also be eligible to work in the United States for the duration of the two-year Fellowship.
The deadline to apply is February 1, 2025 at 9:00 pm ET.
Host organizations will select applicants for interviews and make their decisions by the end of April 2025. Fellowships begin in the summer of 2025.
Learn more about Boston Collegiate Charter School by visiting their website. [LINK]
A Closer Look
About Boston Collegiate Charter School
The mission of Boston Collegiate Charter School is simple yet ambitious: to prepare each student for college.
We offer an academically rigorous college preparatory curriculum for 700 students in fifth through twelfth grades. Our students hail from across the City of Boston and represent a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds (45% low income, 58% high needs, and 57% students of color). One hundred percent of our graduates have been accepted to college; the majority of them will be the first in their families to complete a college degree.
The school is located in two repurposed and transformed buildings just a short walk from each other—a former convent and pear orchard that now includes outdoor classrooms and lower and former piano factory with big, bright community spaces and support for advanced studies, faculty and student activities. Both buildings offer innovative learning environments while remaining connected to fabric of Boston’s Dorchester community.
As a school, we are committed to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of each student and expanding our enrichment and extracurricular offerings to best serve the interests of our students. In recent years, this has meant an expansion of our student support services program, as well as additions to our in-school and after-school arts offerings and the growth of our athletics program. We also embrace opportunities to work in collaboration with other schools and share our best practices and learnings. We are eager to continue expansion in this area, and plan to make dissemination a special project of the FAO Schwarz Fellow, as described in greater detail later in this proposal.
Impact
Our Impact
Since Boston Collegiate’s first graduating class in 2004, 100% of diploma-earning seniors have been accepted to college (more than 800 students to date).
To achieve this impressive success rate, Boston Collegiate pairs rigorous academics and inclusive culture with ongoing exposure to college and relevant skills, beginning with college visits in the 5th grade. Throughout high school, students participate in a collegiate skills course as part of their regular academic schedule. We pair each high school student with a college counselor and provide ongoing guidance and support for our alumni, ensuring that our graduates enjoy an unusually high rate of college persistence: 75% of all Boston Collegiate graduates earned a degree within six years of graduation or are persisting toward one. Nationally for urban students, that rate is 38% (according to The National Student Clearinghouse, 2023).
We are also ready to support alumni who choose to join the military or enter the workforce immediately upon graduation– many of whom turn to our Director of Alumni Programming when they are ready to pursue a degree.
In addition to our focus on academics and college preparation, Boston Collegiate maintains a bedrock commitment to our Core Value of Belonging. We build community across lines of difference and provide robust social and emotional support services (including counseling, substance abuse awareness programming, and so on) alongside academic support and interventions. The impact of this support manifests not just in our college outcomes, but in the responses from our families.
On our spring 2023 survey of families, 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “At Boston Collegiate, I feel that my child belongs.”
Policies
COVID POLICY
The School encourages employees to take time off when ill to enable proper recovery and recuperation and to prevent the spread of illnesses in the workplace.
We ask that all employees, no matter their illness, only return to work when they have been fever-free for 24 hours.
Boston Collegiate has complied and continues to comply with local, state, and federal laws as they relate to quarantining, masking, and vaccinations. As of September 2024, masking and COVID-19 vaccinations are not currently required for staff at Boston Collegiate.
NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
The School is an equal opportunity employer. Accordingly, the School makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, marital status, amnesty, veteran status, genetic information, or disability.
The School is committed to building a supportive and inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of Boston.
The School complies with applicable local, state, and federal laws governing non-discrimination. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, compensation, training, and leaves of absence.
The School does not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind, including but not limited to these protected classes.
Compensation & Benefits
Compensation
First year: $50,000 (includes $2,000 start-of-Fellowship bonus)
Second year: $55,000 (include a $3,000 end-of Fellowship bonus)
Benefits
This is a benefits eligible role. Benefits offered include:
- Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits
- Healthcare and Dependent Care FSA
- Retirement plans (OBRA, 403b)
- Commuter expense reimbursement
For general questions about compensation, please see the Fellowship FAQ.
Typical Work Schedule
The Fellow’s work schedule will reflect that of our instructional staff, working in person Monday through Friday. Hourly expectations are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays and one additional weekday, and 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the other three weekdays.