FFC-Educational Advocate
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Sep 30, 2026. First seen by Alion on Jul 6, 2026.
About Rising Ground
Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 72,000 individuals annually. We do this through 101 programs across 138 sites, throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity is shown not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in New York City.
About the Role:
The Education Specialist provide educational advocacy, conducts academic performance monitoring, and makes referrals to quality tutoring and extracurricular activities. The Education Specialist also provides individualized assistance with the middle school selection processes to all 5th grade students and their families. The Specialist will ensure that the list of middle schools the student is submitting. are quality, best-fit schools
What You’ll Do
- Follow up regularly with Tutor Coaches regarding the students’ performance, needs, and any concerns.
- Connect students to afterschool and summer extracurricular activities.
- Consistently update the Care 4 platform with contacts, tutoring updates, and any relevant information regarding students, for example: how students are progressing academically, the outcome of IEP meetings, middle school application and/or promotion in doubt.
- Work with elementary age students and their families, providing educational advocacy and ensuring students are receiving the supports/services they need to succeed.
- Build and maintain collaborative relationships with schools; provide advocacy on behalf of students.
- Work with Case Planner, foster parent, birth parent/caregiver and tutor to address educational concerns.
- As needed, request referrals for IEP evaluations and behavioral/academic supports within the school
- Negotiate with DOE staff to ensure the implementation of recommended and appropriate educational services.
- Ensure school stability if a student is relocating homes.
- Collect, review, and track NYC DOE monthly data on attendance, grades, promotion status, school enrollment, tutoring history, etc.
- Use data to identify struggling students.
- Work with Case Planners and parents to ensure improved attendance, and/or provide additional academic supports.
- During the Middle School application process, the Education Specialist will ensure that when applying for middle school, the list of schools the student is submitting are quality, best-fit schools, and will record this list of schools in the online platform.
- It is the responsibility of the Specialist to try to guide the process as much as possible. This includes establishing trust, explaining why the process is so important, and providing information/guidance when a selection may not be appropriate.
Your Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree and knowledge of child welfare system
- 1 year of experience (preferred)
- Good verbal and written communication skills are essential.
- Computer proficiency, knowledge of Connections
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
BenefitsOfferings includes:
11 Paid Holidays
Paid Sick Time
Paid Vacation
Paid Personal days
Insurance Coverage
Medical -3 plan options
Dental - 2 plan options
Vision - 1 plan option
Supervisory Responsibility
No
Work Environment:
Clinic/Field/Corporate Office
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:
This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday in Brooklyn or Bronx. Work hours options are 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm, 10 am - 6 pm.
Additional Requirements:
- Authorized to work in the U.S.
- Ability to work in-person in New York City (NY) for at least 3 days or more per week.
- Ability to travel to other Rising Ground sites (if required)
Application & Interview Process
While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:
- Application reviewed by Talent Acquisition Team member
- Phone screen with Talent Acquisition Team member
- Interview with Hiring Manager
- Panel Interview with Key Partners
- Interview Decision & Feedback
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
It is the policy of Rising Ground that the Agency wholly complies with equal treatment of all
employees and applicants for employment without unlawful discrimination as to an individual’s
perceived or actual race, creed, color, national origin, alienate, citizenship status, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or
veteran status in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring,
compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, layoff and termination and all other terms and conditions of employment.