Academic Specialist
Position Type: Full Time
Job Shift:
Day
Education Level: Graduate Degree
Travel Percentage:
Negligible
Category:
Education
Description
About St. Mark's
Founded
in 1906, St. Mark's School of Texas is a non-sectarian, college-preparatory, independent day school for boys in grades one through twelve.
The School's charter states that it is "designed to afford its students well-rounded physical, intellectual, moral, and religious training
and instruction." The School is intended to be a diverse community of teachers and students who share a love of learning and who strive for
high achievement in whatever they undertake.
St. Mark's aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a
competitive and changing world. To this end, the School professes and upholds certain values. These values include the discipline of
postponing immediate gratification in the interests of earning eventual, hard-won satisfaction; the responsibility of defending one's own
ideas, of respecting the views of others, and of accepting the consequences for one's own actions; and an appreciation for the lively
connection between knowledge and responsibility and the obligation to serve.
Position Description
St. Mark's School of
Texas seeks an experienced professional to join the Marksmen Wellness Center for the 2026-27 academic year. Competitive candidates must
possess expertise in child development and learning, demonstrated experience working with children and their families, a commitment to
student wellness and education, and enthusiasm for working with boys. The Academic Specialist provides academic and learning support for
students in all grades and works collaboratively with the Wellness team, the Faculty and the Administration. The Academic Specialist reports
to the Director of The Marksman Wellness Center and works closely with the Educational Diagnostician and divisional counselors.
The
Academic Specialist is the face of the Wellness Center and will engage with pop-in visitors. From a student support perspective, the
Academic Specialist provides individual intervention for students in academic need including organizational support, executive function
coaching, personal accountability, study skill building; consults with parents on the academic success of their sons; and consults with
faculty on learning issues which impact a student's performance in the classroom.
Responsibilities:
General
- Have a strong knowledge of child development, learning, and
executive function across the developmental spectrum - Build strong relationships with students, families, faculty, and staff to
foster a culture of community - Advisor, building mentoring relationships with an assigned group of students, acting as primary point
of contact for their families, and participating in relevant grade-level activities
- Meet
regularly with the Division Heads and the Wellness Team to review student needs and address those needs directly with the student and his
family - Support boys with long term illnesses or concussions by working with faculty and student to gather missing work and develop
a schedule/support plan until the student is caught up - Meet with students to provide tailored interventions that meet individual
learning needs - Maintain open communication with families and the Wellness Team regarding student progress
- Teach the Study
Skills class to 5th and 8th graders as part of the Health and Wellness curriculum - Interface with parents to
provide resources to assist with the development of executive function skills, study strategies, and time management - Presentations
as needed to students during middle/upper school class meetings on topics such as executive function, study skills, time management, final
exam preparation, etc. - Develop and maintain a Students of Concern spreadsheet of students who need individualized learning support,
whether due to academic difficulty, learning differences, prolonged health absences, or mental health needs - Manage and oversee the
approved tutor list and monitor tutoring effectiveness/need
- Regularly
consult with teachers at each grade level to ensure timely academic screening and treatment planning for executive function deficits and
learning needs - Promote best practices in learning within the classroom setting and provide instructional leadership
- Respond to individual teacher inquiries about students and collaborate with faculty to create strategies for boys struggling in the
classroom - Stay current on learning, study skills, and ADHD support in the school setting research
- Facilitate communication
of prior assessment data and other relevant information to provide between teachers across school years - Provide professional
development opportunities to faculty and staff regarding learning differences to enhance effective instruction - In partnership with
the Director of the Marksman Wellness Center, provides professional development opportunities to faculty and staff regarding learning
differences
- Attend grade/phase level meetings and other administrative and departmental
meetings - Maintain confidential and accurate documentation of interventions, meetings and other communications
- Coordinate
student meetings with the counseling team
- Advanced degree with a focus
on education, learning or child development - Teaching experience ideal, preferably in independent schools
- Direct experience
working with students and families - Experience with psychoeducational testing and in-depth knowledge of learning differences
- Experience applying specific learning strategies as successful interventions
- A team player who can work collaboratively and
respectfully with colleagues - A positive, confident, solution-oriented attitude
- A calm, thoughtful and measured approach to
addressing issues as they arise - The ability to switch tasks quickly and often
- Strong oral and written communication
skills - Strong organizational skills and the ability to coach students on executive functioning
- Sound judgment and
decision-making skills - Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and appropriate boundaries with students, colleagues, and
community members
of teaching philosophy.
