STUDENT SERVICES LEAD for COUNSELING AND SOCIAL WORK

Student Services Lead for Counseling and Social Work

The Student Services Lead serves as a teacher-leader who provides collaborative leadership, coaching, facilitation, and coordination for school counselors and school social workers while maintaining a full student caseload. The position supports alignment with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) Practice Model, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and district priorities. The role focuses on capacity-building, professional collaboration, continuous improvement, and systems development rather than evaluation or supervision.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of a Master's Degree
• Valid Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL)
• School Counselor or School Social Worker endorsement
• Minimum of five (5) years of successful experience as a school counselor or school social worker
• Demonstrated understanding of comprehensive student services programming
• Demonstrated understanding of and compliance with district policies, procedures, and guidelines

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Coaching and Professional Support:
• Provide individual and group coaching to counselors and social workers.
• Facilitate reflective conversations focused on improving services and student outcomes.
• Support staff in strengthening school counseling services, social work interventions, crisis response, and student support practices.
• Model and reinforce culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and student-centered practices.
• Support staff in translating ASCA and SSWAA standards into daily practice.
• Share resources, professional learning opportunities, and best practices.
• Emerging Systems Development:
• Identify priority student needs including attendance, mental health, academic success, postsecondary readiness, and social-emotional development.
• Encourage consistent approaches to student support programming and interventions.
• Collaborate with district student support staff to develop shared language and practices aligned to MTSS.
• Support appropriate use of data to inform decisions and interventions.
• Coordination and Role Clarity:
• Support understanding of the distinct and complementary roles of school counselors and school social workers.
• Reduce role confusion by reinforcing counseling responsibilities related to academic, college/career, and social-emotional development and social work responsibilities related to mental health, family systems, and community-based interventions.
• Facilitate collaboration among Student Services team members.
• Systems-Level Leadership:
• Identify patterns and trends in student needs across grade levels and student groups.
• Communicate barriers to student success to administration.
• Support alignment between Student Services programs and school improvement priorities.
• Advocate for structures and systems that strengthen student supports and comprehensive programming.
• Communication and Facilitation:
• Facilitate regular Student Services meetings focused on collaboration, problem-solving, and professional learning.
• Serve as a liaison between Student Services staff and administration.
• Support communication regarding student interventions, resources, and support services.
• Collaborate with school and district leaders on initiatives impacting student support services.

The Student Services Lead Role Does Not Include:

• Formal evaluation responsibilities
• Managerial or disciplinary supervision of staff
• Personnel-related decision making authority