posted 5/27/08
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Project Coordinator for eQuest After-school Project

This is a 2/3 time position consisting of 32 weeks during the academic year and at least four weeks during the summer with a schedule based on project needs.

Health benefits will be paid by the Athol-Royalston Regional School District (ARRSD).

Project Coordinator’s compensation will be based on applicant’s qualifications.

Project Description:

EQuest is an innovative after-school project for middle school students in the AARSD. Students learn about their local environment, community and history while getting experience in educational use of information technologies such as digital photography, audio and video editing, podcasting, global positioning systems and social networking software. The project’s engaging and positive learning experiences are intended to enhance students’ classroom performance and are measured by pre- and post-assessments developed for the 21st Century Program. This will be the second year of a five year grant supported initiative.

The eQuest project involves collaboration with middle school teachers and ARRSD administrators, as well as project partners from local community and environmental organizations including Harvard Forest, the partners of the Millers River Environmental Center and UMass Amherst. The project is sponsored in part by a 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant funded through the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Federal No Child Left Behind Act and from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and Greater Worcester Community Foundation through the Athol Bird and Nature Club as well as additional funding from other project partners

The Coordinator’s role is to be a leader, manager, educator and advocate.

Project Coordinator Responsibilities

Curriculum and Project Design
Work with the project partners to create curriculum including curriculum map and description, timeline, units, weekly lessons, and specific activities.

Work with middle school staff to facilitate a match between eQuest work and curriculum projects in the classroom under MA frameworks for the arts, English, math, social studies, science, and technology. Work to create a congenial collegial relationship between the two staffs.

Design project elements that promote classroom teachers’ professional development through their involvement with project.

Supervision of Implementation
Interview and hire teaching staff in conjunction with ARRSD and project partners. Support instructors by providing any necessary tools, supplies, training, and general problem-solving.

Work with administration to identify student participants and their needs and to monitor enrollment, attendance, behavior, and their reasons for leaving or staying with the program.

Run day to day operations including transportation scheduling, budget management, snacks, custodial services, and instructor payroll.

Acquire, install and maintain any necessary supplies, equipment, and technological gear. These items can range from notebooks to field guides to historical maps and documents to snowshoes to ethernet hard drives to independent internet access.

Be fully conversant with project elements and be able to step in as a substitute instructor.

Community Outreach
Work with community members to engage them as project resources and as collaborators in service-learning.

Promote the project to the broader community via tech fairs, public events, press releases and other media.

Support Project Sustainability
Insure timely completion of grant administration tasks such as data collection, reports, evaluations, budgets, pre- and post-assessments.

Ensure project sustainability and growth by coordinating and participating in fundraising activities with project partners.

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate will have demonstrated professional experience with coordination of informal or formal education projects. A Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred. A successful candidate will demonstrate professional experience with at least two of the following skills, have a usable working knowledge of at least three others, and an articulated plan for getting up to speed in other project relevant fields.

• Middle school curriculum and pedagogy, including those for academically challenged student populations
• Education-related information technologies and digital media
• Place-based, outdoor environmental education such as Questing
• Project management such as after school project development and implementation
• Fundraising and grant writing
• Strong writing, speaking, public outreach, organizational, and people skills