Director of Student Support Services
American Embassy School, New Delhi (India)

School Details

The American Embassy School (AES) Delhi is a private, not-for-profit, day school for expatriate families who are based in India with diplomatic missions, aid agencies, and other international companies. The School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is sponsored in India by the US State Department. The School has over 1000 students from 70 countries.
At the American Embassy School (AES), we strive to provide authentic and relevant academic and co-curricular programs that meet the needs of each student. We embrace collaboration, innovation, and professionalism as we provide a joyful, balanced learning environment for our students. We have a solid commitment to professional development that aligns with school-wide and personal learning objectives. As an integrated community of teachers and learners, we heartily embrace our school motto: “Enter to Learn. Leave to Serve.”

Position Summary

The Director of Student Support Services provides leadership and support to the PK–12 student support services team, currently composed of learning support teachers, English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers, counselors, a school psychologist, speech and language pathologists, and an occupational therapist. The Director of Student Support Services is a critical school leader, working in partnership with the Director for Teaching and Learning and divisional administrators. The position will report to the School Director and is a tentative position subject to budget approvals.

Qualifications and Experience

Preferred:

• Licensed clinical social worker or doctoral degree holder

Required:

• Master’s degree or higher in Educational Administration or Special Education
• Successful experience at a senior leadership level in student support services within a PreK–12 setting.

Application Process

The American Embassy School offers competitive compensation and a generous benefits package. To Apply, please include a letter of application in which you thoughtfully explain why you believe that this role at AES would be an excellent match for your experience, skills, and passions, and send it to the HR Director, Alfons Madoc at amadoc@aes.ac.in

Position Responsibilities

The Director of Student Support Services will lead and advance all of the following programs:

Learning Support and Related Services at AES
We believe that learning in a diverse environment has the potential to confer benefits for all learners, teachers, and community members. At AES, we provide support for a managed number of students with mild, moderate, and intensive learning needs. Unfortunately, we are not able to meet the needs of students with moderate or severe emotional or behavioral disabilities.

Support for Mild to Moderate Learning Needs
Students with learning needs learn best when they are educated with all of their peers to the maximum extent possible. We are able to meet the needs of most students in the regular classroom with differentiated instruction through accommodations and consultation. Some students may receive additional support in class through:
• Small group instruction
• Point-of-performance support
• Co-teaching
Students with mild to moderate learning needs who require higher levels of support may attend small group learning support classes to work on the individualized learning goals from their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Support for Intensive Learning Needs
AES has an Elementary Intensive Needs program that serves students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (e.g. Down’s Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy) who require a highly individualized education that focuses on developing independence and life skills. Students are integrated into our regular AES classrooms and activities to the greatest appropriate extent. The program is taught by a highly trained special educator and assistants and is supported by other related professionals such as Speech-Language Pathologists, School Psychologists, and Occupational Therapists. Our approach ensures that students receive highly individualized instruction to address their unique learning and developmental needs and are fully integrated as valued members of our community. Our ultimate program goal is to have one of these specialized classrooms per division. The program is funded by additional fees and costs on top of the regular AES tuition.

English as an Additional Language
The English as an Additional Language Program has been designed to meet the needs of students whose level of English proficiency is not at grade level. The primary goal is to develop language skills that will allow students to be successful in their academic work as well as in everyday communication. At AES, we believe that multilingualism is an individual and societal asset. Therefore, we wish our students to acquire English as an additional language rather than as a replacement for their native language. Further, we believe that native language proficiency contributes to additional language acquisition.

Through the EAL model, students learn language as they engage in meaningful interactions with others and study intellectually challenging content in the language-rich environment of their mainstream class. EAL learners are supported in a variety of ways. EAL teachers support EAL students in their mainstream class by co-teaching, working with small groups, or meeting with individual students. For a limited number of students, our EAL staff also provides small group classes outside of the mainstream ones. In these classes, students learn and practice vocabulary, structures, and language functions that they will need to more thoroughly access the content curricula.

Language acquisition is a long-term process with learners moving through developmental stages at varying rates. One of the biggest keys to success in this area is the collaboration between the EAL support teacher and the homeroom or subject teachers. Regular planning and co-teaching are essential in our model.

Counseling Leadership
AES’s school counselors deliver comprehensive, proactive, and developmental guidance programs that foster a safe school environment. In an ethical and confidential manner, in collaboration with the school community, school counselors serve as student advocates, respect individual differences, and support holistic needs of the diverse AES student population.

Our school counseling department provides a variety of services based on student needs. Some services are universal and offered to all students. Other services are targeted toward small groups of individuals while others are provided to a few students with a higher level of need.

Child Safeguarding
AES is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment in which our students are protected from harm and can grow and develop to their full potential.

The AES Safeguarding Policy governs the measures taken by AES to create a safe and nurturing environment for all of the children we come into contact with, the procedures we use to ensure that we fulfill our professional and ethical obligation to identify children who are in need of help and protection, the appropriate actions we take to ensure their well being.

AES follows rigorous recruitment and vetting practices to ensure that all AES employees and associates are suitable to work with our children. All teachers at AES are also required to undergo a thorough criminal background check.

All AES employees and associates are required to follow our AES Code of Conduct. Annual training on Student Safeguarding is conducted for employees, associates, parents, and students.