Middle School Counselor

Sojourner Truth Montessori Public Charter School • Full-time • Washington, DC, US • $62k - $90k / year • 2m ago

Job Description: Middle School Counselor

Overview:

The mission of is to empower students to transform the world. Students at Truth will graduate ready for success in college, career, and life. They will serve as active agents in the construction of peace. They will know who they are, what they want, and where they are going. They can walk into any space, find their place, and make a powerful contribution. Truth achieves this vision through a Montessori education built upon student-led classrooms with a learning environment deliberately designed to enable student engagement in meaningful, authentic work and to foster a close-knit community where students pursue justice and practice stewardship.

During SY2026-27, Truth serves a diverse population of 6th-12th grade students in Washington, DC.

Position:

The Sojourner Truth School is an established and successful middle and high school that is growing and seeking a motivated and innovative School Counselor to help us continue to serve our middle school program.

The Counselor will serve as a social and emotional support expert in an environment fostering student self-direction, and will also play a major role on our Middle School Student Support Team.

The Counselor will report directly to the Assistant Principal, and applicants should be inspired by and aligned to Truth’s mission, and excited by the opportunity to expand their influence and the role of Counselor by supporting students through goal-setting and reflection. Truth strongly believes in the expertise and abilities of its staff, and also that a culturally responsive and culturally sustaining curriculum should be created by those who work in the community and understand the interests and needs of the students therein. Utilizing leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, the School Counselors will promote student success, provide preventive services, and respond to identified student needs by designing and implementing a comprehensive program that addresses academic, career, and personal/social development for all students.

The Counselor, like all other staff, should be fully invested in Truth’s two Design Principles:

Students need to be prepared for life, not just for school.
Each student’s identity, voice, perspectives, and choices matter.

Responsibilities: Design and Delivery of a Comprehensive and Integrated School Counseling Program

Guidance Curriculum

Create a developmentally appropriate and standards based Guidance Curriculum;
Provide leadership and collaborate with other educators in the school-wide integration of the Guidance Curriculum;
Assist teachers with how to use the Guidance Curriculum lesson plansin their classrooms and provide applicable materials and resources to teachers for doing guidance activities in their classrooms;
Implement developmentally appropriate and prevention-oriented groupactivities to meet student needs and school goals;
Conduct classroom guidance lessons such as character education, mindfulness, anti-bias & anti-racism, bullying prevention and healthy relationships;
Conduct small and large group activities based on the guidance curriculum.

Individual Student Planning

Assist all students, individually or in groups, with developing academic, career and personal/social skills, goals and plans;
Conduct counseling sessions with students;
Appropriately guide students in developing goals based on individual dataand other relevant information;
Accurately and appropriately interpret and utilize student data;
Collaborate with parents/guardians and educators to assist students witheducational and career planning;
Send written communications to parents/guardians and teachers
Apprise teachers of adaptive materials and services that exist and areavailable to students.

Preventive and Responsive Services

Provide individual and group counseling to students with identified concerns and needs.
Consult and collaborate effectively with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators and other educational/community resources regarding students with identified concerns and needs.
Advocate for equity and access for all students.
Provide staff with resources to accommodate individual differences andneeds of students.
Implement an effective referral and follow-up process.
Manage and communicate a clear means for counseling referrals and other access to counseling services.
Accurately and appropriately use assessment procedures for determining and structuring individual and group counseling services.

System Support

Provide appropriate information to staff related to the comprehensive school counseling program;
Inform staff of services provided by the school counselor and how to access those services;
Assist teachers, parents/guardians and other stakeholders in interpreting and understanding student data;
Adhere to laws, policies, procedures, and ethical standards of the schoolcounseling profession;
Monitor/supervise student activities as appropriate.

Reflective Practitioner

Actively engage in ongoing professional development;
Continually reflect on the effect that our biases may be having on students and their experience in and out of Truth;
Regularly analyze and adjust guidance curriculum based on student products and colleague feedback;
Participate in professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills;
Demonstrate a growth mindset with respect to new strategies and the consideration of feedback.

Qualifications

Montessori experience or expertise is not required, but applicants should be motivated by the mission to set a national model for a high-quality, urban public Montessori secondary school;
Support of the philosophy behind competency-based learning;
Desire to collaborate and co-plan;
Ability to respond positively to coaching and feedback;
Openness towards innovation;
Ability to create and follow through on action plans;
Commitment to the potential of all students to succeed in rigorous educational settings;
Training, or willingness to seek training in the Montessori method;
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; Master’s degree preferred

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements outlined here are indicative of what is needed for an employee to effectively carry out the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations can be provided to assist individuals with disabilities in performing these essential functions.

Physical Requirements

Detailed Description

Sitting (50-70%)

Prolonged periods of sitting while working at a desk, during counseling sessions, or while traveling to client locations.

Walking/Standing (20-30%)

Time spent walking or standing while moving between different locations within an office, visiting client homes, or during community visits.

Lifting/Carrying (5-10%)

Occasionally lifting or carrying items such as laptops, case files, or supplies (typically up to 25 pounds).

Reaching/Bending/Crouching (5-10%)

Occasional bending, stooping, or reaching may be required when working with clients in homes or other environments where physical interaction or rearranging spaces is needed.

Driving (10-20%)

Travel may be required to visit clients in homes

Speaking/Hearing (90-100%)

Communication with clients, families, and other professionals through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, or virtual platforms is a core part of the role, involving frequent talking and active listening.

Sojourner Truth PCS provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Pay: $62,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits: