Staff Attorney & Education Collaborative Manager

Advocates For Children (AFC) is a dynamic social justice organization that strives to ensure a high-quality education for New York students who face barriers to academic success, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds. AFC works on behalf of children and youth who are at greatest risk of academic failure due to poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, homelessness, immigration status/limited English proficiency, or involvement in the child welfare or juvenile/criminal legal systems. We use uniquely integrated strategies to advance systemic reform, empower families and communities, and advocate for the educational rights of individual students. For more information on AFC, see www.advocatesforchildren.org. 

Job Summary

AFC seeks an attorney to manage and lead our Education Collaborative, a community of foster care agencies designed to build the capacity of these agencies to better address the educational needs of the children and youth in their care. Many students in the foster system face tremendous barriers to educational success, due to frequent school changes, high rates of disability, and trauma associated with their placement in foster care. The attorney in this position will partner with Collaborative members to advocate for individual students, improve agency practices, develop agency staff, and fight for systemic reforms that help students in the foster system succeed in school.

The Education Collaborative is an initiative developed by Project Achieve, AFC’s program that has been fighting for the educational rights of students in New York City’s child welfare system for over 20 years. Project Achieve trains child welfare professionals, parents, youth, and educators; develops resources to support positive education outcomes for students impacted by the foster system; and secures services for students in foster care whose educational needs are not being met. We then use the lessons we learn from our on-the-ground experience to advocate for policy change that will benefit all students in the City’s foster system.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Staff Attorney & Education Collaborative Manager will administer the Education Collaborative while supporting the overall work of Project Achieve. Key responsibilities include:

• Coordinating the work of the Education Collaborative, which includes developing strategy; planning and facilitating meetings; and ensuring the group’s responsiveness to the needs and concerns of its members
• Developing resources and conducting trainings
• Doing outreach to NYC foster care agencies and Collaborative members
• Providing ongoing technical assistance and consultation to foster care agency staff
• Advocating on behalf of individual students and families experiencing school-related difficulties involving special education, school discipline, enrollment or other issues
• Representing students at mediation and administrative hearings
• Liaising with the Collaborative funder, including collecting data and writing grant reports
• Engaging in collective advocacy to change city policies to improve the educational experiences of youth in the foster system

This position reports to the Director of Project Achieve.

Qualifications

• Understanding of and alignment with AFC’s mission. Please review AFC’s work at advocatesforchildren.org
• Law degree required; admission to NYS bar preferred
• At least 2 years of experience in education advocacy and/or child welfare
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience conducting trainings or presenting to groups
• Strong interpersonal skills; the ability to engage with a variety of stakeholders across cultures, identities, and ethnicities and negotiate effectively in collaborative and adversarial contexts
• The ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently and as a member of a team
• A commitment and ability to empower the families that are the focus of AFC’s mission
• Desire to learn, both as an individual and as part of an organization, and apply diversity, equity, and anti-racism principles
• Spanish language fluency preferred

How to Apply

Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter highlighting why they are interested in this role at AFC and how their experience aligns with the Staff Attorney and Education Collaborative Manager position, including any personal or professional experience that demonstrates their connection to the populations AFC serves.

Applications will be considered immediately on a rolling basis. This position would start as s