KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 255 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 100,000 students. Nationally, KIPP students are graduating at 3x the national average for low-income students.
Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently serves nearly 2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth. The mission of KIPP Columbus is to create a system of schools where students develop the intellectual, academic, and social skills needed to understand and take action on issues they encounter in everyday life.
KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top five schools for academic growth of any school in the state of Ohio, and is a top performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In our second class of graduating high school seniors in the spring of 2021, 100% of students were accepted to college with over $20 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.
In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with more than 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, offering more than 10 varsity sports.
The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy.
Interested in learning more about our school? Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/
The Opportunity
Reporting to the School Leader, the Manager of Student Recovery & Wellness leads one of KIPP Columbus Middle School's most innovative student support initiatives. The Recovery Program exists to maximize instructional time while helping students develop the social-emotional skills necessary for long-term academic success.
This leader believes that behavior is communication and that every challenging moment presents an opportunity to teach. By combining restorative practices, social-emotional coaching, and rigorous academics, the Manager of Student Recovery & Wellness helps students regain readiness to learn while preserving strong classroom cultures across the school.
Serving as the leader of the Recovery Program, this individual manages the day-to-day implementation of the program, supervises the Recovery team member, partners closely with teachers and school leaders, responds to student behavioral needs throughout the school day, and continuously improves systems that support both students and adults. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable de-escalating a student in crisis, coaching a teacher, and analyzing program data.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Recovery Program Leadership
Lead the implementation, management, and continuous improvement of the Recovery Program, ensuring the program consistently achieves its goals of preserving instructional time while supporting student growth.
Develop and maintain systems, routines, and procedures that ensure consistent implementation of the Recovery model across the school.
Directly supervise, coach, and develop the Recovery classroom teacher, ensuring students experience a highly structured, academically rigorous, and supportive environment.
Monitor daily program implementation, identifying opportunities to improve student outcomes, operational efficiency, and staff effectiveness.
Collect, analyze, and communicate program data, including referral trends, student outcomes, and implementation fidelity, to inform continuous improvement.
Partner with school leadership to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot and recommend program enhancements.
Student Recovery & Social-Emotional Development
Serve as the school's primary leader for student recovery and behavioral intervention throughout the instructional day.
Respond promptly to classroom requests for support, minimizing disruption to instruction while helping students successfully regulate and re-engage with learning.
Provide immediate behavioral coaching, de-escalation, and restorative interventions for students experiencing behavioral challenges.
Meet individually with every student entering Recovery within ten minutes of arrival.
Facilitate structured 5–10 minute coaching conversations that help students identify the root cause of their behavior, reflect on its impact, develop self-awareness, and create a plan for success.
Utilize trauma-informed, restorative, and relationship-centered practices to help students regulate emotions while maintaining high expectations and accountability.
Build meaningful relationships with students that foster resilience, responsibility, and long-term social-emotional growth.
Teacher Partnership & Schoolwide Support
Maintain ongoing communication with teachers, school leadership, intervention specialists, and families regarding student progress and support plans.
Partner with teachers to strengthen Tier I classroom management practices and proactively reduce behavioral disruptions.
Identify patterns in student referrals and collaborate with teachers and administrators to address root causes.
Respond to classroom requests with professionalism, urgency, and a commitment to preserving instructional time for all students.
Support schoolwide implementation of restorative practices and social-emotional learning.
While no individual will possess every qualification in equal measure, the successful candidate will bring many of the following experiences and attributes:
Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred in Social Work, School Counseling, School Psychology, Education, Mental Health Counseling, Behavior Analysis, or a related field.
Minimum of five years of experience supporting students in educational, counseling, social work, behavioral health, or youth development settings.
Demonstrated experience implementing restorative, trauma-informed, or social-emotional learning practices that improve student outcomes.
Experience leading or supervising adults, including coaching and developing staff, strongly preferred.
Exceptional classroom management skills with the ability to establish highly structured, positive, and engaging learning environments.
Deep understanding of adolescent development, behavior intervention, conflict resolution, and social-emotional learning.
Demonstrated ability to build trusting relationships while maintaining high expectations for student behavior and achievement.
Experience partnering effectively with teachers, administrators, families, and multidisciplinary teams to support student success.
Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and data analysis skills.
Ability to remain calm, solution-oriented, and decisive during challenging situations.
Demonstrated commitment to educational equity and an unwavering belief that all students can achieve at high levels when provided the appropriate supports.
Deep alignment with the mission, values, and commitment to educational excellence of KIPP Columbus.
Compensation and Benefits
KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical and dental insurance, as well as group term life insurance, retirement plan and paid time off.
Statement of Non-Disclosure
KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.
Together, A Future Without Limits.
KIPP Public Schools is a network of 279 public charter schools with over 16,000 educators and 210,000 students and alumni.
