Who We Are
Since its founding in 2010, Challenge Preparatory Charter School (Challenge Prep) has provided students and families with a successful academic program in Far Rockaway, Queens. We currently serve over 1200 scholars from Kindergarten to 12th grade across 3 sites. Our school’s mission is to prepare students from the greater Far Rockaway community to excel academically, to demonstrate mastery of the NY State Learning Standards, and to achieve their career aspirations. Challenge cultivates and supports the intellectual, aesthetic, social, emotional, and ethical development of its students and prepares them to be responsible 21st century citizens. To accomplish its mission, Challenge offers a rigorous instructional program in a safe, supportive, technology-infused and data-enriched and social-emotional learning sequence, authentic field experiences, career counseling, and college coursework. It is understood that we are one organization with multiple sites, and it is expected that all members of the team collaborate to support all of our scholars. Understanding the Role The Lead of Pupil Services, K–12 provides systemwide leadership for academic advisement, school counseling, student support, graduation planning, special-population coordination, records accuracy, crisis response, family engagement, and college, career, and postsecondary readiness across Challenge Preparatory Charter Schools. The position ensures that students receive coordinated, equitable, developmentally appropriate, and legally compliant supports from kindergarten through grade 12.
The Lead serves as the organization’s principal expert on pupil personnel services and establishes consistent procedures across elementary, middle, and high school programs. The role requires advanced knowledge of New York State school counseling expectations, transcript evaluation, diploma and graduation requirements, credit accumulation, Regents and pathway requirements, STARS, ATS, IEPs, Section 504 plans, student records, attendance, intervention systems, and the New York State comprehensive developmental school counseling/guidance program. The Lead works closely with school leaders, counselors, teachers, special education staff, related-service providers, families, community partners, and authorizer or district representatives to remove barriers and improve student outcomes.
Essential Leadership Responsibilities
1. Systemwide Pupil Services Leadership
2. Comprehensive School Counseling Program
3. Transcript Evaluation, Credit Auditing, and Graduation Readiness
4. Student Information Systems and Records Integrity
5. Section 504, IEP, Special Education, and Accessibility Coordination
6. Multi-Tiered Student Support, Mental Health, and Crisis Response
7. College, Career, and Postsecondary Readiness
8. Attendance, Enrollment, Promotion, and Student Transitions
9. Family Engagement and Student Advocacy
10. Supervision, Professional Development, and Staff Capacity
11. Compliance, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement