Student Success Network

About Student Success Network

SSN is a community of 80 organizations working together to improve programming, practice, and policy to close opportunity gaps for youth in NYC. Founded in 2013 by the leaders of 15 education and youth development organizations, The Network was built on a shared understanding that all organizations could serve more students more effectively by collaborating instead of competing.  At that time, there was little infrastructure to support collaboration, and youth-serving organizations had limited capacity alone to create or influence the systems, solutions, and structures to address the complexity of barriers their students faced.  

Most recently, COVID-19 has sharpened the focus of inequitable systems on black, brown, and marginalized communities across the city and has presented unprecedented challenges for Network members.  Though intensified now, these barriers to opportunity have existed long before the pandemic.  We know that, as a field, we are not going to see lasting change by doing what’s always been done; programs and interventions are necessary, but not sufficient.  Today, we carry out activities to build the capacity of our members - in partnership with other organizations - in addressing root causes of inequitable outcomes. Specifically, we:
  • Conduct research to expand collective knowledge about key challenges and solutions related to inequitable outcomes;
  • Build practitioner capacity to create stronger organizations, more impactful programming, and better systems;
  • Fuel collaborations and working groups, in partnership with others throughout the city, to develop policy and practice solutions for key barriers to equitable outcomes;
  • Share and scale solutions to disseminate evidence-based practices and approaches.
Position Summary

Student Success Network is seeking a Facilitator to co-develop and co-implement a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) curriculum. The Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Facilitator will be part of a team, including SSN staff, a partner organization, and a YPAR advisor, creating a web of support for young people. Specific responsibilities include:

  • In partnership with SSN staff and practitioners, create overall program structure and materials, drawing from SSN’s library of materials to outline a preliminary curriculum focused on community building, youth-adult partnership, SEL development, examining social and cultural identities with an antiracist lens, and research skills development
  • In partnership with SSN staff and practitioners, create a recruitment and selection process that intentionally invites youth with learning differences, whose voices and perspectives are too often excluded from traditional research spaces.
  • Assess youth learning styles to provide differentiated and scaffolded learning experiences
  • Coach youth as they complete independent and group projects
  • Support each youth researcher to identify and actively participate in specific project activities that best nurture their strengths and abilities
  • Consult with SSN staff to ensure planned research activities and practices are inclusive and support meaningful participation for all of the youth involved.
  • Participate in research team activities, including question formation, development of methodology, data collection, analysis and sense-making, and action-oriented dissemination of findings.


The ideal candidate will be:

  • Deeply committed to racial equity and anti-racist practices;
  • An expert in youth development
  • Experienced in directly working with teams of diverse youth, including youth with learning differences (at least 2 years is preferred)
  • Experienced in assessing youth learning styles and providing differentiated and scaffolded learning experiences
  • Skilled in coaching youth to develop their strengths, abilities, interests, and goals;
  • A strong collaborator and effective decision maker;
  • Experience synthesizing/integrating content from various sources;
  • Interested in research methodology and processes, especially youth-led approaches;
  • Passionate about finding creative solutions for students in public education and believes social-emotional well-being is important to student success;
  • Excited by the challenges and opportunities for growth in a young, rapidly evolving organization;
Individuals with a background in social work, special education, youth studies, psychology, or related fields are strongly encouraged to apply.
Benefits and cool perks: 
  • Being a part of a small but mighty team in addition to a larger network of the city’s most innovative and impactful nonprofits
  • $30-35/hour
  • Flexible work space
  • Flexible work from home policy
  • Flexible vacation policy
  • Occasional team lunches and outings 


*Note: we are currently fully remote until it is safe to return to the office

Student Success Success is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. Student Success Network offers a full benefits package and multiple opportunities for professional growth.

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Individuals seeking employment at the Student Success Network are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. You are being given the opportunity to provide the following information in order to help us improve our work.

Completion of this question is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

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