Reading and Writing Specialist

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service.  We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do:

National Louis University’s Undergraduate College is seeking a Reading and Writing Specialist to join our team at the Chicago Loop campus (122 S Michigan) to provide tutoring in academic reading and writing.

This is a part-time position of approximately 16-20 hours per week, with scheduled time occurring primarily during daytime classes (9am-4pm).

• Tutoring and Academic Coaching

  • Provide one-on-one and small-group academic support, including informal assessment, feedback, modeling, and guidance

  • Design and implement tailored academic support plans that harness student strengths and foster independent learning

  • Employ responsive practices and support student development of metacognitive strategies

  • Build authentic relationships based on trust, awareness, emotional intelligence, and mutual accountability

  • Ensure that all students feel comfortable and confident in advocating for the supports that will help them to thrive academically

• Case Management and Student Tracking

  • Monitor student progress using academic performance indicators and engagement patterns to identify students most likely to benefit from early intervention

  • Maintain detailed and timely case notes, tracking support provided and outcomes over time

  • Make referrals and share information thoughtfully, ethically, and in adherence to all protocols and policies 

  • Respond to student support requests in an effective and timely manner

• Instructional Partnership and Faculty Collaboration

  • Approach work with instructors using a “conspire and align” approach (rather than a hierarchical command model) to support shared student success goals

  • Regularly confer with classroom instructor to share insights into student progress and help instructors adapt facilitation 

• Program Coordination and Team Collaboration

  • Engage in regular team meetings to review curriculum, reflect on teaching practices and data, and plan impactful student supports

  • Coordinate with partners and teams to connect students with resources and to share information that will better inform work in the program and at the university

• Relationship building

  • You connect with people from many different backgrounds. You find (and even create) opportunities to deepen connections and build authentic, mutual relationships with students and team members, and can do this across lines of difference, such as race or other identities. 

• Continuous learning

  • You learn and adopt new tools, technologies, and pedagogical approaches to enhance your work. 

  • You approach work with students from a place of curiosity and active “not knowing.” You gain in-depth knowledge of students, including their backgrounds, experiences, interests, strengths, and challenges, and you leverage this knowledge to provide effective differentiated academic support and tutoring. 

• Equity at the center

  • You can recognize ways in which positionally, power, and history may affect our efforts to provide academic support, and you strive to make our work more responsive, inclusive, and celebratory. 

• Academic coaching and modeling

  • You make it your mission to support students in their academic development. You communicate high expectations and hold students accountable. You skillfully provide direction and take the time to offer clear, useful, and actionable feedback. You lead by example and motivate students to take action and meet goals. 

• Produces compelling written and digital materials 

  • Aims for clarity, “usability,” and attention to detail. Organizes and shares information effectively — whether writing an email, providing feedback to students, or creating materials for someone else to use.

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, English, or a related field required OR Bachelor's Degree in any field with a significant work record of tutoring or teaching writing at the high school level.
• Tutoring or teaching writing at the high school or college level
• Experience with digital tools for education

• Experience collaborating on a team towards a shared set of goals

• Experience tutoring or teaching students of diverse backgrounds and abilities preferred

• Experience tutoring or teaching multilingual or multidialectal students preferred

• Experience collaborating in a classroom or tutoring center preferred

• Bilingual or multilingual preferred

NLU UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE CORE COMPETENCIES

• Student-Focused: Make decisions based on what is best for students with the belief that when all students have access, resources and support, they are empowered to achieve success.
• Expect Excellence: Hold high expectations for our students and for the adults to serve them and hold ourselves accountable for achieving excellence.
• Personalized Support: Take a holistic approach to providing individualized support that encourages students to realize their full potential in college and beyond.
• Data-Driven, Collaborative Environment: Work together as a unified team, utilizing real-time data and technology to adapt to student needs.
• Continuous Improvement and Innovation: Remain agile and open to changes and new ideas-incorporating data as well as student, faculty and administration voice-to ensure that we are continuously learning, improving, and innovating in all aspects of the student experience.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued.  We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU part-time staff are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, and Paid Time Off. Additional information regarding part-time staff benefits can be found here.

The salary range of the grade for this position is $21.88 to $30.64 per hour (typical workweek for this part-time position is 16-20 hours).  Compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.  Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity.

Please include the following along with your application:

• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Current NLU employees please also submit an Internal Posting Form