Assistant/Associate Professor of TESOL, Bilingual, and Special Education

The Graduate School of Education at Lesley University seeks an outstanding practitioner-scholar with successful experience teaching bilingual learners and special education students in preK-12 settings, thorough knowledge of bilingualism/biliteracy, second language learning development, and special education. The successful applicant must demonstrate a commitment to research that creates useable knowledge in and for practice. A strong candidate will be a proven collaborator with a demonstrated commitment to issues of social justice and equity in higher education. The candidate will work closely with colleagues in the Language and Literacy and Special Education Departments and with adjunct faculty, administrators, and teachers from area partner schools.

Responsibilities will include teaching courses in language and literacy development and diversity, assessment for identification of disabilities, assessment of language development, working with culturally and linguistically diverse families in special education teams and settings, and ideally, augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Courses taught will include face to face on campus, off campus weekend cohorts, as well as on-line courses. This may also include teaching elementary and secondary versions of a state-required Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) course to both pre-service and in-service teachers. Opportunities to work with graduate students at the Masters and Doctoral level will be part of this role.

Additional interest or expertise in one of the following areas would be valued: early literacy; the integration of content and language learning for the special education classroom; Spanish or Portuguese language and literacy development; expertise in technology-enhanced instruction and/or Assistive Technology (AT).

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Teach contracted courses according to university guidelines
• Ability to use a variety of digital platforms and tools in the functions of the role
• Participate in and make meaningful contributions to the university, school, department, and program meetings
• Maintain a record of active scholarship
• Participate in university and school service appropriate to the appointment

The Language and Literacy Department offers Master's degree (M.Ed.) and licensure/certificate programs in English as a Second Language (ESL)/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Bilingual Education as well as Language and Literacy and Specialist Teacher of Reading. In these programs, teachers learn to respond to the language and literacy needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students, expand the communication and literacy skills of students, connect reading and writing across the curriculum, use assessment to inform their teaching and guide student learning, and collaborate with and lead colleagues to use culturally sustaining and linguistic responsive literacy practices and anti-racist pedagogies.

Additionally, this position will include teaching in the Special Education program in the Teaching and Learning Department. This department offers Master's degrees (M.Ed.) and licensure/endorsement programs in Inclusive Special Education (Moderate Disabilities Pk-8, 5-12, and Severe Disabilities), Transition Specialists, and Teaching Students with Autism. In these programs, teacher candidates are prepared to be knowledgeable, reflective, caring, and exemplary educators who are life-long advocates, allies, and scholars in the field of special education. This programs seek to prepare educators who are committed to inclusion, and who partner with and empower their students with disabilities to live self-determined lives as contributing members of a democratic society.

The successful candidate will have:

Required:

• Must have, or will have by August 1, 2023, a Doctorate with a concentration in a related educational field.
• Strong preparation to teach TESOL, Bilingual Education, Special Education, and early literacy courses at the graduate level.
• Successful Higher Education teaching experience.
• Ability to collaborate in the design of courses and programs in TESOL/ESL/Bilingual Education and Special Education programs.
• Experience working with PreK-12 teachers.
• Demonstrated level of competence with respect to knowledge of basic tenets of social justice education and anti-racist pedagogies.
• Ability to appropriately and effectively understand and adapt to cultural differences within group environment and awareness of group norms/dynamics that stem from identity based differences.
• Adept at using skills necessary for creating an environment that allows for inclusion and effective intercultural engagement.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States. If you hold a visa, your visa status must allow you to work at Lesley University.
• Fluency in a language other than English

Preferred:

• A minimum of three years of successful PreK-12 teaching experience with second language learners and/or special education in the United States.
• A scholarly record in bilingualism/biliteracy, language, learning development, and special education to warrant appointment at the assistant or associate level, including publications, presentations, and other forms of contribution to the field.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to teach in Spanish or Portuguese.