Assistant Professor, Special Education Clinical Practice

Location: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, or Washington, DC

Must currently reside in one of the states listed above and/or have held a teaching license from one of these states and/or have teaching experience in one of these states.

Type: Full-Time

Start Date: September 3, 2024

Priority Application Review Deadline: July 1, 2024

Summary:

Relay Graduate School of Education (Relay) is an accredited not-for-profit institution of higher education serving thousands of educators from across the country, from pre-service teachers to system-level leaders. Our mission is to ensure that all students are taught by excellent educators, in order to build a more just world where every student has a clear path to a fulfilling life.

The Clinical Practice department, as part of Relay's Teacher Preparation Team, leads Relay students to connect theory to the classroom context and focuses on developing culturally responsive and inclusive educators through practice, feedback, and reflection cycles. Reporting to a Clinical Practice Director or Professor, the Assistant Professor, Special Education National Clinical Practice will teach Foundations & Clinical Practice courses and conduct observation-feedback cycles to build collaborative cohorts of continuously improving educators. Their cohorts will include students in Relay's Teaching Exceptional Learners program, which focuses on special educators. The ideal candidate will exemplify cultural responsiveness and inclusivity, be a team player, be committed to continuous improvement, deliver impactful and prompt feedback, and contribute and adapt to program changes as we continue to refine our program to best serve students.

Role's Contributions (Duties and Responsibilities):

The essential responsibilities of this position, while not limited to the following, will include:

Teaching Responsibilities (45%)

Teach foundations and clinical practice courses throughout the academic year to ensure student success.Clinical practice courses will include specialized coursework for students in Relay's Teaching Exceptional Learners programs focusing on special educators.

• Conduct observations for approximately 75 students as part of clinical practice courses in the fall and spring terms.

Teach up to 50 students/course and no more than 12 credits a term; teaching schedule varies by term. Teach and /or observe virtually throughout the day, about two nights a week, and about four Saturdays a term.

• Participate in collaborative preparation for teaching to ensure effectiveness (e.g., practicing and score norming with colleagues) and collaborative continuous improvement (e.g., team professional development, observation-feedback cycles with colleagues).

Student Experience (40%)

• Collaborate with state Clinical Practice Directors, student advisors, certification officers, and licensure exam preparation faculty to support student success in clinical practice & foundations coursework and toward state licensure

• Hold regular office hours to provide individualized support for students as needed.

• Model the knowledge, skills, and mindsets of a culturally responsive educator when teaching, coaching, and supporting students.

• Provide feedback to students on observations, reflection journals, and other teaching artifacts within one to two weeks to support their continuous reflection and improvement.

Programmatic & Design Responsibilities (10%)

• Support the design and continuous improvement of the programs and courses offered within the department by providing ongoing feedback on the curriculum design.

• Complete documentation required for students' licensure as applicable (e.g., providing feedback on state-required rubrics, completing licensure recommendation forms)

Institutional Service (5%)

• Serve the institution through committee, working group, and/or board membership.

QUALIFICATIONS

First and foremost, the Assistant Professor, Special Education Clinical Practice must share the Relay community's commitment to working together to improve student growth and achievement through phenomenal teacher preparation grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. This includes providing teacher preparation programs that set novice teachers up to succeed in the classroom from day one; leadership programs that train new and veteran school and district leaders to best serve their school communities; and teacher-facing professional education that provides ongoing learning to educators. Additionally, for this position we're looking for candidates that possess a combination of the following skills:

• At least 3 years of work experience and a graduate degree (masters and/or doctorate) in a relevant educational field

• Availability to teach and/or observe virtually throughout the day, two nights a week, and four Saturdays a term

• Classroom teaching experience at the elementary, middle, or secondary level and experience observing, coaching, and developing elementary, middle, or secondary level teachers, including experience as a special education teacher and/or coach

• Strong interpersonal skills and experience developing collegial working relationships with diverse populations

• Evidence of strong organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications:

Evidence of or potential for:

• Advancing justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-oppressive initiatives in service of teacher preparation.

• A deep understanding of educator preparation landscape (i.e., licensure preparation process and state based requirements) within a state in which Relay operates or may operate in the future (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, or Washington, DC) and/or for special educators specifically.

• Active involvement in national organizations in the field of education.

• Strong project management skills paired with the ability to synthesize information from a variety of sources.

Relay prepares teachers and school leaders to teach students of all identities and backgrounds in order to push toward a time when this country no longer faces stark educational inequities. We recruit, develop, support, and retain a diverse staff, faculty, and graduate student body because we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and actively anti-racist institution. We know, and the data supports, that diversity, equity, and inclusion cultivate an environment in which people of all backgrounds can thrive and this is critical to achieving our mission of educational excellence and equity.

To fulfill that commitment, Relay encourages applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply for roles that align with their own interests and career trajectory. If you meet a majority of the qualifications and see yourself in this role, we would love to see your application!

COMPENSATION

Relay is committed to creating and maintaining a compensation and benefits system that supports our ability to recruit and retain a diverse and talented team. As we make decisions about compensation, we will be guided by the following values: clarity, consistency, and internal equity. The salary range for this role is $75,702-$94,628. New hires will be offered a salary at the starting point of the range, $75,702 to allow for an equitable starting salary process and continual salary growth during an employee's time at Relay GSE.

To ensure internal pay equity:

• Relay does not currently differentiate starting salary offers based on years of experience,

• All staff salaries will be capped at the salary range maximum, and

• Relay does not negotiate salary offers.

Relay offers a comprehensive total rewards package. For full-time roles, this includes health insurance benefits, disability and life insurance, retirement plan, professional development, gym reimbursement, adoption assistance, paid time off (PTO), parental leave, etc. To learn more about Relay's benefits, please visit here.

WORK LOCATION POLICY

Employees must have a primary work location within the U.S., where they are legally authorized to work. Relay is a registered employer in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and Washington DC. Please note that Relay Graduate School of Education's headquarters are in New York City. Employees who choose to perform work from states not listed here will be subject to NYC state withholdings.

COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY

Relay highly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine. Relay abides by each state's requirements, and acknowledges those may change over time. If moved forward to the phone screen stage, you will have the chance to ask your recruiter more about this policy.

Relay Graduate School of Education provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.