The Assistant Professor of Special Education is a 9-month tenure track position. The Assistant Professor of Special Education will be expected to perform the following duties and responsibilities: conduct research both individually and in collaboration with other faculty; publish the results of scholarship in refereed journals; obtain external funding to support research and curriculum development endeavors; develop and teach undergraduate, graduate, and advanced level courses on the Fayetteville campus and online across topics in special education; participate in student advisement and mentoring, including service on graduate student advisory and dissertation committees; engage in community outreach; collaborate with K-12 schools partners; and provide service to the department, college, university, community, and profession.
This faculty position is part of a cluster hire in the signature research area of ‘healthy schools’ in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. Schools are vital anchors for the well-being of every community. Educators have been increasingly focused on the impact of physical, behavioral, and mental health on the educational and cognitive outcomes of children. Similarly, healthcare professionals have actively emphasized the need for early education and interventions to promote positive health outcomes. The College of Education and Health Professions is uniquely poised to promote research and collaboration across its education and health programs to maximize learning and health in schools. To this end, the College is seeking outstanding candidates for tenure-track faculty positions who are committed to advancing research in the signature research area of ‘healthy schools.’ Building on existing faculty strengths, the new faculty hired as part of the ‘healthy schools’ cluster will engage in collaborative research aimed at improving education and health outcomes of children and youth.
The Special Education program maintains a balance between rigorous research and preparation of educators and clinicians. Special Education offers programs that prepare candidates for initial teacher licensure in K-12 Special Education at the bachelors and masters levels. In addition to these, the graduate program in special education creates multiple avenues for professionals who supports children and youth with disabilities to pursue graduate certificates in applied behavior analysis, special education transition, autism and various endorsements to add to initial license including dyslexia, educational examiner, resource teacher, and K-12 special education. Special education faculty are engaged in research disseminated in high impact journals, serve nationally and across the state of Arkansas, and maintain ongoing grant projects related to their areas of expertise.
The Curriculum and Instruction Department prepares students for many careers in education. CIED offers majors and concentrations in addition to special education, including career and technical education, childhood/elementary education, curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, educational studies, educational technology, secondary education, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. These range from bachelor's to doctoral degrees, specialist degrees, certificates, and endorsements.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction values diversity, inclusion, and equity and strives to be intentional, deliberate, and focused on being culturally responsive to all constituents resulting in a sense of community and connection where people are valued for who they are, not for how they assimilate into existing cultural norms. We are a department belonging to a wider community that recognizes and includes the multiple realities and intersectionalities of Arkansans, the nation, and the world. CIED is committed to cultivating and sustaining a department that is safe and open to all and where there is no invisibility through the marginalization and systematic oppression of others. As such, we will be a department where issues of inequity, racism, ableism, sexism, and discrimination of all types are confronted and addressed without hesitation or doubt.
Regular, reliable, and non-disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others.
Minimum Qualifications:
An earned doctorate from a nationally recognized university program in Special Education conferred by the first day of employment
Demonstrated research interest in implementation of high leverage, evidence-based, and inclusive practices to support outcomes of diverse students with disabilities; instructional needs of students with high incidence disabilities
Evidence of scholarly productivity and scholarly potential
Work experience in K-12 US special education contexts with students with disabilities
Preferred Qualifications:
Scholarly presentations and/or publications in special education
Evidence of collaboration with K-12 US educators and school systems such as through successful curriculum and/or professional development
Experience in the development of innovative programs in special education and the development of coursework or curricula in special education teacher education
Documented evidence of successful teaching at the college/university level using in-person and online methodologies
Experience working in culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the United States
Experience writing and/or participating in grant funded research
Evidence of interdisciplinary research bridging education and health fields
Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas is a land-grant institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the nation’s top two percent of universities with the highest level of research activity. The University of Arkansas works to advance Arkansas and build a better world through education, research and outreach by providing transformational opportunities and skills, promoting an environment of belonging, and nurturing creativity, discovery and the spread of new ideas and innovations. The U of A, one of the largest employers in Arkansas, is the seventh fastest-growing university in the nation and is consistently ranked among the top universities and best values in the United States.
The University of Arkansas campus is located in Fayetteville, a welcoming community nestled in the Ozark Mountains ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. The booming region surrounding Fayetteville is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and one of the nation’s strongest economies. Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is also quickly gaining a national reputation for its focus on the arts, world-class biking, and overall quality of life. Fayetteville and NWA are repeatedly at the top ...of best-places-to-live rankings and the area is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.
As an employer, the University of Arkansas offers a vibrant work environment. The benefits package includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary. As a university community, we value our employees and promote a healthy work/life balance. As an equal opportunity institution, the university is committed to providing an educationally robust environment.
We are confident that as you learn more about the University of Arkansas, you will discover that you can Live Better in Arkansas.