AssistantAssociate Professor of Special Education (Graduate Level)

THE OPPORTUNITY

The National College of Education (NCE) at National Louis University (NLU) seeks a knowledgeable experienced and dynamic educator for a full-time 10-Month Special Education faculty position at the Assistant/Associate Professor rank. NLUs recently updated graduate program offers multiple pathways to earn a masters degree and/or licensure in special education including MEd and MAT programs. This position includes teaching current and prospective special educators and preparing candidates to develop strong foundations in culturally sustaining classroom instruction and assessment to meet their students needs. The successful candidate will engage in disability-affirming teaching and curriculum development and engage in service to the program and college. The candidate must be comfortable with and effective at working with students from different backgrounds have a strong understanding of special education laws and regulations have demonstrated classroom experience and have knowledge of current trends in special education such as high-leverage teaching practices. The ideal candidate will cultivate a research agenda that furthers social and educational justice for students with disabilities.

WHO WE ARE

NLUs National College of Education (NCE) understands that serving PreK-12 students as teachers and school leaders is a calling a commitment and a career. Our unique style of partnership with students at all levelsfrom new teacher preparation to advanced professional programs to doctoral degreesguides all we do as we create todays teachers and tomorrows leaders.

Our programs are designed with the needs of our students in mind. Graduates frequently cite the National College of Educations top quality professors convenient locations flexible course offerings and affordability. Most of all the commitment to real world progressive education is unparalleled. NCE graduates make a difference. Our educators are found in 40% of Illinois public schools and 75% of Chicago Public Schools collectively impacting the lives of 60000 students each year.

At NCE our commitment to learning includes ourselves. We have recently created four new programs and evolved an additional 21 programs to more appropriately address the needs of todays educators.

WHO YOU ARE

You are: A Change Leader.
You are an accomplished PreK-12 educator with a passion for developing students and teachers to their fullest potential. You are an experienced leader who has successfully guided schools and/or district through change. You are a constructive partner who leads the work that needs to be done and advocates for high quality education. You are a veteran educator attracted to university teaching as a new career step and a new level of positive influence on American education. You are deeply motivated by a desire to work in a learning community that is preparing the next generation of life-changing leaders.

You will: Model and Support Research.
You believe in the power of practitioner researchers. You will draw upon current research to inform your instruction. You will use your research agenda to model research methodologies for our candidates. You will support our candidates as they become research practitioners.

You are ready to: Make an Impact.
Each and every day this program changes lives. You want to be a part of NCEs societally impactful leadership as an educator preparation institution. You are someone who will always look for creative ways for students to earn success. We know this work is challenging but we are in it together and you are inspired by the opportunity to work collaboratively with other educational leaders to optimize our impact together.

• Maintaining a teaching load of 24 semester hours of graduate courses across Fall Winter and Spring terms.
• Teaching includes developing and teaching core special education and related courses and creating and fostering an inclusive learning environment for all students as well as advising and mentoring graduate students on their academic and professional goals.
• Engaging in the thought leadership responsibilities of a professional practice faculty member. This includes but is not limited to collaborating with colleagues on curriculum and course development grant proposals and extracurricular activities as well as maintaining expertise in the areas of special education research policy and practice.
• Contributing to the university through service including mentoring and advising responsibilities for graduate students service to the department through program improvement and development program recruitment and program accreditation efforts service to the college (e.g. through committee work) and service to the larger university community and profession.
• Supporting and leading efforts at the course department college and university levels to address educational justice using an intersectional lens. Efforts include curriculum improvement and development as well as departmental and university committees initiatives and activities related to advancing excellence in accessible education for all students.
• Maintaining and enhancing community engagement and existing partnerships with community agencies and schools. This includes working alongside other faculty members leadership and students to build relationships with administrators teachers and community organization leaders.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Earned doctorate in Special Education or related Education or Learning fields. Subject to administrative approval applicants who are ABD may be considered provided they can demonstrate documented progress toward completion and the ability to successfully defend their dissertation within a timeframe deemed reasonable by institutional leadership.
• A minimum of 5 years of PreK-22 teaching experience across various special education settings.
• Demonstrated experience in and/or commitment to advancing equity initiatives within an educational setting and the integration of pedagogies/alignment with the Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading (CRTL) standards.

Preferred Experiential Qualifications:

• Experience with collaborative participatory community or action research methodologies and practices.
• Experience with assistive and instructional technology
• Experience teaching across modalities including online virtual/hybrid and in-person/on-campus.
• Expertise in teaching literacy math and practicum courses required in our programs.
• Experience working with students with high and low-incidence disability designations at the PreK-22 level.
• Expertise in Practice-Based Teaching (PBT) and High-Leverage and Evidence-based Practices (HLPs)
• Recent graduates are encouraged to apply.

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 employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits including but not limited to Health Insurance benefits Retirement benefits Paid Time Off and Educational Opportunities. Additional information regarding full-time faculty benefits can be found here.

NLU Faculty salaries are based on rank within each college. The ranges for each rank for the National College of Education are listed below:

2025 NCE 10-Month Faculty Salary Ranges

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 current/previous faculty rank market considerations tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees) and internal equity.