Search Postings

Title: Assistant/Associate Professor-Early Childhood Multilingual Special Education
Division Name: Academic Affairs
College/Unit: College of Education
Department: Special Education
Campus Location: Normal, IL

Job Summary

The Department of Special Education invites applications for one tenure-track position beginning August 16, 2025. We are seeking qualified candidates in the field of early childhood multilingual special education who will help develop and offer programming in early childhood special education for teacher candidates. Candidates should be knowledgeable in culturally responsive early childhood and higher education teaching and in working with diverse student populations. Additionally, candidates should demonstrate an active research agenda that includes conducting research relevant to the candidate's field of expertise, publishing in relevant peer-reviewed journals, and/or presenting at professional conferences.

Responsibilities include scholarly research/publishing, effective undergraduate and graduate teaching, and service. The normal teaching load is nine credit hours per semester. The individual in this position is thus expected to teach 3 courses each semester in the Department of Special Education.

The position is a nine-month, tenure track appointment with the possibility of summer teaching. Salary and rank are commensurate with qualifications and experience. The locus of annual evaluation, tenure, and promotion in rank will be in the Department of Special Education. A comprehensive benefits package is included.

Additional Information

The Department of Special Education (SED) has built a strong reputation for scholarly work in the field of special education teacher preparation, with a strong orientation toward equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA). For more information about our program visit: https://education.illinoisstate.edu/academics/special-education/

As one of the largest producers of teachers in the nation, ISU is positioned at the crossroads of urban and rural communities with a need to produce teachers who can serve in a variety of settings. Our department views high quality teacher preparation as essential to meeting the diverse needs of children today. We are committed to preparing special educators for working with children who are multilingual learners with disabilities. In the state of Illinois, we are required to prepare all candidates to work with multilingual learners. We desire to strengthen our faculty expertise to meet recently established competencies for all teachers who serve multilingual children. To serve multilingual children with disabilities, our special education candidates must possess skills and knowledge to attend to unique ways in which language, culture, identity, and disability intersect and influence teaching and learning, especially in the early childhood years. Therefore, we desire to find faculty with expertise and a deep understanding of the issues faced by this population.

The Department of Special Education and the College of Education are committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community. ISU recognizes that a diverse faculty, staff, and student body enriches the educational experiences of the entire campus and greater community. Candidates who have experience working with a diverse range of faculty, staff, and students, and who can contribute to the climate of inclusivity are especially welcomed to apply. ISU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive academic environment. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

Illinois State University: IllinoisState.edu , was founded in 1857 as Illinois’ first public university. We enroll approximately 21,000 students in six colleges. Our new strategic plan, Excellence by Design: 2024-2029, includes our seven core values: Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship; Individualized Attention; Equity, Diversity, Access, and Belonging; Collaboration; Community and Civic Engagement; Respect; and Integrity. By acting on these values, we create a learning environment that results in our university being a first-choice public university in Illinois for high-achieving, motivated students who seek an individualized educational experience combined with the resources of a large university. Learn more about Illinois State’s Metrics of Excellence at IllinoisState.edu/PointsofPride .

Bloomington-Normal Community: Illinois State University is located in the growing twin cities of Bloomington and Normal, with a metro population of approximately 172,000. The community is also home to Illinois Wesleyan University, Heartland Community College, St. Joseph Medical Center, Carle BroMenn Medical Center, COUNTRY Financial, State Farm Insurance’s International Headquarters, Central Illinois Regional Airport, and electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Motors. The community has distinguished itself for its outstanding school systems, and its citizens’ high level of educational attainment, as well as its parks and recreation, health care, vibrant fine arts scene, job growth, economic opportunity, historic sites, and low crime rates. Bloomington made Livability’s top 100 Best Places to Live (2024) and ranked No. 3 on College Values Online’s list of Best Small College Towns in America (2024). Bloomington-Normal is conveniently located about three hours from Indianapolis; two hours from both Chicago and St. Louis; and an hour from Peoria, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, and Springfield. Many of these locations are accessible from Bloomington-Normal via Amtrak, which is located one block from Illinois State’s campus. For more information on our community, visit visitbn.org .

Salary Rate / Pay Rate

Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Required Qualifications

1) Hold a terminal degree in early childhood, early childhood special education, or related field (e.g., speech and language pathology, etc.); however, exceptional A.B.D. candidates will also be considered with an expected completion of their doctoral degree before May 15, 2026.
2) Have demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in their teaching, research, and service through: a) the ability to work with, and be sensitive to, the educational needs of children from a diverse population, including prior experience teaching and/or mentoring children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and underserved populations; b) intellectual contributions focused on the education of culturally and linguistically diverse and underserved populations; c) demonstrated commitment to collaborative work related to individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and underserved populations.
3) Have evidence of experience providing multilingual special education supports in early childhood settings, such as teaching, speech/language or communication supports, and/or language and literacy development.
4) Demonstrate expertise in developmentally appropriate practices for culturally and linguistically diverse learners in early childhood settings. This work should focus on learners with and without disabilities who are multilingual and/or learning a new language in early childhood.
5) Scholarship should demonstrate the unique ways in which language, culture, identity, and disability intersect and influence teaching and learning.
6) Candidates must be able to demonstrate oral proficiency in the English language as a requirement for this position, as mandated by state law.

Work Hours

Varies

Proposed Starting Date

8/16/2025

Required Applicant Documents

1) Letter of application
2) Teaching philosophy (including how equity, diversity, inclusion, & access (EDIA) informs this philosophy)
3) Statement of research agenda
4) Curriculum vitae
5) The names and contact details of 3 references

Please Note: These documents are required to be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Special Instructions for Applicants

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2024, and continue until the position is filled.

Contact Information for Applicants

Search Committee Co-Chairs: Dr. Sarah Ballard (slballa@ilstu.edu) or Dr. Kate Peeples (knpeepl@ilstu.edu).

Important Information for Applicants

This position is subject to a criminal background investigation and if applicable, an employment history review, based on University Policy 3.1.30 and any offer of employment is contingent upon you passing a satisfactory criminal background investigation and/or an employment history review. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

Illinois State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other state or federal law you may request an accommodation by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309) 438-3383. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will hold any confidential information you provide in confidence.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please call Human Resources at (309) 438-8311.