Search Postings

Title: Assistant/Associate Professor of English Education
Division Name: Academic Affairs
College/Unit: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: English
Campus Location: Normal, IL

Job Summary

At Illinois State University’s Department of English, we are committed to supporting English language arts (ELA) teachers’ ongoing professional learning as they seek to enact more equitable and inclusive instruction in their current and future classrooms. We seek to foster and promote our teacher candidates’ (undergraduates and post-baccalaureate students studying to become state-certified teachers) abilities to contribute to educational change by honing their skill as critically self-reflexive, innovative, and collaborative learners and teachers.

We invite applications for a full-time, 9-month tenure-track position as Assistant or Associate Professor, beginning August 16, 2025, in the role of Director of English Education.

Tenure-track faculty in our department engage in the intertwined academic activities of research, teaching, and service, working toward the department’s criteria for tenure and promotion, with a course reduction for director responsibilities.

This position will involve the following primary responsibilities:

Research
• Establish and maintain an active research agenda in equity-oriented English education, broadly construed, that will allow for peer-reviewed publication.

Directing
• Ensure that the English Education’s undergraduate program commitment to socially just ELA instruction is modeled and supported in all aspects of the program.
• Monitor student proficiencies and progress across the program.
• Develop student leadership through program initiatives.
• Mentor and supervise English Education staff, including a full-time Coordinator of Clinical Experiences as well as a full-time English Education Advisor and Clinical Instructor.
• Liaise on behalf of the program with department leadership, other university teacher education programs and leadership, and alumni and community partners to advance program collaboration and mission.

Teaching
• Teach equity-oriented English education courses (which may include introductory, methods, elective, or student teaching seminar coursework), with opportunity to teach in the graduate English education program.
• Collaborate with other program faculty and staff to present and assess course- and fieldwork in a coherent manner.

Service
• Actively engage in service related to directing (e.g., lead the department English Education Committee, serve on the Undergraduate Committee) aligned with the program and department work and mission and that contribute to the department’s reputation as a leading destination for English teacher education scholarship, teaching, and collaboration.

Additional Information

English Teacher Education Programs: Our English education program is a vibrant, inclusive learning and teaching community that seeks to honor and nurture diverse perspectives and lived experiences. We include three tenure-track and one full-time non-tenure track English education faculty as well as two full-time staff members: a clinical coordinator and a dedicated undergraduate program advisor. On average each semester, there are between 160-175 secondary undergraduate teacher candidates journeying through our teacher preparation program, which leads to initial certification. We are committed to recruiting, mentoring, and supporting an increasingly diverse future teaching population. Teacher candidates benefit from a robust set of student leadership opportunities and programs, including an advisory council, a self-funded statewide grant initiative for secondary ELA teachers who wish to include diverse texts in their curricula, and an annual local NCTE African American Read-In partnership with area schools. We offer an accelerated pathway into our master’s degree program for undergraduate program students. For practicing teachers, we offer a graduate master’s degree (MS and MA) program that includes innovative synchronous learning opportunities as well as an in-person summer retreat. The graduate program culminates in a teacher action research thesis project. The accelerated and graduate programs are coordinated by program faculty, not the Director of English Education, but the director will have opportunity to teach within both programs. Both undergraduate and graduate programs’ joint focus on socially just ELA teaching and learning benefit from collaboration among program faculty and staff who share curricular revision and program decision-making. Alums and program students teach in secondary schools throughout the state of Illinois and beyond, and ongoing relationships with them provide a rich network of sustained partnerships for research and field experiences in urban, suburban, and rural school contexts as well as for regular joint presentations at state and national conferences.

Department of English: Our department emphasizes an English Studies model in its undergraduate, MA, and PhD programs and includes scholars in the fields of Children’s Literature, Composition, Creative Writing, English Education, Linguistics, Literary and Cultural Studies, Publishing Studies, Rhetoric, TESOL, and Technical Communication. Our department faculty and graduate students are a community of diverse scholars who value pedagogy and collaborative, interdisciplinary work. For additional information about the Department of English, please visit our website at: http://english.illinoisstate.edu/.

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, lists 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 the 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 truck 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

• Doctorate in English Education, literacy, or closely related field in hand before August 15, 2025.
• Active research agenda in an area relevant to English education.
• Commitment to and documented experience enacting and reflecting on equitable, just, and/or inclusive English Language Arts instruction.
• A minimum of three years of documented effective experience teaching English in diverse middle and/or high school (grades 6-12) settings in the United States.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, including equitably leading and mentoring students and colleagues while calling people into program policy and vision.
• State law mandates demonstrable oral proficiency in the English language as a requirement for this position.

Preferred Qualifications

The following will be viewed as valuable assets:
1. A record of leadership experience in teacher education program design, development, and/or coordination.
2. A strong record of experience teaching undergraduate English education courses or supporting teacher candidate field-based teaching and learning.
3. Educational background, pedagogical experience, and/or scholarship helping students across identities reach their maximum potential and/or preparing teachers who are committed to culturally sustaining, humanizing pedagogies.

Work Hours

Varies

Proposed Starting Date

08/16/2025

Required Applicant Documents

1. Cover letter that speaks specifically to the position’s required qualifications
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Contact information for three references

Shortlisted candidates will be asked for additional materials, which may include a leadership statement, written sample of scholarly work (no more than 20 pages), and a small (no more than 15 page) teaching portfolio, including a teaching statement reflecting philosophies/orientations.

References will be contacted, as needed, later in the search process. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.

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, and continue until the position is filled.

Contact Information for Applicants

Questions can be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Danielle Lillge at dmlillg@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.