Professor, SPED Clinical Experience Design

Title: Professor, SPED Clinical Experience Design

Type: Full-time

Team: Teacher Preparation 

Start Date: August 11, 2025

Priority Application Review Deadline: June, 16th 2025

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 outstanding educators, in order to build a more just world where every student has a clear path to a fulfilling life.

The Teacher Preparation Instructional Team at Relay Graduate School of Education is dedicated to fostering pedagogical excellence and providing comprehensive student support for both pre-service and in-service teachers. The division oversees academic programs, faculty, and student support across all licensure- and degree-granting components. 

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, SPED Clinical Experience, the Professor, SPED Clinical Experience Design, holds a crucial role in advancing special education teacher preparation. This position focuses on the design, implementation, and iteration of innovative graduate-level special education curriculum informed by practical expertise and the science of adult learning. We seek a special education content expert with demonstrated proficiency in designing engaging learning experiences and coaching educators. Experience in areas such as early childhood special education, math intervention, social-emotional intervention, and/or science of reading-based literacy intervention is valued. Essential qualifications include the ability to design clinical experiences aligning with foundational pedagogy, strong project management expertise, exceptional facilitation skills, and organizational capability.

Role’s Contributions (Duties and Responsibilities): 

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

Curriculum Design Leadership (45%): 

• Lead the design and development of curriculum for all Special Education courses, specifically integrating clinical experiences, foundational education concepts, and SPED-specific content.
• Collaborate effectively with other curriculum design professors to ensure cohesive and aligned program offerings.
• Develop and implement training initiatives to educate faculty on the effective use of centralized curricula.
• Ensure all designed curricula incorporate current research, best practices in special education, and align with evolving state standards and accreditation requirements.
• Integrate strategies for developing engaging and effective asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences into the curriculum design.
• Continuously evaluate and refine curriculum based on data, including student performance and feedback, to drive ongoing improvement.

Teaching Responsibilities (45%):

• Teach multiple engaging and effective graduate-level courses (~3-9 credits/term) to cohorts of ~50 students.
• Adapt to varying teaching schedules, including evening classes (Tuesdays/Thursdays 5:30-8:00 CT or Wednesdays 5:30-8:00 CT) and occasional Saturdays.
• Model the knowledge, skills, and mindsets of a culturally responsive educator within teaching and student support activities.
• Hold regular office hours to provide individualized student support.
• Engage in peer observation and providing/receiving constructive feedback for continuous instructional improvement.
• Provide guidance, resources, and feedback to facilitate student and course learning goals

Management (5%): 

• Lead and manage assigned part-time design consultants, including setting priorities, assigning tasks, and providing regular coaching and feedback.
• Conduct performance reviews and support consultants’ professional growth
• Ensure timely, high-quality project completion by aligning consultant strengths with project needs and capacity.

Institutional Service (5%)

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

QUALIFICATIONS

First and foremost, the Professor, SPED Clinical Experience Design 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 serv