Assistant Professor of Education Policy and Equity - University of Oregon

Department: Education Studies
Rank: Assistant Professor
Annual Basis: 9 Month

Application Deadline

To be assured of consideration, complete applications should be received by October 15, 2024. Position open until filled.

Required Application Materials

Please upload the following documents into your online application (The application form has 6 different upload options, please only use the CV and cover letter uploads):

1) Cover letter (4 pp. max) expressing your interest and directly addressing your minimum and preferred qualifications relevant to the position including a description of:
• Your research, including your current and planned research activities and interests;
• How your research, teaching, and experiences contribute to equity in ways that disrupt or dismantle systems of oppression;
• Your teaching experience and interests, such as your philosophy of teaching, prior teaching and/or mentoring experience, and teaching interests at the undergraduate and graduate levels
• Why you are passionate about bringing your vision to the Department of Education Studies including the undergraduate Educational Foundations program and masters’ program in Education Policy and Leadership.
2) Curriculum Vitae

Note: The online application requires contact information for three references. Reference checks will be conducted for finalists.

Candidates currently completing your doctorate: You are welcome to apply. Please note that the doctoral degree must be completed by the September 16, 2025, start date.

Position Announcement

The Department of Education Studies (EDST) in the University of Oregon’s (UO) College of Education (COE) is seeking applications for a tenure-line faculty position in Education Policy and Equity at the assistant professor rank. This individual will contribute to curriculum development, instruction, and leadership that relates to developing and analyzing educational policy as it enables or restricts equity. In a state context with significant equity-oriented education policies in K-12 and higher education, and a rich history of Indigenous, Latinx, Black, Asian, LGBTQ+, and differently-abled educators, leaders, and activists advocating for education policies, we invite this scholar to expand our students’ fluency in how education policy plays a critical role in shaping equity, justice, antiracism, and/or tribal sovereignty in schools. Further, we welcome this scholar’s contributions to state, local, and national efforts to evaluate, create, alter, and/or implement education policy.

Candidates may have any focal area of policy expertise and we invite scholars whose work integrates multiple disciplinary perspectives in the conceptualization, evaluation, and/or implementation of education policies. Similarly, candidates may approach their policy research using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs. Possible examples include:
• Policy toward access and success of historically marginalized students in higher education.
• Teacher policy including the preparation, recruitment, development, and retention of Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and Asian teachers.
• Critical policy studies that look beyond access and seek transformation of existing institutions.
• Comparative education policy that decenters a U.S. perspective and instead takes a transnational approach to understanding education systems, structures, and policies.

This position’s primary instructional duties will be in two programs: (1) the Educational Foundations (EdF) undergraduate program, and (2) the Education Policy and Leadership (EPoL) Master of Science program. Also included are opportunities to work in UOTeach (MEd), Quantitative Research Methods in Education (PhD), Critical and Sociocultural Studies in Education (PhD), and other graduate programs at the university depending on the candidate’s experience, expertise, and interest.
Teaching loads are determined in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the COE professional responsibilities workload policy. The current policy states that the teaching load for tenure-track faculty in the UO COE is five courses per year, taught over three quarters. Faculty who apply for external grants teach four courses per year, taught over three quarters.

The position start date is September 16, 2025 to align with our academic year quarter system.

For questions about the position, contact the search chair, Dr. Ilana Umansky at ilanau@uoregon.edu.

Department or Program Summary

The COE at the UO is a community of leading researchers and practitioners dedicated to transformational scholarship, integrated teaching, and collaborative practice designed to enhance individual lives and systems within a culture that values diversity and promotes respect and inclusion. The COE is home to 3 academic departments, 14 academic degree programs, 14 research and outreach units, the HEDCO Clinic, and the HEDCO Institute. Our goal at the COE is to set our graduates on career-long paths to purposeful, reflective, creative, and meaningful careers. Addressing inequity and racial injustice is a thread that runs through our majors and programs while focusing on critical and effective systems and pedagogies.

The Department of Education Studies (EDST) in the COE is home to five-degree programs focused on general education: a BA/BS in Educational Foundations (EdF); the UOTeach master's degree leading to teaching licensure; the Education Policy and Leadership (EPoL) master’s degree program; the Ph.D. program in Critical and Sociocultural Studies in Education (CSSE); and the PhD program in Quantitative Research Methods in Education (QRME). EDST is also home to the Indigenous-led Sapsik'ʷałá teacher preparation program which operates as a Consortium with the nine federally recognized Tribal Nations in Oregon. The successful applicant will demonstrate a commitment to building and sustaining a multidisciplinary community and the capacity to contribute to EDST’s record of excellence in scholarship, teaching, service, and commitment to equity and inclusion.

The EdF program is one of the top 10 requested undergraduate majors at UO, supports diverse groups of undergraduate students, and centers on social justice in education. While the contributions of this new hire to EdF will depend on the scholar, possible courses might include a large survey course for all EdF students and an upper division course.

The new hire will also be a core faculty member for EDST’s EPoL program, which is entering its third year. The EPoL graduate program is the only education policy program in the state of Oregon and one of only a few on the West Coast. We look forward to working with our new colleague to identify both new and existing courses to teach within EPoL.

Minimum Requirements

• Doctoral degree by September 16, 2025, in Education, Public Policy, Economics, Sociology, Ethnic or Cultural Studies, or a related field
• Record or evidence of potential for strong scholarly productivity related to education policy and equity
• Demonstrated capacity or potential to conduct, administer, and sustain a rigorous program of research
• Record of teaching at K-12, undergraduate, and/or graduate levels

Preferred Qualifications

• Sustained scholarship on the topic of education policy as it expands or constricts specific forms of educational equity
• Strong methodological training and application
• Evidence of grant funding or strong potential for grant funding to support program of research
• Record of successfully partnering with education agencies (local, Tribal, state, or federal) and/or with historically marginalized communities or student populations
• Experience advising and mentoring students, including first-generation, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, Black, or other students of color
• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively and collegially in an interdisciplinary and ideologically diverse academic setting

About the University

The UO is located on Kalapuya Ilihi, the traditional Indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people (see more at: https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/about-DEI). Consistently listed as one of the best places to live in the U.S., Eugene, Oregon, has a metropolitan population of just under 400,000 and is lauded for its good schools, affordability, strong job market, thriving music and arts scenes, and access to the outdoors, including both beaches and snow-capped mountains.

The State of Oregon was founded using white supremacist logics, dispossession of Indigenous homelands, and violence against Black, Indigenous, and people of color. The University of Oregon, as a state institution situated on Kalapuya Ilihi, has inherited this legacy and benefits from it. EDST seeks to be a leader in being truthful about these histories and the contemporary forms of violence happening throughout society, including in schools. We seek to lead in curricular, pedagogical, research, and public scholarship innovations and interventions that redress inequitable, oppressive histories and provide generative futures for all students, families, and communities. We welcome you to submit an application so we may learn about your critical work and your vision for working at EDST in COE at UO.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit http://hr.uoregon.edu/careers/about-benefits.

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit https://hr.uoregon.edu/about-benefits.

The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.

In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://clery.uoregon.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report.