Assistant Professor for the School of Education

Sonoma State University • Sonoma, CA

3d • $74,000 - $85,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Sonoma State University's School of Education (SOE) is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor to join their faculty starting August 2027. The SOE focuses on preparing students to be leaders and advocates for social justice, supporting diverse learners, and making a transformative impact in TK-12 schools and beyond. They emphasize a justice-centered stance, drawing on community cultural wealth and partnering with local schools to address educational challenges and inequities. The role involves teaching social science methods, educational foundations, and teacher education courses through a critical, justice-oriented, and Ethnic Studies framework. The professor will prepare teacher candidates in equity-centered, culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies, teach graduate courses in the M.A. in Education program, and contribute to interdisciplinary offerings. Faculty are expected to maintain an active research program, supervise teacher candidates in clinical practice, advise and mentor students, participate in service and shared governance, develop partnerships with local schools and organizations, and contribute to program development and assessment. The university is committed to the Teacher/Scholar model, supporting undergraduate research, and fostering student success through the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025. All faculty are required to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

Requirements

• Earned doctorate (Ph.D. or Ed.D) in education or closely related field, with expertise in social science education and/or educational foundations by time of appointment.
• Experience teaching, mentoring, advising, or otherwise working effectively with first-generation college students and/or students from historically underserved and marginalized communities.
• A minimum of three years of successful teaching experience in TK–12 public schools or an equivalent educational setting.
• A demonstrated commitment to advocacy, leadership, scholarship, teaching, and/or program development that advances educational equity and supports historically underserved or marginalized communities.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in bilingual/ multilingual/ plurilingual education, including experience teaching, supervising, coaching, or providing professional learning in bilingual or dual-language educational settings.
• Expertise in preparing teachers to serve multilingual learners and communities
• A current or previously held Multiple Subject (elementary) or Single Subject (secondary) Teaching Credential, or comparable teaching certification or authorization.
• Experience with teacher residency programs or other clinically rich, partnership-based approaches to teacher preparation.
• Bilingual or multilingual proficiency, particularly in languages represented in California’s TK–12 schools and communities.
• Experience teaching, advising, mentoring, or providing leadership at a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) or other institution serving a highly diverse student population.
• Teaching, scholarly, professional, and/or community-based expertise in critical and justice-oriented approaches to education, such as Ethnic Studies, critical race theory, queer theory and LGBTQ+ studies in education, culturally sustaining pedagogy, decolonial perspectives, or anti-racist and anti-bias education.
• Experience preparing educators to teach effectively and equitably in racially, culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse TK–12 schools and communities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, including the critical, ethical, and equitable use of AI in teaching, learning, and/or educator preparation.

Responsibilities

• Teach social science methods, educational foundations, and teacher education courses through a critical, justice-oriented, and Ethnic Studies framework.
• Prepare teacher candidates to develop equity-centered, culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies that draw upon the knowledge, histories, identities, and cultural wealth of the communities we serve.
• Teach graduate courses in the M.A. in Education program and contribute to interdisciplinary course offerings across credential and graduate programs.
• Maintain an active program of research, scholarship, and/or creative activity related to the candidate’s areas of expertise.
• Supervise and support teacher candidates in clinical practice, including candidates in traditional student teaching, teacher residency, and intern pathways in a variety of urban, suburban, and rural areas of Northern California.
• Advise and mentor credential and graduate students, including serving on and/or chairing graduate committees.
• Participate in service and shared governance within the School of Education, College, University, profession, and broader educational community.
• Develop and maintain collaborative partnerships with local schools, districts, county offices of education, and community organizations to support teacher preparation and educator development.
• Contribute to the development, coordination, assessment, and continuous improvement of Sonoma State’s teacher education programs, including accreditation and California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requirements.
• Contribute to recruitment, retention, and support of a diverse educator workforce, particularly educators prepared to serve the culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse communities of the North Bay and throughout California.
• Engage in service to the University, profession, and community, including advising students, participation in campus and system-wide communities, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, and participating in traditional academic functions.

Benefits

• Service credit depends upon academic preparation and professional experience.
• During the first two years of the probationary period the instructional assignment will be reduced by two courses per academic year for probationary faculty members, in order to assist in establishing their programs of research, scholarship, and/or creative activities, and carrying out other activities that would support them in meeting the requirements for retention, tenure, and promotion.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree