Assistant Professor, Education Policy

Assistant Professor, Education Policy

College of Education, Michigan State University

Position Summary:

The Education Policy program within the Department of Educational Administration (education.msu.edu/ed-policy-phd) seeks one 9-month, tenure-track assistant professor who specializes in policy implementation. We are looking for a new colleague who shares our program’s commitment to contributing rigorous empirical research to local, state, national, and international policy conversations. In particular, we seek a colleague who will diversify our current faculty’s strengths and areas of research.

We seek applicants who utilize qualitative or mixed methodological approaches to address policy implementation questions. Applicants must have a strong record of scholarship and teaching that focuses on the policy process, policy implementation, and educational equity, and specialize in K-12 or higher education policy. Priority will be placed on applicants whose scholarship (1) addresses issues of equity and adequacy in implementation, (2) engages a range of policy stakeholders including policy makers, district/school/institutional leaders, and local, state, and national organizations focused on improving education, and (3) examines policies and practices that are critical to current and ongoing policy conversations.

This position will support our program’s goal to increase our focus on implementation. Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year we will be offering a new concentration in education science with a key component rooted in policy implementation. The new faculty member will participate in the development of a new IES-funded interdisciplinary doctoral training program in education policy implementation and efficacy and will mentor students from across the university who participate in the program.

The department is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with diversity, equity, and inclusion in education and demonstrated commitment to improving educational outcomes for all students.

Our nationally ranked program is home to 7 faculty members and approximately 30 doctoral students pursuing a wide range of questions related to education policy. The Education Policy faculty includes a number of prominent national and international leaders who are excited to support an early career colleague to be a highly successful policy scholar and teacher. The Education Policy program is housed in MSU’s acclaimed Department of Educational Administration, alongside programs in K-12 Educational Administration and Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education. Situated in an institution committed to access and outreach, Education Policy faculty and students are deeply committed to addressing local, state, national, and international educational policy. Building on our collective strengths, we seek to add a new and unique voice to our program.

This is an annual position with a desired start date of Aug. 15, 2021. 

Required Qualifications:

• Earned doctoral degree prior to start date and a record of accomplishments consistent with appointment as an assistant professor at a research-intensive institution.
• Doctorate in education policy, public policy, public administration, political science, sociology, implementation sciences, or other related field.
• Record of or potential for an outstanding scholarly publication record.
• Ability to mentor doctoral students in the area of implementation research, specifically in collaboration with external stakeholders.
• Strong methodological training in and ability to teach graduate level qualitative methods including at least one or more of: case studies, interviewing, or process tracing.
• Ability to teach graduate level courses in education policy, policy implementation, and policy evaluation.
• A research agenda that promotes equitable educational opportunities for all students, especially those historically marginalized by institutions of education and by policy.
• Collaboration skills and willingness to work on a new IES grant-funded doctoral training program in education science.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working with a range of education stakeholders on policy related issues.
• Strong methodological training in and ability to teach mixed methods including, but not limited to, survey development and analysis and mediation analyses.
• Record of or potential for grant supported research.
• Experience working with research-policy or research-practice partnerships.

About the MSU College of Education:

In the highly ranked College of Education, our community of scholars is committed to improving practice through the land-grant mission of Michigan State University. We conduct research that makes an impact on education, health, and well-being around the world. We welcome colleagues who demonstrate excellence and innovation in teaching, collaborate across fields of study, and strive to enact equity and inclusion in their work. Please see our website, education.msu.edu/jobs, for more information about working in the college and a full list of open positions.

Instructions to Applicants: Online application via careers.msu.edu is required, see posting #673144. Interested candidates should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, an empirical writing sample that is relevant to the position as outlined in the call, and names and contact information of three references.

We invite inquiries from potentially interested candidates to any of the search committee members:

• Rebecca Jacobsen, Co-chair (Associate Professor, Education Policy), rjacobs@msu.edu
• Katharine Strunk, Co-chair (Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Professor of Education Policy and, by courtesy, Economics), kstrunk@msu.edu
• Terah Venzant Chambers (Professor of Educational Administration and Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion), terah@msu.edu
• Scott Imberman (Professor of Economics and Education Policy), imberman@msu.edu
• Sarah Reckhow (Associate Professor of Political Science), reckhow@msu.edu
• Kris Renn (Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Learning and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for Student Success Research), renn@msu.edu
• Sandy Frost Waldron (PhD Student in Education Policy, waldro41@msu.edu
• John Yun (Associate Professor of Educational Administration), jyun@msu.edu

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2020 and will continue until the position is filled. Priority will be given to applications who submit complete applications by the start of our review period.

Department Web Address: education.msu.edu/ead

Michigan State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans, and persons with disabilities.

Land Acknowledgement

Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg–Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.