Ethnic Studies Education, Assistant Professor

Tenure Track Faculty Position
Assistant Professor in Ethnic Studies Education

Education Department

College of Education and Integrative Studies

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona invites applications for a tenure track faculty position in the Education Department.  Cal Poly Pomona is one of three polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system and among 12 such institutions nationwide. Since its founding in 1938, Cal Poly Pomona students participate in an integrative experiential learning education that is inclusive, relevant, and values diverse perspectives and experiences. With a variety of degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, and professional disciplines, the University is well known for its learn-by-doing approach and Teacher Scholar Model.

The University is noted for its scenic and historic 1,400-acre campus, which was once the winter ranch of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg. We acknowledge that Cal Poly Pomona resides on the territorial and homelands of the Tongva and Tataavium people who are the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar.  The University's nearly 30,000 students are taught and mentored by the campus' more than 1,400 faculty as part of 54 baccalaureate and 29 master's degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in educational leadership.

Highly regarded among its peer institutions, Cal Poly Pomona is No. 2  in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of top public regional universities in the west and was named the No. 28 best value college in the nation by Money Magazine. Cal Poly Pomona, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, stands as a national leader in promoting social mobility, and was placed among the 25 top institutions in the country in awarding bachelor's degrees to minoritized students by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 

The Cal Poly Pomona campus is located less than 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It is within an hour's drive of beaches, mountains, and deserts. For additional information about the university, please visit www.cpp.edu, and for more about faculty life, please see YourLife@CPP.

Student Population.  California residents comprise the majority (96%) of applicants to undergraduate programs at Cal Poly Pomona - nearly half (49%) of new students were transfers in Fall 2020.  58% of Cal Poly Pomona students are first generation, 70% receive financial aid, and 44% qualify as Pell-eligible.  The university enrolls a diverse student body that identifies as 49% Latinx, 21% Asian, 15% White, 3% Black, 5% International 3% two or more races, 3% unknown and less than 1% Native Hawaiian or Native Pacific Islander and less than 1% Native American Indigenous. Thirty-nine percent of the student body were STEM majors with the top enrolled programs including psychology, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, biology and computer science.

Inclusive Excellence Criteria.  We aspire to be the model inclusive polytechnic university in the nation. We have a strong commitment to inclusive excellence and to educational experiences that leverage the diverse perspectives and experiences needed to succeed and thrive in a diverse society.

Tenure track faculty hires will demonstrate a commitment and record of contributions through their teaching, scholarship, or service to these inclusive excellence criteria (a minimum of two must be addressed in the Student Success Statement):

1. Incorporates the contributions and struggles of historic ethnic minority groups or other disadvantaged communities into their teaching, scholarly work, and/or service contributions; 
2. Adopts teaching strategies that support the learning and success of students from diverse student populations; 
3. Mentors and engages diverse student populations in discovery, scholarship, and creative activities; 
4. Engages students in problem-based projects and learning that address the needs of diverse communities; 
5. Possesses knowledge of challenges and barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline and uses it to inform their work in specific ways; 
6. Mentors and assists diverse student populations interested in pursuing graduate education; 
7. Engages in community-responsive action research or service with diverse student populations and communities;
8. Has experience with or demonstrates a commitment to adopting experiential learning activities and pedagogy with diverse student populations and communities; and 
9. Has expertise in or demonstrated commitment to teaching, scholarship and/or service that contributes to access, diversity, and equal opportunity in higher education. 

The College of Education and Integrative Studies (CEIS) is a learning community focused on meeting the present and future needs of students in its communities. The College educates students to become highly qualified and significant leaders in society. It is committed to the principles of diversity, ethics and social justice, with the goal of challenging interlocking forms of oppression through intersectional anti-racist education and practices. Central to the college's mission is innovation and integrative thinking, reflective practice, collaborative action, and learning by doing. The college's four departments include two undergraduate degrees and academic programs-Liberal Studies and Early Childhood Studies-and two graduate departments-Education and Educational Leadership. There are a total of 1,362 students enrolled and 40 faculty within the college.

The Education Department: The Education Department's mission is to empower transformative educators who advocate for justice and equity for all learners. We value equity, racial, and social justice; academic excellence; student success; experiential learning; inclusiveness; and social and environmental responsibility. The department offers credential programs in Education Specialist, Multiple Subject, and Single Subject. It offers added authorizations in Bilingual Education (Spanish and Mandarin), Adapted Physical Education, and Agricultural Specialist. In addition, the department offers a Master of Arts in Education with options in Education Specialist, Curriculum and Instruction, and Administrative Services. We have 11 full-time faculty.

Position description: The Education Department seeks a scholar-practitioner with expertise in Ethnic Studies Education. A successful applicant will demonstrate a commitment to preparing teacher credential and graduate level students at one of the most diverse universities in the West. The ideal candidate will possess (a) interdisciplinary expertise in Ethnic Studies Education, (b) a critical research agenda focused on racialized communities, (c) a robust knowledge of critical and/or community-engaged research methodologies, and (d) a research agenda directly focused on PK-12 Ethnic Studies education. We are particularly interested in hiring a colleague whose scholarship engages race as a power structure, racialization, histories of oppression/resistance in educational contexts, critiques of racial capitalism, and/or youth participation in social and political movements, past or present. Individuals who have expertise in Ethnic Studies curricular design, critical race theory, decolonial pedagogy, anti-racist pedagogy, and/or related asset-based frameworks are encouraged to apply. We value colleagues with diverse backgrounds, including ethnicities, disabilities, and gender identities.

Our future colleague will be a leader in Ethnic Studies education through teaching, scholarship, and service. Responsibilities will include teaching credential courses, supervising teacher candidates in the field, advising credential, MA, and EdD candidates, and maintaining an active research agenda. Additionally, the individual will collaborate with colleagues across the department, college, university, community, and profession to strengthen our campus' response to California Assembly Bill 101 - a bill requiring every public high school student to take an Ethnic Studies course. The ideal candidate will play a central role in developing and maintaining partnerships with local school districts and community organizations in response to this mandate.

Applicants must demonstrate commitment to serving a highly diverse student body, reflecting the Cal Poly Pomona service area and the educational equity goals of the University, department, and programs. The Cal Poly Pomona campus, designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution, is recognized nationally for quality, affordability, and helping diverse students achieve economic success.

The new hire will be a part of the Interdisciplinary Ethnic Studies Faculty and will have the opportunity to engage with the Office of Interdisciplinary Ethnic Studies and the faculty affiliated with it. This is a space for collaboration across disciplines and methodological vantage points, mentorship, and professional development programming. The faculty hired as a part of the Ethnic Studies Cluster hiring intiative, and the resources to support them, are a key element of CPP's ongoing efforts to ensure the flourishing of our diverse students and faculty and be the leading inclusive polytechnic university in the nation.

Minimum requirements include: 

• An earned doctorate in Education, Educational Leadership, Ethnic Studies, Cultural Studies, Chicanx/Latinx Studies, African American Studies, Native American Studies, Asian American/Pacific Islander Studies or related fields. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position (August 2024).
• Evidence of at least one academic year of full-time PK-12 teaching experience as the teacher of record.
• Experience using culturally responsive/sustaining, anti-racist practices in work with diverse communities. Demonstrated commitment to providing educational equity, inclusivity, and access to all culturally and linguistically diverse learners should be provided in a Student Success Statement that responds to the prompt above - "Inclusive Excellence and Student Success." 
• Ability/Willingness to design and teach, credential and master's courses related to Ethnic Studies Education to support the implementation of California Assembly Bill 101.
• Demonstrated record of conducting, publishing, and/or presenting research and/or creative activity to academic and nonacademic audiences. Evidence of emerging professional and scholarly agenda focused on PK-12 Ethnic Studies Education, that aligns with the Department's and College's commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice. Possible areas of specialization - with an educational focus - include: Indigenous Studies; Black/African American Studies; Chicanx/Latinx Studies; Asian American/Pacific Islander Studies; Settler-colonialism Studies; Decolonial Studies; Feminist Studies; Youth and student movements; or History, with a specialization in one of the fields listed above.
• Demonstrated record of building and sustaining community engagement through collaborative partnerships with local school districts and community-based organizations; evidence of sustained, productive professional collaboration.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications: 

• Teaching credential, with at least three years of public-school teaching as the teacher of record.
• Experience with PK-12 bilingual education and/or PK-12 multilingual communities.
• Knowledge of the California state standards, the California Teacher Performance Expectations, Teacher Performance Assessment and/or alternative standards in teaching, learning, and assessment of students and teacher candidates.
• Ability to teach courses in some of following areas: Educational foundations for diverse communities; Design of culturally sustaining classroom communities for secondary students; Bilingual methods; Graduate studies in diversity and leadership in multicultural communities; Digital technology innovations in education; Teacher Performance Assessment;  Early Childhood; and/or across multiple subject and single subject credential areas; and advising/ supervising credential, master's, and/or doctoral candidates.
• Evidence of successful online teaching experience and the use of digital technologies to support teaching and learning.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence and diversity in higher education.
• Evidence of scholarly research and publication within the last three years, along a focused line of inquiry in the field of education that is appropriate to the candidate's level of experience.
• Active participation in professional associations and networks related to area of expertise.
• Experience writing, and obtaining, grants that promote equity, inclusion, and social justice for minoritized communities.

Conditions of Employment:

The person offered this position is required to pass a background check.

Application Process:

A completed application will consist of:

• A Cover letter in which you describe your interest in the position, your teaching and research experience and interests, and the duties and qualifications articulated in the minimum and preferred qualifications.
• A Curriculum Vitae that includes at least those elements specified in the position description.
• A Student Success Statement (up to 2 pages, single-spaced) that responds to the prompt above - "Inclusive Excellence and Student Success" and addresses at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria listed (please indicate the criteria numbers in your Statement). 
• Links of publications in cover letter, or copies of recent scholarly publications or other professional writing.
• At least three recent letters of reference (within the past tw...