Academic Program Director (HEO) - School of Education

Lehman College, City University of New York (CUNY) – School of Education (Bronx, New York City)

About the role

The Director of Clinical Practice and Partnerships provides strategic, administrative, and operational leadership for all clinically rich, school-based experiential learning across the School of Education. This role establishes, strengthens, and sustains partnerships with internal and external stakeholders—including faculty, staff, school leaders, cooperating teachers, school districts, and community and professional organizations—to ensure high-quality fieldwork, internships, and student teaching experiences that meet institutional, state, and accreditation requirements. The position includes student-facing responsibilities requiring direct interaction and meetings with students to provide guidance, coaching, and supervision. The Director also co-leads academic Program Coordinator meetings, participates in School of Education leadership committees, and partners with campus support offices to align professional development and career pathways with program goals. This position supervises and evaluates certification and clinical practice support staff to ensure efficient operations, regulatory compliance, and a high-quality educator preparation experience. This is an on-site position.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and administrative leadership for clinically rich, school-based experiential learning, including fieldwork, internships, and student teaching.
• Establish, strengthen, and maintain partnerships with faculty, staff, school leaders, cooperating teachers, school districts, and community organizations to support educator preparation.
• Oversee the coordination, implementation, and evaluation of field placements and student teaching experiences for undergraduate and graduate teacher preparation programs.
• Meet with and advise students to provide guidance, coaching, and supervision related to clinical practice and teacher preparation requirements.
• Conduct site visits to partner schools to support placements, monitor program quality, and maintain strong relationships with school partners.
• Address and resolve issues related to student teaching, internships, and field placements involving students, supervisors, and cooperating teachers.
• Oversee assessment and quality assurance processes, including the Lehman College Teacher Performance Portfolio and other state-required certification assessments.
• Collaborate with School of Education leadership, program coordinators, and campus offices to support professional development, career pathways, and educator preparation initiatives.
• Manage the Office of Clinical Practice and Partnerships operations, including budget oversight, database management, reporting, and accreditation support.
• Supervise and evaluate certification and clinical practice support staff to ensure efficient operations and compliance with New York State certification requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and eight years of related experience.
• More than six years of K-12 teaching experience.
• Experience in supervising and coaching K-12 classroom teachers.
• Teaching and/or administrative experience in a higher education setting.
• Evidence of excellent reading, writing, thinking, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting college access for all students.
• Experience in program development, coordination, management of budgets, and data analysis.
• Knowledge of learning management systems and instructional technology platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or terminal degree in education or a relevant field.
• Teaching experience in the New York City Public Schools.
• Proven ability to work in CUNYFirst, Brightspace, Reflectivity/Swivl, Watermark’s Taskstream, and/or Student Learning and Licensure Platforms.
• Demonstrated experience teaching undergraduate and graduate student teaching courses that included teacher preparation portfolio assessments.
• Leadership experience in overseeing sponsored teacher education preparation programs in higher education, including direct supervision of program staff.
• Experience developing and delivering professional development to K-12 teachers and higher education faculty members.
• Proven ability to apply a unified structural framework to manage, analyze, and interpret patterns and trends in teacher education data sets.
• Proven ability to conduct strategic outreach to school districts and K-12 partners.
• Demonstrated experience with higher education program accreditation.

Pay

$122,201 - $131,440, commensurate with education and experience.

Benefits

CUNY’s benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. Offerings include:

• A range of health plans.
• Competitive retirement and pension benefits, as well as savings plans.
• Tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study.
• Generous paid time off.
• Access to extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on CUNY campuses.
• Opportunity to participate in a diverse academic community in New York City.