Goodnight Distinguished Professor

About the role

The Goodnight Distinguished Professor (DP) of Early Literacy at North Carolina Central University will join seven other distinguished professors to serve as a network of early literacy expertise to advance the UNC System’s literacy initiatives across 15 educator preparation programs through outreach and dissemination of best practice, serve on statewide literacy committees in an advisory capacity, enhance partnerships with school districts to foster collaboration between teacher education programs and current teachers, be assigned to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction to establish scalable programs for teacher candidates in evidence‑based literacy instruction aligned with the UNC System Literacy Framework and expand continuing support for teachers of reading, collaborate with literacy faculty in the Birth‑Kindergarten, Elementary, and Special Education programs, and contribute to the School of Education’s emphasis on equity, social justice, and belonging.

Responsibilities

• Join a network of seven distinguished professors providing early literacy expertise to advance the UNC System’s literacy initiatives across 15 educator preparation programs.
• Engage in outreach and dissemination of best practices in early literacy.
• Serve on statewide literacy committees in an advisory capacity to guide how UNC System institutions prepare well‑prepared teachers of reading.
• Enhance partnerships with school districts across North Carolina to foster collaboration between teacher education programs and current teachers in the field.
• Be assigned to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction to establish scalable programs that ensure teacher candidates are prepared in evidence‑based literacy practices aligned with the UNC System Literacy Framework.
• Expand continuing support for teachers of reading.
• Collaborate with literacy faculty in the Birth‑Kindergarten, Elementary, and Special Education programs at NCCU.
• Promote understanding of and respect for equity, social justice, and belonging among students and colleagues.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated proven track record of teaching evidence‑based early literacy practices (the “science of reading”) in a teacher education or P‑12 setting.
• Ability to articulate current reading research into effective classroom practice.
• Earned doctorate in Elementary Education, Reading/Literacy, Early Childhood, Special Education, or a closely related field from an accredited university.
• Ability to hold a faculty rank of tenured Full Professor.