Stony Brook University has named Sarah Jourdain as the inaugural executive director of teacher education. This new position is intended to enhance and expand the university’s teacher preparation programs.
Jourdain will oversee teacher education initiatives in areas such as world languages, bilingual and teaching English to speakers of other languages, English, mathematics, science, and social studies. She will continue her role as director of teacher education for world languages, a post she has held for over twenty years.
Her appointment is expected to connect the School of Professional Development with the College of Arts and Sciences more closely. Stony Brook offers several degree paths for students aiming to become certified middle and high school teachers. These include discipline-specific bachelor’s degrees with a teacher education option, combined BA/MAT or BS/MAT programs, and a Master of Arts in Teaching for those who already have an undergraduate degree.
Currently, more than 400 students are enrolled in Stony Brook’s teacher preparation programs. Jourdain’s leadership is anticipated to support the development of educators equipped with strong subject knowledge and effective teaching skills to address the needs of New York State schools.
“Sarah combines an incredibly deep understanding of our discipline-specific teacher education pathways with contextual knowledge of the programmatic resources we need to marshal to ensure we create the conditions that facilitate our students’ success,” said Peter Diplock, vice provost of continuing, professional and online education.
Jourdain is an associate professor of French and pedagogy. She recently chaired the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, managing programs in French, Italian, and other world languages. She has also been active on Stony Brook’s Distributed Teacher and Leader Education steering committee.
“I am very pleased to accept this new role. One of my key tasks will be increasing the visibility of our excellent teacher education programs and getting the word out that Stony Brook is a premier destination for high-quality teacher preparation. I’ll also be working on developing new programs, both on campus and online, to meet the changing needs of the teaching profession,” said Jourdain.
Throughout her career, Jourdain has received several honors for her teaching excellence. These include the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2021 and France’s ‘Palmes Académiques’ in 2010 for contributions to French language instruction. She has published extensively, authored a first-year French textbook, and secured grants such as federal StarTalk awards supporting language programs in Turkish, Persian, and Arabic.
Jourdain holds advanced degrees from Indiana University in French linguistics and second language acquisition. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Teaching French and German with highest honors. She is a Fulbright recipient and certified by New York State to teach high school French and German.
“I look forward to partnering with my colleagues to strengthen the teacher education experiences of our students,” Jourdain added.
