Candace Smith, Ed.D.
Title: Assistant Professor
Office Location: G243
Office Hours: Fall: Tuesdays, 9:30am - 11:30am; Thursdays (virtually), 4:30pm - 5:00pm
Phone: 708-534-8451 ext. 8451
College: College of Education and Human Development
Department(s):
Education
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Teaching and Learning; Lewis University, 2018
M.A. in Educational Administration; Lewis University, 2011
B.S. in Elementary Education; Governors State University
Biography
Candace M. Smith, Ed.D., is an Assistant Professor of Education in the College of Education and Human Development at Governors State University. A former elementary teacher, assistant principal, and K–8 principal, Dr. Smith brings more than two decades of PK–12 education experience to her work in teacher education and higher education.
Dr. Smith's teaching and scholarship center on the human side of education, with particular attention to agency, belonging, and connection. Her research examines teacher professional trust and autonomy, the ways educators navigate cultures of compliance, and how teacher preparation can better honor educators' knowledge, voice, identity, and lived experiences.
Her current scholarship extends this work into culturally responsive teacher education, early childhood and elementary teacher preparation, experiential learning, educator wellness, and the development of learning environments grounded in relationships and care. Across these areas, her work asks how educational systems can create conditions in which educators and learners are not simply compliant participants, but connected, valued, and empowered members of their communities.
Dr. Smith is also a producer and co-host of the Second Look Education podcast, which brings practitioner and scholarly perspectives together to examine the questions, tensions, and possibilities shaping education.
Publications
Selected Publications
Book Chapters:
Smith, C. (2026). Silent solidarity in STEM education: Collective support networks in constrained, technology-rich elementary school systems. In M. T. Hebebci (Ed.), Current academic studies in technology and education 2026 (Chapter 1). ARSTE-ISRES.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:
Smith, C. (2025). Professional trust and teacher autonomy in post-pandemic elementary education. EduTech Research. https://doi.org/10.69991/0.2025.3
Smith, C. (2026). Beyond compliance: Reimagining professional development and leadership pathways for elementary teachers. International Journal on Studies in Education. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonse.6502
Dignam, C., Kelly, A. L., & Smith, C. M. (2026). Coaching the coach: A digital autoethnography of generative AI in teacher and leadership preparation. International Journal of Technology in Education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.6504
Dignam, C., Smith, C. M., & Kelly, A. L. (2025). The heart and art of robotics: From AI to artificial emotional intelligence in STEM education. Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health, 11(2), 151-169. https://doi.org/10.55549/jeseh.813
Conrad, D. L., Smith, C., & Howell, G. L. (2025). Mock job fair: A win-win partnership for districts and pre-service educators. Journal of Education Human Resources. Advance online publication. https://utpublishing.com/doi/10.3138/jehr-2023-0055
Scholarship
Dr. Smith's recent scholarship explores agency, belonging, and connection in education, particularly how educational systems and institutional cultures shape the experiences of teachers, teacher candidates, and learners.
Agency: Voice, Trust, and Professional Autonomy
Her mixed-methods research on post-pandemic teacher empowerment examined professional trust, teacher autonomy, leadership development, and collective support networks among K–5 educators. This work has resulted in scholarship examining teacher autonomy, professional development and leadership pathways, and collective support within constrained, technology-rich educational environments.
Belonging: Identity, Culture, and Responsive Practice
Dr. Smith's scholarship examines the conditions that allow educators and learners to feel recognized, valued, and connected to the communities in which they learn and work. Her work in culturally responsive and culturally sustaining education considers how teacher preparation can support educators in understanding identity, culture, and community as central components of teaching and learning.
Connection: Relationships, Community, and Teacher Preparation
A third strand of her work focuses on relationships and connection as foundational to teacher preparation and educational practice. Her scholarship and collaborative work explore early childhood teacher preparation, experiential learning, arts integration, STEAM education, and partnerships connecting teacher candidates with schools and communities.
Across these areas, Dr. Smith is particularly interested in moving beyond compliance-oriented approaches to education and toward environments that cultivate agency, belonging, and meaningful connection.