Hiawatha Smith

Hiawatha Smith

Hiawatha Smith, PhD, is honored to be a member of the Diversity Scholars Network at the University of Michigan, a 2022 NCTE Early Career Educator of Color award recipient, and an inaugural editorial board member of The Literacy and Urban Schools Journal. His membership and service include active participation within many state, national, and international organizations.

Dr. Smith has numerous presentations and publications across multiple areas of literacy (and teacher education), including pre-service teachers in practicum experiences, reading motivation, non-proficient readers, developmental word study instruction, and diverse perspectives in children’s and adolescent literature. His most recent publications include serving as the coauthor of the textbook Beyond the Basics: Children’s Literature for the Elementary Teacher and coauthoring a book chapter, “Preparing Teachers for Linguistically Diverse Classrooms.”

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He received his doctorate in educational studies with an emphasis on literacy education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.