Cheryl Fields-Smith

Biography

Prior to earning her doctorate from Emory University in 2004, Dr. Fields-Smith served as an elementary school teacher in Bridgeport, Stamford, and Norwalk, Connecticut. During her tenure as a teacher she taught in two magnet schools, both of which employed the Bank Street Model, which emphasizes child-centered, hands-on, experiential learning through thematic, social studies-based integrated instruction.

Interests

  • Family engagement
  • Homeschooling among black families
  • Discipline disproportionality and teacher education

Education

  •  PhD in Urban Education, 2004
    Emory University
  •  Masters in Elementary Education, 1991
    University of Bridgeport
  •  BA in Economics, 1985
    Hampton Univeristy

Concentrations

Contact

 706-542-8005 (office)

Research Summary

Dr. Fields-Smith’s research interests center on Black families’ engagement in their children’s education. She is a pioneer in research on Black home education. From 2006-2008, Dr. Fields-Smith conducted a ground-breaking study on home education with 46 Black families with the support of a Spencer Foundation grant. From this study Dr. Fields-Smith has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, which among them include the first empirically-based publication to focus exclusively on Black homeschool families. She is the author of Exploring Single Black Mothers’ Resistance through Homeschooling and the co-editor of Homeschooling Black Children in the U.S.: Theory, Practice, and Popular Culture. Her research on homeschooling among Black families has been featured on PBS NewsHour , NBC, ABC, CBS, and the Atlantic among other media outlets.

Publications

Books

Exploring Single Black Mothers' Resistance through Homeschooling
  • Fields-Smith, C.
  • Palgrave MacMillan

Awards and Accolades

Carl Glickman Faculty Fellow Award

UGA - College of Education, 2014