Phillip A. Smith

Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy

113 West 60th Street
Room 1119C
212-636-6449
[email protected]
 
Virtual office hours: Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m.; Fridays, 1-3 p.m.

 

Phillip A. Smith is an assistant professor in the Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy (ELAP) Division of Fordham Graduate School of Education (GSE). Smith joins Fordham from Teachers College at Columbia University, where he completed his Ph.D. in educational leadership and a postdoctoral fellowship. A seasoned educational leader and professor at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, he has also served as a contributory member of instructional teams on doctoral-level courses.

Smith’s research includes examining how the racial identities and lived experiences of Black male K-12 public and independent school leaders informed their professional lives and leadership. The research builds theory and formulates a new and comprehensive definition and typology of Black male school leadership. His dissertation, entitled “Leading While Black and Male: A Phenomenology of Black Male School Leaders,” was awarded the Division A (administration, organization & leadership) Outstanding Dissertation Award, and the Division G (social context of education) Distinguished Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Smith will be creating a framework and model for mentoring grounded in a Black leadership epistemology, aimed at supporting Black men in educational leadership. His other research interests include exploring the intersection of race and gender in educational leadership to improve diversity and representation across the leadership workforce. 

  • Ph.D., Education Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University

    M.A., Policy Studies in Education (with distinction), University College London Institute of Education

    M. Phil., Educational Leadership, Columbia University

    M.B.A., Public Services (with distinction), Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

    • Black educational leadership
    • Black men and the principalship
    • African-centered school leadership
    • Education leadership and policy studies
    • Culturally sensitive and humanizing research approaches
    • Critical Race Theory (CRT)
    • Cultural proficiency and leadership

  • Journal Articles

    Smith, P.A. (2022). Celebrating Black History Month in the U.K. RCL London Bridge, 3, 8-10.

    Smith, P.A. (2021). Black male school leaders: Protectors and defenders of children, community, culture, and village. Journal of School Leadership, 31(1-2), 29-49. DOI: 10.1177/1052684621993051

    Horsford, S.D., Alemán, E.A., & Smith, P. A. (2019). Our separate struggles are really one: Building political race coalitions for educational justice and community power. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 18(2), 226-236. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2019.1611868

    Smith, P. A. (2016). Does racism exist in the hiring and promotion of K-12 school administrators? Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals, 4(1), 122-136.

    Smith, P. A. (2016). Color-conscious paradigms of adult and educational leadership development through culturally relevant mentoring: Africentricity and critical spirituality explored. Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2016/papers/38/

    Smith, P. A., Francis, D.G., & Harper, A. (2015). Reframing transformational leadership for education and nation building in the Caribbean. Caribbean Educational Research Journal, 3(2), 76-89. 

    Book Chapters

    Smith, P.A. (2022). Motivation, Faith, Belief and Spiritual Values: Spirituality in Leadership. In B. Kara and H. Wilson (Eds.). Diverse Educators: The Manifesto. London: The University of Buckingham Press, pp.323-327.

    Smith, P.A. (2022). Black, Male and Successful: Voices from Male African Caribbean Educational Leaders in London Secondary Schools. In Hucks, D., Sealey-Ruiz, Y., Showunmi, V., Carothers, S.C., & Lewis, C.W. (Eds.). Purposeful Teaching and Learning in Diverse Contexts: Implications for Access, Equity and Achievement. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, pp. 437-444.

    Horsford, S. D., James-Gallaway, A., & Smith, P. A. (2021). Leading while Black: The paradox and prospects of Black education leadership in urban schools. In Milner IV, H.R., & Lomotey, K. (Eds.), Handbook of Urban Education (Vol. 2), New York, NY: Routledge. pp.167-177.

    Horsford, S.D., Smith, P.A., & Clark, C. (2021). Inclusive Leadership and Race. In Theoharis, G., & Scanlan, M. (Eds.), Leadership for Increasingly Diverse Schools (2nd Edition), New York, NY: Routledge.pp.81-108. 

    Holly, V., Smith, P. A., MacDonald, A., & Millin, A. (2019). Using cross-national education study tours to enhance global competent leadership: Re-framing study tours of urban schools. In Robinson, P.A., Allen-Handy, A., Bryant, A., & Lewis, C. W. (Eds.), Global perspectives of issues and urban and solutions in urban education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. pp. 91-108.

    Published Reports

    Horsford, S. D., Cabral, L., Touloukian, C., Parks, S., Smith, P. A., McGhee, C., Qadir, F., Lester, D., & Jacobs, J. (2021). Black education in the wake of COVID-19 and systemic racism: Toward a theory of change and action. Black Education Research Collective. Teachers College, Columbia University. https://www.tc.columbia.edu/black-education-research-collective/research/

    Gassaway, B., Dunkley, K., Smith, P.A., Bryant, D., Lesane, H., Darrisaw-Akil, M., & Yearwood, T.L. (2021). Blueprint for Excellence and Equity in the Education of Black Children and Youths. Blueprint 2020 Coalition.

  • ASGE 6150, Partnering with Families and Communities

    ASGE 7428, Seminar in Leadership

    UEGE 6241, Urban Education: Problems and Perspectives

    UEGE 6243, Impact of Prejudice on Minority Groups in America