Patriann Smith

Patriann Smith is a Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of South Florida's College of Education. Her transdisciplinary research focuses on Black immigrant literacies, exploring how race, language, and immigration intersect in literacy practices. She critiques standardized English norms and advocates for raciosemiotic frameworks to achieve transraciolinguistic justice in education.

Education: PhD (2013), MA (2010), BSc (2005), and AA (2000) from University of South Florida and Andrews University.

Research Interests: Transraciolinguistic approaches, Black immigrant literacies, literacy assessment equity, and anti-racist pedagogy. Her work challenges linguistic hierarchies and emphasizes cultural hybridity in education.

Grants/Projects: Lead PI on $3.6M USAID-funded RISE Caribbean initiative for Caribbean educational research. Active in multiple NSF-funded projects on STEM education and cybersecurity.

Awards: 2021 Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award, 2022 Global Excellence Research Award.

Labs/Teams: Caribbean Educational Research Center (CERC), RISE Caribbean Cross-Cultural Mentorship Network.

Teaching: Courses include Assessment-Based Reading Instruction, Clinical Practicum in Reading, and Multilingual Literacy Pedagogy.