Jess Smith, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of literacy education. Before coming to Bellarmine, Jess served as an affiliate clinical professor and writing coordinator at Baylor University, where she earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and teaching with a focus in literacy. A former secondary ELAR teacher, Dr. Smith researches reading and writing, particularly the ways that teachers, and sometimes their students, make decisions about which texts are taught in the secondary English language arts classroom. At Bellarmine, she teaches courses in teaching methods and qualitative research.