Dr. Kimberly Smith-Burton

Dr. Kimberly Smith-Burton is a tenured Professor of Mathematics Education in the College of Education at Fayetteville State University. She served as the former Interim Associate Dean for the College of Education and Department Chair in the Department of Middle Grades, Secondary & Specialized Subjects. Currently, she serves as the Project Director and Principle Investigator of the HBCU Master’s STEM Program a U.S. Department of Education grant and Mathematics/Science Education Coordinator for the Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle Grades, Reading and Special Education.

She has a long history with P-16 education which dates back to her days as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at North Carolina Central University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics Teaching. She received a Master of Arts in Mathematics Teaching from Fayetteville State University, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from North Carolina State University.

She served as the Director of the Mathematics/Science Education Center here at Fayetteville State University. Prior to becoming the Director of the Math/Science Education Center, she served as the Interim Department Chair of Middle Grades, Secondary and Special Education, the Middle Grades/Secondary Education Coordinator, Mathematics Education Coordinator and Associate Regional Director for the Coastal Rural Systemic Initiative (National Science Foundation Grant). Also, she served as the PRAXIS Coordinator and Title III Activity Director for the School of Education. Her most distinguished accomplishment during her higher education career is being a two-time recipient of the Fayetteville State University Teacher of the Year Award (2006-2007) and (2020-2021) and most recently being selected as a 2022 Recipient of the UNC Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has received funding for several grants such as the NC QUEST grant, NC Biotechnology Workshop grant, United Way grant, NSF HBCU-UP grant, and NSF Noyce Scholarship Grant. Her research areas of emphasis include test preparation, modeling for pre-service teachers using academic language and mathematical discourse, in-service STEM teacher professional development, using standards-based and practice-based teaching strategies to teach mathematics, and increasing achievement in a middle/high school by changing the culture and environment.