Liza Xet Smith is the Founder, Lead Researcher and Consultant at Corazón Education, a research and consulting firm specializing in using research to inform policy and practice. They answer the questions: Best practices for whom? How do we know? How can this inform?
Liza enrolled in LMU's Ed.D. Program because of its proven achievement in educational justice, rigor, and its commitment to the education community. As an LMU alumni, she knew it would provide access to a large academic space with a small community feel. In addition, she knew the focus on Educational Leadership for Social Justice would mean that her experience would be enriched by practitioners from different walks of life.
Liza’s dissertation, “Indigenous Practices in Head Start Classrooms--Toward an Indigenous Teacher Standpoint Theory,” chaired by Yvette Lapayese, Ph.D., followed Indigenous teachers and documented their lived experiences in a Southern California Head Start agency. Findings filled the research gap of Indigenous research and ways of knowing in early childhood education.
For Liza, the community and practitioner relationships that she formed are among the best aspects of the Ed.D. Program. Faculty elevate the rigor and consider viewpoints, classmates share insight and knowledge from their lived experience, and the LMU campus and community are welcoming and well-resourced. All of this combined allows the work to reach deeper and aids in finding answers to the complex problems in education today.