Amy L. Kelly, Ed.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Office Location: G209
Office Hours: Email for appointment
Phone: 708-235-2118 ext. 2118
College: College of Education and Human Development
Department(s):
Expertise
Education
Ed.D., Educational Leadership for Teaching and Learning; Lewis University, Romeoville, IL, 2017
M.A., Educational Administration; Governors State University, University Park, IL, 2009
B.S., Special Education with dual certification in Elementary Education and minor in English, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, 2005
English as a Second Language Endorsement, American College of Education, 2010
Biography
Dr. Amy L. Kelly is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in the College of Education and Human Development at Governors State University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in early childhood education and works closely with teacher candidates across coursework, field experiences, and student teaching.
Before entering higher education, Dr. Kelly spent more than a decade as a public school educator in the south suburbs of Chicago, teaching in special education, elementary education, and English language learning settings. Her experiences as both a classroom teacher and teacher educator continue to shape her scholarship and public-facing work.
Dr. Kelly’s research explores teacher preparation, student voice, reflective practice, and the ways educational systems and technologies shape teaching and learning. Her recent work examines photovoice as a tool for reflection in teacher preparation, artificial intelligence and creativity in education, and screen-aware approaches to technology use with children. Across these areas, she is particularly interested in preserving space for relationships, creativity, professional judgment, and meaningful learning within increasingly standardized and technology-mediated educational environments.
She is the author of two scholarly books examining high-stakes standardized testing and has published research on teacher reflection, field experience supervision, artificial intelligence, and educational technology. Her work also extends beyond traditional academic publishing through practitioner writing, conference workshops, and Second Look Education, a podcast she co-created with Dr. Candace Smith that invites educators to reconsider familiar practices, assumptions, and tensions in education through research-informed conversation.
Publications
Kelly, A. L. (2026). Engaging student teachers in reflective practice through photovoice. International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(3), 349–358.
https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52025526
Dignam, C., Kelly, A. L., & Smith, C. M. (2026). Coaching the coach: A digital autoethnography of generative AI in teacher and leadership preparation. International Journal of Technology in Education, 9(2), 303–325.
https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.6504
Kelly, A. L. (2026). When technology reshapes the conditions for learning. Illinois School Board Journal, 94(4), 19–21.
https://www.iasb.com/about-us/publications/journal/2026-illinois-school-board-journal/july-august-2026
Dignam, C., Smith, C. M., & Kelly, A. L. (2025). The Heart and Art of Robotics: From AI to Artificial Emotional Intelligence in STEM Education. Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health, 11(2), 151–169.
https://doi.org/10.55549/jeseh.813
Kelly, A. L. (2023). Early childhood field experience supervision: Negotiating praxis. Journal of Educational Supervision, 6(2).
https://doi.org/10.31045/jes.6.2.3
Kelly, A. L. (2021). A Guide to High-Stakes Standardized Testing in the United States: A Historical Overview. Brill Sense.
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004511736_001
Kelly, A. L. (2019). The High Stakes of Testing: Exploring Student Voice and Standardized Assessment Through Governmentality. Brill Sense.
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004401365
Scholarship
Second Look Education Podcast
Co-created and co-hosted by Amy L. Kelly and Candace M. Smith.
https://open.spotify.com/show/6eGRqNDOevjtcSbwB9DrDx
Kelly, A. L. (2026). 5 Questions Elementary Teachers Can Ask to Evaluate Their Edtech Use. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-teachers-can-evaluate-edtech-use
Kelly, A. L. (2025). 5 Ways to Make a Scripted Curriculum More Engaging. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-make-scripted-curriculum-engaging