Candis Lee Eckert

Dr. Candis Lee Eckert is an Assistant Teaching Professor and Program Director of P-3 Education, dedicated to transforming teacher preparation to better meet the needs of children from early childhood through third grade. She brings over a decade of experience in educator preparation, program development, and academic leadership to her work.

Dr. Eckert’s work is grounded in a central challenge in education: early childhood best practices often do not carry forward into elementary classrooms. This disconnect disproportionately impacts children from historically marginalized communities and contributes to inequitable educational outcomes. Her commitment to P-3 education centers on creating intentional alignment across early learning and elementary systems so that children experience continuity, belonging, and high-quality instruction throughout the early years.

As a scholar-practitioner, Dr. Eckert integrates research and industry practice to prepare teacher candidates for the realities of today’s classrooms. Her teaching centers developmentally appropriate practice and anti-bias, anti-racist education that honors children’s identities and lived experiences. She is especially committed to helping future educators challenge deficit-based narratives and understand how play-based, child-centered, and equity-focused practices can and must exist alongside academic expectations in the early elementary years.

In her leadership role, Dr. Eckert collaborates with faculty, community partners, and school systems to design aligned and inclusive teacher preparation pathways that reflect the full birth-to-grade-three continuum. This P-3 undergraduate teacher certification pathway will launch in Fall 2027.