DR. MARISA BIER

Inspector

Dr. Marisa Bier has been in education for 30 years, beginning her career as a special education teacher in New Jersey, and now serving as an independent educational consultant and inspector for TPI-US. While serving in a leadership role as a site coordinator of her school’s university partnership, she developed an interest in educator preparation and the role practitioners play in supporting new teacher development. She received her doctorate in Education at the University of Washington - Seattle in 2009 in Curriculum and Instruction where her studies focused on teacher learning across a continuum from novice to veteran, with a particular interest in learning as it is negotiated within communities of practice. Throughout her career as a teacher educator, she has worked to understand the inequities that exist across systems and address how to better recruit, prepare, and retain teachers who are both prepared for and reflective of the communities in which they are hired. As a white leader in educator preparation, she continuously interrogates her practice and seeks to better understand power and privilege in order to dismantle systems of oppression that perpetuate barriers for people of color, and particularly how those barriers impact children and adults in schools, communities, and educator preparation programs.

Upon receiving her doctorate, Marisa was appointed Coordinator of the Secondary Teacher Education Program at the University of Washington, where she was responsible for all aspects of the program. Her priorities included ensuring cohesiveness between equity-focused program curriculum and practicum experiences, building partnerships with placement schools, and facilitating the work of university field-based coaches. In 2012, she was hired to lead a 4-party partnership in the design and launch of the Seattle Teacher Residency (STR), a nationally recognized, innovative teacher preparation program. STR focuses on diversifying the educator workforce and preparing and retaining teachers in and for Seattle schools serving students furthest from educational justice. Through her national network in educator preparation, she is able to meet and learn from important work across contexts, institutions, and communities and continues that work as an educational consultant starting fall 2024 in order to support the continuous improvement of educator preparation.