Meranda Sierra

Inspector/Project Team Manager

Meranda Sierra is a seasoned educational consultant with over 20 years of experience in education, passionately committed to elevating teacher preparation programs and improving educational outcomes for students. As the Florida Project Manager for TPI-US, she collaborates with the Florida Department of Education to oversee the successful planning, coordination, and execution of site visits, along with managing report delivery for teacher preparation programs across the state. Meranda’s role also includes delivering pre-visit webinars, facilitating community of practice meetings with Florida institutions, and providing comprehensive written reports to the Department of Education. Since joining TPI-US in 2015, she has excelled in various capacities, including logistics, training, team and lead reviewer. In these roles, she has led teams of experts in conducting rigorous program reviews, organizing logistics, and ensuring transparent and actionable feedback for institutions to improve their teacher preparation programs.

Prior to her work with TPI-US, Meranda held a pivotal role at Texas Tech University (TTU) as both a site coordinator and an instructor in the Tech Teach program. As a site coordinator, she was responsible for preparing highly effective teacher candidates, providing hands-on development that resulted in notable student achievement gains. She served as a key liaison between placement schools and the university, fostering strong partnerships that contributed to the success of teacher candidates. In her role as an instructor, Meranda taught courses in English as a Second Language (ESL), mathematics, social studies methods, and capstone courses, imparting essential content knowledge and pedagogical skills to future educators. She was instrumental in coaching teacher candidates, providing ongoing professional development, and supporting mentor teachers. Her dedication to research was reflected in her collaboration with faculty at TTU, leading to presentations at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conferences.

Before transitioning to higher education, Meranda spent nine years teaching elementary grades (1st, 2nd, and 4th), gaining extensive classroom experience. She specialized in early literacy and language acquisition, receiving training in Linda Mood Bell Instruction for Reading & Comprehension and the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) program. This background allowed her to effectively support students in developing strong reading and comprehension skills. As a certified Early Childhood to fourth-grade educator, Meranda brought her passion for curriculum development to the classroom by implementing a research-driven functional grammar approach to improve writing skills among her students. Her collaboration with an associate professor at TTU on this project culminated in the development of a curriculum and formed the basis of her thesis for her master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in ESL from Texas Tech University.

Meranda’s commitment to excellence in education extends beyond her direct teaching experience. She holds certifications from the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (TAP) and is a Pre-K CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) Observer. She has also been involved in various professional development initiatives, including district-level training sessions, and is certified in equity training and high-quality instructional materials.

Currently, Meranda is pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at West Texas A&M University, further deepening her expertise with a certificate in educational policy and law. With her vast experience in both the classroom and higher education, along with her leadership roles in TPI-US, Meranda continues to make a significant impact on teacher preparation and educational quality across the United States.