Degree

PhD in Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership

University of Maryland, College Park

MA in Languages and Cultures

Texas Tech University

BA in Teaching English as a Second Language

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH)

Published Works

• ., Sierra Mejia, A. (2025). Exploring diverse educators’ language ideologies: how lived experiences shape understandings of bilingual education goals. . International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 67–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2024.2415687.
• Sierra, A. (2023). Linguistically Responsive Instruction and Ideologies in Preservice Teacher Preparation. Rutledge,

Research Interests

My research centers on multilingual communities and the ways schools can partner with families to support students’ academic, linguistic, and socioemotional success. I study bilingual and dual language education with a particular focus on transnational bilingual Latina/o/x educators, examining how language ideologies, migration histories, and institutional conditions shape teachers’ identities, well-being, and professional learning. A key strand of my work focuses on multilingual students’ literacy development and biliteracy, how children build and leverage literacy practices across languages, alongside teacher education, including how to prepare and support pre-service teachers in developing culturally sustaining, responsive pedagogies for multilingual learners. I also examine professional learning for in-service educators, particularly how to support teachers in enacting the goals of dual language programs with fidelity and care.