Miranda Fitzgerald

Miranda Fitzgerald serves as an Assistant Professor in the Reading and Elementary Education Department at the Cato College of Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Holding a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with specialization in Literacy, Language, and Culture from the University of Michigan (2018), she previously worked as a middle school special education teacher in Central Kentucky.

• Education: Ph.D. (University of Michigan), M.A. (Georgetown College), B.S. (University of Evansville)

Her research focuses on integrating literacy with science instruction, developing reading comprehension strategies, and supporting teacher education through research-based practices. Her work emphasizes creating inclusive learning environments and leveraging technology to enhance educational access.

Recent publications examine topics including:

• Community of practice development in clinical teaching
• Science-literacy integration for early grades
• Technology-enhanced project-based science instruction
• Vocabulary instruction effectiveness through meta-analysis

Dr. Fitzgerald has received notable recognition including:

• Cato College of Education Early Career Faculty Award (2023)
• AERA SIG Graduate Student Award (2019)
• University of Michigan Dimond Dissertation Award (2019)

She teaches courses on elementary literacy instruction and assessment, and provides professional development to educators and policy organizations.