Shamira Underwood

Shamira Underwood is a Mathematics fellow at the IFL. She is from Braddock, Pennsylvania and is an advocate for bridging opportunity gaps for learners attending schools in communities that have been historically marginalized.

Before joining the IFL, she taught in Early Childhood and Elementary classrooms within the Pittsburgh Public School District, where she served for nearly 20 years. To express her advocacy and passion for equitable pedagogy, Shamira operated in roles that allowed her to write and co-write curriculum within the district and community organizations; coach, evaluate, and collaborate with teachers on instructional improvement; research and implement ideas for improvement to recruit, retain, and mentor teachers of color as part of an equity team, as well as facilitate professional learning opportunities to promote positive school and discipline culture.

Shamira received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Clarion University in December of 2004 and went on to obtain her Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in May of 2010 from Gannon University. She has received many honors, one of which is the Distinguished Achievement Award (2022) from the Pittsburgh Public School Board for her work as a Yale National Fellow.