UT Tyler Education Faculty to Serve on TEA Committee

August 20, 2025 | Hannah Buchanan

Dr. Yanira Oliveras, an associate professor of education with The University of Texas at Tyler College of Education and Psychology, has been selected to serve on the Texas Education Agency Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System Stakeholder Advisory committee. T-TESS is designed to improve teaching practices and student outcomes through a comprehensive evaluation process.

Oliveras will contribute her insights and expertise to TEA as a committee member.

“This appointment recognizes Dr. Oliveras’ expertise, leadership and commitment to advancing educator evaluation and growth across the state,” said Dr. Neil Gray, UT Tyler professor and interim dean for the college.

Oliveras joined UT Tyler in 2014. With more than 30 years of experience in education, including 20 years as a primary school teacher and principal, she currently teaches graduate-level instructional supervision and curriculum and instruction courses at UT Tyler. She co-founded UT Tyler’s Doctor of Education in school improvement degree and serves as the academic adviser for EdD students. Her research interests include instructional leadership development, teacher appraisal, and the impact of learning spaces on student engagement and teachers’ instructional practices.

She was instrumental in the development of the “Teaching-to-Learn in Belize” study abroad program, which provides job-embedded professional development to in-service teachers in remote villages in Belize.

Oliveras holds doctoral and master’s degrees in curriculum and instruction from Pennsylvania State University.

The Texas Education Agency oversees state primary and secondary public education and strives to improve outcomes for all public-school students by providing leadership, guidance and support to school systems. To learn more, visit tea.texas.gov/.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.