Faculty Selected for ‘Inquiry Initiative’

René Roselle and Jennifer Phaiah join 78 peers to address educational opportunity gaps

Professors René Roselle and Jennifer Phaiah, from Sacred Heart University’s Farrington College of Education & Human Development, will join 78 other teacher educators from across the U.S for to delve into their profession’s practices and research.

Roselle, who is chair of teacher education, and Phaiah, assistant clinical professor at the college, participated in the inaugural “Inquiry Initiative,” sponsored by Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and held over the summer in Nashville, TN. Over the next three years, the educators will meet online monthly and at ATE’s spring and summer conferences. They will be joined by one of their school-based teacher educator partners, Michael Brosnan, from Bridgeport’s public school system.

“I’m so honored to have been chosen and cannot wait to get started,” said Roselle.

The initiative is a “first of its kind” collaborative exploration of teacher education practices and research, focused on “opportunity gaps” in education. Opportunity gaps is the term for unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and options individuals or groups encounter in schools, colleges and universities, employment and professional contexts.

“What a unique program, to tackle such an important issue,” Phaiah said. “I’m grateful to be a part of it!”

The Inquiry Initiative aims to cultivate and support collaborative research inquiries across geographic and institutional contexts for three years. Imagined as an alternative to the traditional “drive-thru” mode of professional engagement available via most academic conferences, the initiative will include sustained and sustainable professional partnerships that result in research reports and presentations, pedagogical innovations and education policies.

The association is the nation’s oldest professional organization dedicated to the preparation of teachers. It aims to promote advocacy, equity, leadership and professionalism for teacher educators in all settings and supports quality education for all learners at all levels. An individual membership organization, ATE enhances quality teacher education through exemplary clinical practice and research.

Pictured, from left, are René Roselle, Jennifer Phaiah and Michael Brosnan