Professor Sally Drew Receives $21K Research Grant

Funding supports study into how educator mindsets affect deeper learning

Sacred Heart University’s Sally Drew, associate professor of teacher education and program director of special education in the Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development, has received more than $21,000 from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) to study factors that promote deeper learning.

The AERA chose Drew last year as one of six new participants in its fellowship program on the study of deeper learning, and the funding supports her work as part of that group. She and other fellows conduct research with the AERA, a national educational research society focused on advancing scholarly inquiry to support the public good. She also works alongside scientists from the American Institutes for Research, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that provides technical assistance to researchers addressing equity issues in the U.S.

Drew’s research explores the role educators’ mindsets play in fostering deeper learning environments within high schools. According to Drew, previous studies of teacher mindsets have underestimated the network of beliefs that comprise an educator’s perspective and the pervasiveness of how those beliefs impact how and what educators teach.

“The role of collective educator mindsets and the mindset ecosystem within schools has yet to be explored in depth. Using a mixed-methods design prioritizing situational analysis, this study will share an emerging theory of the role educator mindsets play in shaping motivation and professional commitment within educator professional learning communities,” said Drew.

She said she appreciates the funding support to tackle a research project of this magnitude and is excited to share the information she learns with SHU students. “Educators who deeply understands their own mindsets and also understand the collective mindset of their school community are uniquely empowered to facilitate their own professional learning and that of their colleagues to promote school change,” she said.