ATE Inquiry Initiative

Purpose

The Inquiry Initiative is envisioned as an ongoing collaborative research effort supported by the ATE membership. Each ATE president establishes a new cohort that identifies a relevant educational concern as the research focus. The Initiative provides a space, both literally and figuratively, for educators, scholars, practitioners, and advocates to address issues through a variety of investigative methodologies. In this way, the Initiative provides a means for establishing meaningful connections and collaborations that cross geographical, institutional, and functional boundaries. The primary goal of the ATE Inquiry Initiative is to make a greater impact on the education profession through potential outcomes that include, but are not limited to, publications, conference presentations, policy changes, media appearances, curriculum, etc.

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Creation and History of the ATE Inquiry Initiative

The ATE Inquiry Initiative is the result of two streams of work that converged as the Association celebrated its centennial. When the Association approved the 2020 ATE Strategic Plan, it included a goal to “collaboratively employ and implement a state-, national-, and partnership-driven research agenda, with implications for professional educators across career lifespans.” The research described, according to the Strategic Plan, would occur through collaborative groups that include like-minded individuals across institutions. The Inquiry Initiative was developed as a means of addressing the one element of the Strategic Plan, to drive a greater impact on the profession and the Association.
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The second element that led to the creation of the ATE Inquiry Initiative was Dr. Christie McIntyre’s presidential address in 2020. She reminded the membership of the roots of the summer conference, that it was originally centered around professional renewal and collaborative research on the “problems of the day”. This history stimulated an idea to reimagine the summer conference as an alternative to the “drive-thru” nature of most academic conferences, with opportunities for educators, scholars, practitioners, and advocates to establish new connections and relationships that would result in more meaningful engagement with the Association.

Under the leadership of ATE President, Dr. Rachelle Rogers (2022-2023), the inaugural cohort of the ATE Inquiry Initiative began its work during the summer meeting in Nashville. Seventy-two participants committed to a three-year plan to study opportunity gaps in education. The cohort will conclude its work at the 2025 annual meeting in New Orleans.

Dr. Jon Yoshioko, ATE President (2023-2024) established a two-year cohort to study teacher recruitment. And ATE President Dr. Cheryl Torez (2024-2025) framed a one-year “collective inquiry” approach focused on advocacy.

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ATE Inquiry Initiative Principles

As the participants, directors, and presidents of the first three cohorts of the ATE Inquiry Initiative reflected on the significance of their experiences, they proposed the following principles to help future presidents and the Association maintain the spirit of the initiative, while providing flexibility for future iterations. These principles were approved by the ATE Board of Directors on March 25, 2024.

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Principles of the Inquiry Initiative

Programming for Inquiry Initiative participants should:

• Create structures to support collaborative inquiry work across boundaries (e.g., institutional, geographic, programmatic, methodological, etc.);
  
• Establish a broad thematic inquiry focus addressing current issues in teacher preparation;
  
• Organize space and time for participants to address the Inquiry Initiative focus;
  
• Produce tangible products that advance the work of participants, the Association, and the field of teacher preparation;
  
• Provide opportunities for participant renewal, self-care, and celebration;
  
• Frame participation in ways that can justify participants’ requests for institutional funding that supports professional presentations and/or professional development; and
  
• Occur under the ownership of and with the support of the Association.