APSU education professors Gonzalez and Thompson selected for Inaugural ATE Inquiry Initiative
Clarksville, Tennessee: Austin Peay State University assistant professors Dr. Charles H Gonzalez and Dr. James Thompson have been selected to participate in the inaugural Inquiry Initiative, sponsored by the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE). The Initiative is a first-of-its-kind collaborative exploration of teacher education practices and research, focused on opportunity gaps in education.
Opportunity gaps are defined as the unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and options individuals or groups encounter in schools, colleges and universities, and employment and professional contexts.
鈥淎TE is committed to exploring ways teacher education scholars and practitioners can impact the pressing teaching and learning challenges of our time,鈥 Rachelle Rogers, president of ATE, said. 鈥淭he Inquiry Initiative is a unique, sustainable, and collaborative structure that we believe can have that impact.鈥
Gonzalez and Thompson were two of only 80 university- and school-based teacher educators and education scholars from around the U.S. chosen to participate in the initiative. The initiative aims to cultivate and support collaborative research inquiries across geographic and institutional contexts over a three-year span. Imagined as an alternative to the traditional 鈥渄rive-thru鈥 mode of professional engagement available via most academic conferences, the initiative will include sustained and sustainable professional partnerships that result in pedagogical innovations, research reports and presentations, and education policies.
The Association of Teacher Educators is the nation鈥檚 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 both exemplary clinical practice and research.
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Mary Lee McCreary Rugraff ('41) attended Austin Peay State College on a music scholarship and performed as a soprano soloist. Music was her lifetime passion, and in addition to funding APSU music scholarships, she supported the music program at her church with gifts to the endowment.
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