PK3

Meet the Instructor: Tayarisha Stone-Batchelor

Ed.D. student Tayarisha Stone is writing down strategies on a large yellow post-it, during her time in the Ed.D. Program
Tayarisha Stone-Batchelor engages in classroom activities while obtaining her Ed.D. degree. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay/Neag School of Education

This March, Dr. Tayarisha Stone-Batchelor, Principal of Rawson STEAM School in Hartford, CT, will return to her alma mater at the University of Connecticut to co-facilitate the latest module for the PK-3 Leadership Program.  Stone-Batchelor will be teaching alongside her Ed.D. classmate and returning PK-3 instructor, Dr. Roszena Haskins.

The Leading for Equity, Excellence, and Early Success module focuses on the critical components of leadership inside schools, the community, and across government and private agencies. Stone-Batchelor’s experience in the education field is extensive and includes a doctorate in education from The Department of Educational’s Ed.D. program. She graduated in 2017, and during her time as a student was actively involved with her cohort, which enabled her to strengthen her leadership skills by working with different students both inside and outside of her classroom experiences. She shares the most important part of being a leader is being able to be collaborative.

“To be successful in partnerships, it is imperative to have people working together, listening to other voices, and most importantly, being open to hearing other views.” – Tayarisha Stone-Batchelor

Stone-Batchelor used the strong leaderships skills she developed while in the Neag program to build and sustain positive relationships like the one with EDLR’s Husky Sport Program, an in-school and after-school program geared towards engaging Hartford youth through healthy nutrition, positive life skills and physical literacy.

In addition to her work and experience at UConn, Stone-Batchelor has been the principal of Rawson Elementary School in Hartford for the last 8 years. She was interested in working in an urban district to apply her expertise in developing a new model that would ensure all students have equal access and can compete for future jobs.  As the principal, Stone-Batchelor strives to give her students STEM opportunities that fully immerse and engage them. Stone-Batchelor’s efforts towards improving urban schools goes hand in hand with the passion she has for using her platform to become a voice for minorities. In February of 2019, she was recognized by the Voices of Women of Color earning the Trailblazer award for providing Women of Color with leadership skills that lead to employment opportunities and success in their communities.   

Because of Neag’s integral role in her success as an administrator, Stone-Batchelor has decided to return to Storrs. She hopes to give others the same experience she had, share what she has learned, and encourage and inspire others who undecided on their career path. She says that she made the decision to come back and teach at Neag because she sees that education has an impact on students and she wants to be a part of it. Specifically, Stone-Batchelor is excited to work with adult leaders, serving PK-3 aged students. 

What sets this program apart from others, says Stone-Batchelor, is that Neag’s PK-3 program uses modules that bring together an expert panel as a means to incorporate all perspectives and create a bigger picture for educators.  She believes it is important to expose educators to strategies that she has picked up in her time working in an urban district and she plans to implement the whole-child perspective which focuses on considering the child’s family as well stating,

“We’ve danced around the achievement gap for over a decade now,” she says. “We need to look at programs that partner with families early on so that we can break down the barriers early.”

Throughout her career, Stone-Batchelor has always kept a certain question in mind: how do we sustain what we have built so far and make it better? As she takes on this new role as PK-3 instructor, Stone-Batchelor says she finally hopes to be able to answer that question.

Meet the Instructor: Roszena Haskins

Roszena Haskins
Roszena Haskins, Ed.D. grad and current PK-3 Leadership Instructor. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay

This Spring, a former Ed.D. student, Roszena Haskins (‘17) will begin facilitating the third and final module of the 2017-18 PreK-3 Leadership Program at the University of Connecticut. The module titled, Leading for Equity, Excellence and Early Success, covers a variety of topics with the ultimate goal of preparing educators to build a school culture led by caring, competent, and well rounded leaders.

Like all the facilitators who join the PreK-3 Leadership Program team, Haskins is an expert in her field. She has over 20 years of experience as an educator and a strong passion for equity and diversity. Currently serving as the West Hartford Director of Adult and Continuing Education and the district’s Director of Diversity Advancement, Haskins works with other members of West Hartford Public School’s Equity and Diversity Council to strengthen the cultural competence of the district and advance institutional equity. Her multiple roles in district-wide early education and diversity initiatives require her to stay up-to-date on ever-changing federal, state, and local policy changes. This expertise coupled with a commitment to the children, caregivers, and community has prepared Haskins for her upcoming role as an instructor with the PreK-3 Leadership Program.

Haskins is excited to share her experiences as she explains, “Navigation across agencies, organizations, and constituents is something I enjoy personally and professionally and hope to contribute to the PreK-3 Leadership Program.”

In addition to her direct experience in the field, Haskins is an accomplished researcher. Her doctoral dissertation for the University of Connecticut’s Ed.D. program focused on Black and Latino students disproportionately leaving college without a degree as a result of low access to college-level courses and extended time spent completing developmental education requirements. She bridges her research and the importance of initiatives like the PreK-3 Leadership program by explaining,

“Longitudinal research shows that investing in high quality early education programs, leveraged by highly competent, knowledgeable and skillful leaders promotes post-secondary success and improved life changes as adults.”

Haskins looks forward to working with other state leaders, as well as the Expert Advisory Panel, who are passionate about early childhood development and inclusion. She stated, “I continue to be eager to contribute to building the leadership capacity of committed educators through an equity-focused lens.”

The PreK-3 Leadership Program is thrilled to Dr. Haskins on board, as Program Director Dr. Karen List describes her as “very hard working,” with a “strong background in diversity and PK-12 leadership,” Dr. List adds,

“She genuinely connects with people. The importance of relationships is evident in her style.”

irements. She bridges her research and the importance of initiatives like the PreK-3 Leadership program by explaining,

“Longitudinal research shows that investing in high quality early education programs, leveraged by highly competent, knowledgeable and skillful leaders promotes post-secondary success and improved life changes as adults.”

Haskins looks forward to working with other state leaders, as well as the Expert Advisory Panel, who are passionate about early childhood development and inclusion. She stated, “I continue to be eager to contribute to building the leadership capacity of committed educators through an equity-focused lens.”

The PreK-3 Leadership Program is thrilled to Dr. Haskins on board, as Program Director Dr. Karen List describes her as “very hard working,” with a “strong background in diversity and PK-12 leadership,” Dr. List adds,

“She genuinely connects with people. The importance of relationships is evident in her style.”

Carter Welch: 2017 Outstanding School Administrator, Neag School Alumni Awards

Editor’s Note: This story, written by Neag School's Shawn Kornegay, originally appeared on the Neag School’s website.

Carter Welch '99 (ED), '11 Ed.D., '12 ELP - Principal of Jerome Harrison Elementary School, North Branford, Conn.

Carter Welch — NEAG-Awards-2017-selects-24 web WelchCarter Welch received his bachelor of science in sport medicine in 1999, his Ed.D. in 2011, and a certificate in educational leadership in 2012, all from UConn's Neag School of Education. He is currently enrolled in the Neag School's PK-3 Leadership Program. Welch earned a master of science in school health and a master of science in exercise science at Southern Connecticut State University.

Prior to his current position, Welch taught physical education to students in the North Branford school district from 2002 to 2005. In 2005, he became the K-12 coordinator for health and physical education for four schools in the district. As coordinator, Welch supervised and evaluated K-5 classroom teachers in health education curriculum; led curriculum teams in health and physical education during curriculum cycle phases; and led professional development on differentiated instruction for all district physical education and health teachers.

Welch served as the dean of students for grades 9 to 12 from 2008 to 2010 before becoming an adjunct professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at SCSU in 2013. In 2014, Welch took on the role of becoming a coach, consultant, and research affiliate with the National School Climate Center in New York. He worked as assistant principal of North Branford High School from 2010 to 2013 before moving to Jerome Harrison Elementary.

 Video Featuring Carter Welch