Teachers lead the change: 37 earn ISFODOSU diploma in Educational Research

Santo Domingo.- The Salomé Ureña Higher Institute for Teacher Training (ISFODOSU) awarded certificates to 37 teachers who completed the 2024 Diploma in Educational Research, a program officials say is designed to turn classroom experience into evidence-based practice and strengthen teaching quality across the Dominican Republic.

The seven-month course, launched in 2024, immersed participants in research methods aimed at diagnosing real problems in classrooms, schools and communities. Yari Pichardo, coordinator of the diploma, described the graduation as the close of a “significant academic stage” and praised graduates for producing “relevant, viable, rigorous and contextualized” proposals rather than theoretical exercises disconnected from daily school realities.

Dr. Vladimir Ilitch Figueroa Gutiérrez, Director of Research at ISFODOSU. (Photo: ISFODOSU)

Vladimir Figueroa, ISFODOSU’s director of research, framed the initiative as an effort to empower teachers with tools to answer students’ questions from evidence, not improvisation. “Research is not a luxury reserved for specialists,” Figueroa said, adding that teachers who have conducted their own studies return to the classroom with greater authority and the ability to drive change from within.

Graduates showcased their work during the ceremony: Elvis Paulino Florian, Cristian de Jesús Féliz, Claudia Rodríguez, Meigan Duval and Joseph Morrison presented research projects that sparked debate among attendees. Student representative Zayda García Espinal thanked faculty and peers, calling the diploma a commitment to continuing rigorous, ethical inquiry in service of Dominican education.

Dr. Fátima Virginia Pons, Head of Extension at the FEM Campus. (Photo: ISFODOSU)

ISFODOSU leaders said the program’s tangible, classroom-focused outcomes illustrate a wider case for investing in teacher-led research as a scalable strategy to improve schooling. Officials urged continued institutional support so more educators can translate daily practice into systematic inquiry that strengthens teaching and learning nationwide.