Connecting Research, Policy and Practice
FY 2017 Special Educa4on Research Grants Compe44on (CFDA 84.324A) Jacquelyn A. Buckley Ph.D., Ka4e Taylor, Ph.D., & Amy Sussman, Ph.D. Program Officers Na/onal Center for Special Educa/on Research
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Organiza/onal Structure of IES Office of the Director Standards & Review Office
Na4onal Center for Educa4on Evalua4on ies.ed.gov
Na4onal Center for Educa4on Research (NCER)
Na4onal Center for Educa4on Sta4s4cs 2 2
Na4onal Board for Educa4on Sciences
Na4onal Center for Special Educa4on Research (NCSER)
Missions of the Research Centers • NCSER – Sponsors a rigorous and comprehensive program of special educa/on research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, and students with or at risk for disabili/es from birth through high school
• NCER – Supports rigorous research that addresses the na/on’s most pressing educa/on needs, from early childhood to adult educa/on ies.ed.gov
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Objec/ves of the Research Grant Programs • Develop or iden/fy educa/on interven/ons (prac/ces, programs, policies, and approaches) – that enhance academic achievement – that can be widely deployed
• Iden/fy what does not work and thereby encourage innova/on and further research • Understand the processes that underlie the effec/veness of educa/on interven/ons and the varia/on in their effec/veness ies.ed.gov
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NCSER’s Primary Grants Program • 84.324A Special Educa/on Research Grants • In 2017, this program focuses specifically on teachers and other instruc3onal personnel responsible for educa/ng students with or at risk for disabili/es. • NCSER is focusing this par/cular compe//on due to: – A limited budget for FY 2017 – A cri/cal need for addi/onal research in this area ies.ed.gov
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General Requirements: Teacher and Student Sample • Teachers and other instruc3onal personnel responsible for educa/ng students with or at risk for disabili3es can include: – For infants, toddlers, and preschoolers: early interven/on specialists, teachers, school or center-‐based staff, family child care providers, related services personnel, or other (para)professionals who provide educa/on or early interven/on services for children with or at risk for disabili/es – For K-‐12: teachers and other instruc/onal personnel (e.g., paraprofessionals) who provide instruc/on to students with or at risk for disabili/es ies.ed.gov
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General Requirements: Teacher and Student Sample • As always for NCSER grants, if you plan to focus on teachers of students at risk for a disability, present evidence of an associa/on between risk factors in your proposed student sample and the specific disabili/es that the students are at risk for developing. • Across all topics, you may study teachers and instruc3onal personnel who serve students with and without disabili3es in the same classroom. ies.ed.gov
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General Requirements: Teacher Outcomes • Knowledge: factual informa/on, concepts, theories, and principles
AND/OR • Skills: behaviors that facilitate student learning
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General Requirements: Teacher Outcomes Teachers and/or other instruc3onal personnel must be the target of your study! • Proposals to study only teachers’ ability to implement a specific student-‐level interven/on or curriculum, where teachers deliver the interven/on but are not themselves a target of the research study, will be non-‐responsive to the RFA.
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General Requirements: Student Outcomes • Student educa/on outcomes should: – align with your theory of change – be directly or indirectly impacted by changes in teacher and/or instruc/onal personnel knowledge and skills – include both proximal and distal outcomes (when possible)
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General Requirements: Student Outcomes Age/Grade
Outcome
Infants and toddlers
• Developmental outcomes
Preschool
• Developmental outcomes • School readiness
Kindergarten – Grade 12
• Achievement in core academic content (reading, wri/ng, mathema/cs, science), • Social skills and behaviors that support educa/on and post-‐school success • Func/onal outcomes that improve educa/onal results and transi/ons to employment, independent living, and postsecondary educa/on 11
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General Requirements: Authen/c Educa/on Sebng For infants and toddlers: – Homes – Child care – Natural sebngs for early interven/on services For preschoolers: – Homes – Child care – Preschool programs – Natural sebngs for early childhood special educa/on services ies.ed.gov
For K-‐12: – Schools and alterna/ve school sebngs – School systems – Homes (provided the interven/on is school-‐based) – Sebngs that deliver supplemental educa/on services – Sebngs that deliver direct student services – Career and Technical Educa/on Centers affiliated with schools or school systems 12
General Requirements: Research Topics and Goals • In 2017, the Special Educa/on Research Grants program maintains its topic and goal structure. • As in past years, your applica/on must be directed to 1 of 11 research topics and 1 of 5 research goals. • NCSER is restric3ng the focus within each topic and goal to research on teachers and other instruc3onal personnel. ies.ed.gov
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Research Topics • • • • • •
Au/sm Spectrum Disorders Cogni/on and Student Learning in Special Educa/on Early Interven/on and Early Learning in Special Educa/on Families of Children with Disabili/es Mathema/cs and Science Educa/on Professional Development for Teachers and Other Instruc/onal Personnel Reading, Wri/ng, and Language Development Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning Special Educa/on Policy, Finance, and Systems Technology for Special Educa/on Transi/on Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabili/es
• • • • • ies.ed.gov
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Research Goals 1. Explora/on 2. Development & Innova/on 3. Efficacy & Replica/on 4. Effec/veness 5. Measurement
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Explora/on Goal • Iden/fy malleable factors associated with teacher and/or other instruc/onal personnel outcomes and corresponding student outcomes • Iden/fy factors and condi/ons that may mediate or moderate these rela/onships • Possible methodological approaches – Primary data collec/on and analyses – Secondary data analyses – Meta-‐analyses – Combina/on of the above
Malleable factors: things that can be changed by the educa/on system to improve teacher outcomes and subsequent student outcomes.
*Goal 1 projects can focus on pre-‐service teachers ies.ed.gov
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Development & Innova/on Goal • Develop an innova/ve interven/on OR improve exis/ng educa/on interven/ons •
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Interven3ons: wide range of AND collect data on its usability, professional d evelopment ac/vi/es, technology tools, feasibility, and fidelity of and p rac/ces, programs, and implementa/on in authen/c policies implemented at the teacher, school, district, educa/on sebngs state, or federal level to improve teacher and/or AND collect pilot data on instruc/onal p ersonnel outcomes and subsequent teacher and student outcomes student educa/on outcomes
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Theory of Change
Target popula/on of teachers and/ or other instruc/onal personnel
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Interven/on Component 1 Component 2
Teacher and/or other instruc/onal personnel outcomes
Component 3
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Student educa/on outcomes
Efficacy & Replica/on Goal • Evaluate the efficacy of a fully developed interven/on for improving teacher and/or instruc/onal personnel outcomes and student educa/on outcomes under rou/ne or ideal condi/ons OR
• Generate addi/onal evidence for an efficacious interven/on by directly replica/ng or varying the original condi/ons OR
• Gather follow-‐up data examining the longer term effects of an efficacious interven/on OR
• Analyze retrospec/ve (historical) secondary data to test the efficacy of an interven/on implemented in the past 19 ies.ed.gov
Efficacy & Replica/on Goal • Replica/on studies can replicate an interven/on that previously showed beneficial impacts for teachers and/or instruc/onal personnel only, as long as the current study measures both teacher and student educa/on outcomes
• Efficacy follow-‐up studies can: – Follow teachers and/or instruc/onal personnel who took part in the original study in later years, when they are not receiving the interven/on – Follow students who were taught by teachers and/or other instruc/onal personnel targeted in the original study *Note: The original interven
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Research Design • Designs for Efficacy/Replica/on projects can include: – Randomized controlled trials • Sequen/al, Mul/ple Assignment, Randomized Trials (SMARTs) can be used to evaluate an adap/ve treatment – Regression discon/nuity designs – Single-‐case experimental designs – Quasi-‐experimental designs (when randomiza/on is not possible)
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Effec/veness Goal • Evaluate whether a fully developed interven/on that has evidence of efficacy and produces beneficial impacts on teacher and/or instruc/onal personnel outcomes and subsequent student outcomes when implemented under rou3ne condi3ons through an independent evalua3on • Prior to submibng an effec/veness proposal, at least one efficacy study of the interven/on with beneficial and prac/cal impacts on teacher and student outcomes must have been completed ies.ed.gov
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Effec/veness Goal • You may propose an Effec/veness Follow-‐up study to determine the long-‐term impacts of an interven/on for teachers and/or instruc/onal personnel who showed beneficial results during a previous Effec/veness study • You may not propose a Retrospec4ve study under the Effec/veness goal • The requirements and recommenda/ons for the Research Plan are the same as those for Efficacy/Replica/on except single-‐ case experimental designs are not allowed as your primary research design in an Effec3veness study ies.ed.gov
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Measurement Goal • Development of new assessments or refinement of exis/ng assessments, and the valida/on of these assessments OR • Valida/on of exis/ng assessments for specific purposes, contexts, and popula/ons
• You must link the measure to teacher and/or instruc3onal personnel outcomes and subsequent student outcomes ies.ed.gov
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What is the research ques4on? All applica/ons to the Special Educa/on Research Grants program, regardless of topic and goal, must focus on teachers and other instruc/onal personnel. Note: The Ins/tute will NOT accept applica/ons that propose only to study teachers’ ability to implement a specific student-‐level interven/on or curriculum where teachers deliver the interven/on but are not themselves the target of the interven/on.
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Who are the focal teachers and/or other instruc4onal personnel? Must be responsible for educa/ng students with or at risk for disabili/es. For Infants, toddlers, and preschool children: early interven/on (EI) specialists, teachers, school or center-‐ based staff, family child care providers, related services personnel, or other (para)professionals who provide educa/on or EI services. For K-‐12: does not include related services personnel. Can include pre-‐service teachers in Goal 1, explora/on projects only. 25
What are the outcomes of interest? For teachers and/or instruc/onal personnel: knowledge and/or skills that help them improve student outcomes.
For students: educa/on outcomes that are directly or indirectly impacted by changes in teacher and/or instruc/onal personnel outcomes.
FY 2017 Maximum Award Amounts Maximum Grant Award
Research Goal
Maximum Grant Dura4on
Explora4on
Secondary data analysis only: $600,000 2 years Primary data collec/on & $1,400,000 analysis: 4 years
Development & Innova4on
4 years
$1,400,000
Efficacy & Replica/on: 4 years $3,300,000 Efficacy & Replica4on
Effec4veness Measurement ies.ed.gov
Follow-‐up: 3 years
$1,100,000
Retrospec/ve: 3 years
$700,000
Effec/veness: 5 years
$3,800,000
Follow-‐up: 3 years
$1,400,000
4 years
$1,400,000
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Important Dates Leaer of Intent Due Date (iesreview.ed.gov)
Applica4on Package Posted (Grants.gov)
Applica4on Deadline (Grants.gov)
Start Dates
May 5, 2016
May 5, 2016
August 4, 2016 4:30:00 PM DC Time
July 1, 2017 to Sept 1, 2017
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Example Goal 1 Project Aligned with 2017 Focus • Secondary data analysis to determine the poten/al impact of quan/ty and content of pre-‐service and in-‐ service teacher training experiences on student outcomes. • Sugges/ons for best prac/ces for preparing teachers to teach students with disabili/es • hmp://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp? ID=558 ies.ed.gov
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Example Goal 2 Project Aligned with 2017 Focus • Development and tes/ng of a professional development program that addresses the knowledge, skills, and beliefs that teachers need to improve outcomes for students with ADHD • Professional development includes: – – – –
Ac/vi/es to enhance knowledge of ADHD research & interven/ons Opportuni/es to implement interven/ons and receive feedback Supports for data-‐based decision making Individualized problem-‐solving discussions about barriers to intervening with students with ADHD
• hmp://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1361 ies.ed.gov
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Example Goal 3 Project Aligned with 2017 Focus • Randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of a professional development program to improve teachers’ use of embedded instruc/on and outcomes of preschool children with disabili/es • Comparison of two types of coaching within the program: on-‐site coaching versus web-‐based self coaching • Professional development includes: – – – –
Workshops with demonstra/ons and opportuni/es to prac/ce Teacher implementa/on guides and materials A mul/-‐media website with in-‐depth informa/on on embedded instruc/on Coaching
• hmp://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1619 ies.ed.gov
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Example Goal 5 Project Aligned with 2017 Focus • Development and valida/on of a special educa/on teacher observa/on measure designed to evaluate and improve instruc/onal prac/ce delivered to students with disabili/es
• The observa/on measure will assess common features of sound instruc/onal prac/ce and teachers’ implementa/on of evidence-‐based instruc/onal prac/ces appropriate for students with disabili/es • hmp://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp? ID=1629 ies.ed.gov
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Commonly Asked Ques/ons • Can I propose to do any laboratory research? – Yes, a limited amount of laboratory research can also be done under Goals 1, 2, and 5; however, you may not propose to conduct 100% of your research in the laboratory. • Can I propose to develop and/or test a student-‐level interven4on? – No, applica/ons under Goals 2, 3, and 4, must propose to develop and/or evaluate interven/ons that directly target teachers and/or other instruc/onal personnel. • Can I resubmit a previous applica4on that was not funded? – Yes, however, you must alter the previous applica/on so that the focus is on teachers and instruc/onal personnel. In addi/on, you must describe the changes in Appendix A at the end of the project narra/ve. ies.ed.gov
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Commonly Asked Ques/ons • Can I focus on pre-‐service teachers? – Yes, NCSER will support exploratory (i.e., Goal 1) research involving pre-‐service teachers under any topic. • Can I focus on related services personnel (e.g., speech-‐language pathologists, audiologists, interpreters, school psychologists, counselors, physical therapists, occupa4onal therapists, social workers) who serve students K-‐12? – No, research focused on related services personnel for students in K-‐12 will not be accepted. You can propose research focused on related services personnel for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. • Can parents and students be considered other instruc4onal personnel? – No, other instruc/onal personnel include (para)professionals who are responsible for educa/ng students with or at risk for disabili/es. ies.ed.gov
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Finding Applica/on Packages
FY 2017 Applica/on Packages are available on www.grants.gov
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Review Applica/on Requirements q Request for Applica/ons q Currently available at hap://ies.ed.gov/funding
q Applica/on Package q Currently available at www.grants.gov
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Peer Review Process • Applica/ons are reviewed for compliance and responsiveness to the RFA • Applica/ons that are compliant and responsive are assigned to a review panel • Two or three panel members conduct a primary review of each applica/on • At panel mee/ng, the most compe//ve applica/ons are reviewed by full panel ies.ed.gov
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No/fica/on Process • All applicants will receive e-‐mail no/fica/on that the following informa/on is available via the Applicant No/fica/on System (ANS): • Status of the applica/on • Reviewer summary statements • If you are not granted an award the first /me, plan on resubmibng, and talk to your Program Officer
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Resources for Researchers • Visit links for faculty and researchers on IES website • Review past webinars and par/cipate in webinars for the FY 2017 compe//ons • Sign up for the IES Newsflash!
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When Wri/ng a Grant Applica/on • Read the Request for Applica/ons carefully – hmp://ies.ed.gov/funding
• Look at abstracts of funded projects – hmp://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects
• Take part in IES webinars – hmp://ies.ed.gov/funding/webinars/index.asp
• Discuss your research idea with a program officer – Email a synopsis and schedule a /me for a call – Email short ques/ons ies.ed.gov
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Helpfulness of the Program Officer • Contact Program Officers early in the process and share your research ques/ons and theory of change to: – Determine whether your aims fit within the 2017 focus on teachers and/or other instruc/onal personnel – Ensure you are submibng to the correct compe//on, topic, and goal – Springboard further discussion Don’t be afraid to contact us! ies.ed.gov
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For More Informa/on hap://ies.ed.gov/funding
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Jacquelyn Buckley
[email protected] Ka/e Taylor
[email protected] Amy Sussman
[email protected] 45 4 5
