Connecting Research, Policy and Practice
Research Training Programs in Special Education Kristen Rhoads, Ph.D. and Robert Ochsendorf, Ed.D. Program Officers National Center for Special Education Research
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Agenda • • • • •
Introduction to IES and NCSER Postdoctoral Research Training Program Early Career Development and Mentoring Methods Training Using Single-Case Designs Application Submission and Review
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Organizational Structure of IES Office of the Director
National Board for Education Sciences
Standards & Review Office
National Center for Education Evaluation ies.ed.gov
National Center for Education Research
National Center for Education Statistics
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National Center for Special Education Research
IES Grant Programs: Research Objectives • Develop or identify education interventions (practices, programs, policies, and approaches) – that enhance academic achievement – that can be widely deployed
• Identify what does not work and thereby encourage innovation and further research • Understand the processes that underlie the effectiveness of education interventions and the variation in their effectiveness ies.ed.gov
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National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) • Mission – NCSER sponsors a rigorous and comprehensive program of special education research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers and students with or at risk for disabilities from birth through high school
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Agenda • Introduction to IES and NCSER • Postdoctoral Research Training Program – – – – –
Purpose Requirements Narrative Appendices Budget
• Early Career Development and Mentoring • Methods Training Using Single-Case Designs • Application Submission and Review ies.ed.gov
Request for Applications Research Training Program in Special Education (CFDA #84.324B)
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Purpose of Postdoctoral Program • Prepare education researchers to conduct high-quality, independent special education and early intervention research
• Advance knowledge within the field and addresses issues important to education leaders and practitioners
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Awards • No more than 2 awards will be made. • Maximum Awards – 5 years – $700,000 total (direct plus indirect)
• Award will be a Cooperative Agreement – Involves partnership between PI and IES
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Training Program Focus • Must address early intervention or special education • Must include a combination of at least one research topic and at least one research goal
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Special Education Research Topics (84.324A) • • • • • • • • • • •
Autism Spectrum Disorders Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education Families of Children with Disabilities Mathematics and Science Education Professional Development for Teachers and Related Service Providers Reading, Writing, and Language Development Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning Special Education Policy, Finance, and Systems Technology for Special Education Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities
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FY2016 Research Goals • Exploration • Development & Innovation (NCSER only)
• Efficacy & Replication • Effectiveness
• Measurement RFA for Special Education Research Grants found at http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2016_84324a.pdf
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Academic Institution Requirements • Must confer doctoral degrees in relevant fields • May hold more than one postdoctoral training award through IES • May submit more than one Postdoctoral program application as long as each funded/proposed training program has a different training focus and set of key personnel ies.ed.gov
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Key Personnel Requirements • The PI, co-PI, and all faculty mentors are considered key personnel and must be named and listed as key personnel. • Co-PI and other faculty mentors can be from nonacademic institutions that conduct rigorous special education or early intervention research.
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Key Personnel Requirements (cont’d) • Must be working on at least one special education or early intervention research project currently supported by IES or another funding source • Can take part in only one IES-funded postdoctoral training grant at a time
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Postdoctoral Fellows Requirement • Proposed research must be relevant to special education or early intervention in the United States
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Requirements for Proposal • • • •
Significance Research Plan Personnel Resources
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Significance • Justify and describe: – The focus of your training program – How it will develop researchers capable of highquality scientific research – The training program’s potential contribution to the field of special education or early intervention – If you are a previous recipient of a Postdoctoral Training Grant, how that grant helped train your fellows ies.ed.gov
Research Training Plan • Purpose: to outline the specific activities your training program will provide • Major Elements – Recruitment Plan – Research training activities for each fellow – Financial support for fellows and program – A plan for tracking fellows’ progress
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Personnel • Expertise of your training team • Responsibilities of each team member • Time commitments
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Resources • Show the institutions involved have access to resources needed to conduct the project at primary and sub award institutions.
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Parameters and Limits • Postdoctoral Fellows – Are expected to respond to the Institute’s annual IES Fellows Survey – Must be citizens or permanent residents of the US – Must have received their doctorate prior to the fellowship – Must make research publicly available
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Budget for Postdoctoral Training Program • Grant funds provided for direct support of fellows may include: – $53,200 in stipend per fellow per year for up to 3 years – Up to $24,000 per fellow per year that can be used for recruitment of fellows, fringe benefits (i.e. health insurance) – Travel to the Institute’s annual meeting in Washington, DC ies.ed.gov
Budget for Postdoctoral Training Program • Up to $16,000 per training program year to support related postdoctoral program expenses such as: – Tracking fellows’ progress and the success of the program – Administrative support – Honoraria for speakers for the fellows
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Agenda • Introduction to IES and NCSER • Postdoctoral Research Training Program • Early Career Development and Mentoring – – – – –
Purpose Requirements Narrative Appendices Budget
• Methods Training Using Single-Case Designs • Application Submission and Review ies.ed.gov
Purpose of Early Career Program • Develop and maintain a strong cadre of independent researchers addressing the needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, and their families and teachers • Support for an integrated research and career development plan for investigators in the early stages of their academic careers ies.ed.gov
Awards • No more than 5 awards will be made. • Maximum Awards – 4 years – $400,000 total (direct plus indirect)
• Award will be a Cooperative Agreement – Involves partnership between PI and IES
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Principal Investigators Requirements • Must have completed a doctoral degree or postdoctoral program no earlier than April 1, 2012 and no later than the start of the award period • Must hold a tenure-track position or research faculty position at an institution of higher education
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Mentor Requirements • Designate a primary mentor • Include a mentor at your home institution • Select as mentors only individuals who were not your primary graduate school or dissertation advisor or postdoctoral supervisor
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Research Focus Requirements • Focus on infants, toddlers, preschool children, or students with or at risk for disabilities, their families, teachers, related services providers, or instructional personnel • Address education outcomes
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Requirements for Proposal • • • • •
Significance Research Plan Career Development Plan Personnel Resources
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Significance • Justify and describe: – Need for further career development – Research program and research questions – Rationale for proposed research topic and goal
• How will research and career development activities are important and enhance your knowledge and skills?
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FY2016 Research Goals • Exploration • Development & Innovation
• Efficacy & Replication • Measurement RFA for Special Education Research Grants found at http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2016_84324a.pdf
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Research and Career Development Plans • Research and career development plans designed to enhance knowledge and skills of Principal Investigator • Plans should be integrated: Career Development Plan should support the Research Plan
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Research Plan • Major Elements – Focus of your research, topic area and goal – Research Design – Sample – Key outcome measures – Data analysis
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Research Plan • Mentors should assist with development of Research Plan • Less detail is expected compared to proposals submitted to the Special Education Research Grants competition
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Research Plan 1. What education problem do you want to solve? What question do you want to answer? 2. Does the underlying issue of this research question/problem fit within one of the IES grant topics? 3. What content will you address? What sample will you study? 4. Does your research method fit the requirements of one of the IES goals? ies.ed.gov
Career Development Plan • Describe the following components in your Career Development Plan – Planned process of mentoring – A training plan, including educational opportunities to extend your expertise
• Describe how both components of your Career Development Plan are integrated with (and support) the Research Plan ies.ed.gov
Career Development: Additional Training Plan • Example educational opportunities: – IES Summer Institute (e.g., RCT or single-case design) – Grant-writing workshop – Advanced statistical coursework to learn new analysis skill (e.g., HLM, SEM)
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Personnel • Expertise of your research team, including mentors – Qualifications, roles, and relationship to content and methodology foci of IES – Mentors’ prior experiences with mentoring early career researchers – Special education research projects conducted by mentors
• Time commitments ies.ed.gov
Resources • Show the institutions involved have access to resources needed to complete the work at primary and sub award institutions – Do not use university boilerplate – Describe institutional training supports (e.g., workshops, research groups on campus) – Include start-up packages
• Must describe the resources to disseminate project results ies.ed.gov
Budget for Early Career Program • Salary: Up to 50% of academic year salary – Can be used for protected time (or “buy out”) to concentrate on research
• Budget for mentor(s) up to $3000 total per year • Travel – Meet with primary mentor (if different institution) – Travel to workshops available at other institutions – Travel to professional conferences (including IES PI meeting in Washington, DC) ies.ed.gov
Agenda • • • •
Introduction to IES and NCSER Postdoctoral Research Training Program Early Career Development and Mentoring Methods Training Using Single-Case Designs – Purpose – Requirements – Narrative – Appendices
• Application Submission and Review ies.ed.gov
Purpose of SCD Training Program • Support training of researchers to maintain and enhance their methodological skills related to the use of rigorous SCD and associated data analysis techniques • Support a project that provides researchers with intensive, relevant training that can be immediately applied in their work
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Awards • Maximum Awards – 3 years – $700,000 total (direct plus indirect)
• Award will be a Cooperative Agreement – Involves partnership between PI and IES
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Key Personnel Requirements • All key personnel must be named in the application
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Requirements for Proposal • • • •
Significance Research Plan Personnel Resources
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Significance • Justify and describe: – The focus of your training program – How the focus is important to improving the field
• Include: – The specific single-case methodologies that will be the focus of your training program – The intended participants
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Research Plan • Purpose: To describe the training to be provided, including recruitment for and outcomes of the training • Major Elements – A recruitment plan (i.e. announcement, selection criteria, timeline) – A description of the training content, format, and activities that will lead participants to develop the knowledge and skills needed to apply the methods to be taught – A plan to track participants’ progress and determine the success of the training program ies.ed.gov
Personnel • Expertise of your training team – Qualifications, roles, and previous experience providing training
• Responsibilities of each team member • Time commitments • Must clearly include all key personnel on the project team
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Resources • Show the institutions involved have access to resources needed to conduct the project at primary and sub award institutions – Institutional capacity and experience to manage a grant of this size
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Parameters and Limits • PI to attend one meeting each year in Washington, DC • Participant Characteristics – Must be citizens or permanent residents of the US – Must have received their doctorate prior to training – Research must be relevant to education in the US
• Participant Support – Participants expected to cover own travel costs – Lodging and per diem (cannot exceed government reimbursement rates) – Funds should not be used to pay for food* ies.ed.gov
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Agenda • • • • •
Introduction to IES and NCSER Postdoctoral Research Training Program Early Career Development and Mentoring Methods Training Using Single-Case Designs Application Submission and Review
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Important Dates and Deadlines
Application Deadline August 20, 2015 4:30:00 PM DC Time
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Letter of Application Intent Due Package Date Posted May 21, 2015 May 21, 2015
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Start Dates
July 1, 2016 to Sept 1, 2016
Application Due Dates • Applications are accepted once a year. • The authorized representative at your institution (not the PI) actually submits the grant to IES. • For FY 2016, applications are due August 20, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM Washington DC time (Eastern). • We do NOT accept late applications. ies.ed.gov
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Finding Application Packages
• FY 2016 Application Packages will be available on www.grants.gov
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Peer Review Process • Applications are reviewed for compliance and responsiveness to the RFA. • Applications that are compliant and responsive are assigned to a review panel. • Two or three panel members conduct a primary review of each application. – Most competitive applications move to full panel.
• At panel meeting, the most competitive applications are reviewed by full panel. ies.ed.gov
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Peer Review Process Information
http://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/index.asp
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Notification • All applicants will receive e-mail notification that the following information is available via the Applicant Notification System (ANS): • Status of award • Reviewer summary statement
• If you are not granted an award the first time, consider resubmitting and talking with your program officer. ies.ed.gov
Resources for Researchers • Visit links for faculty and researchers on IES website: http://ies.ed.gov/resourcesforresearchers.asp • Participate in webinars for FY 2016 competitions
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Reminders •Attend to: Page, budget, and grant period limits. Materials allowed in appendices. Review criteria. Review criteria for the three training programs are not the same.
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Help Us Help You •Read the Request for Applications carefully •Call or e-mail project officers early in the process •As time permits, we can review draft proposals and provide feedback
Don’t be afraid to contact us! ies.ed.gov
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For More Information http://ies.ed.gov/funding Kristen Rhoads
[email protected] Robert Ochsendorf
[email protected] ies.ed.gov
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