# Presentation: 937154

## Overview of IES Education Research Training Grants

- Elizabeth R. Albro, Ph.D.
- Associate Commissioner
- Teaching and Learning Division
- National Center for Education Research

- Overview of the Institute
- Research Grant Programs
- Training Grant Programs
- Preparing and Submitting an Application
- What Happens Next?

## Overview of the Institute of Education Sciences

## Legislative Mission of IES

- Describe the condition and progress of education in the United States
- Identify education practices that improve academic achievement & access to education opportunities
- Evaluate the effectiveness of Federal and other education programs

## Long-Term Research Goals

- Develop or identify programs, practices, policies, & approaches that enhance academic achievement
- Identify what does _not_ work and thereby encourage innovation and further research
- Explain variations in effectiveness of  education programs, practices, policies, & approaches

## Current Research Grant Programs

- National Center for Education Research
- National Center for Special Education Research

## Education and Special Education Research Grants
Education and Special Education Research Training Grants
National Research and Development Centers
Statistical and Research Methodology in Education
Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Polices

- Education and Special Education Research Training Grants
- National Research and Development Centers
- Statistical and Research Methodology in Education
- Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Polices

## Shared Goals of the Training Programs

- To gain the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct the types of research the Institute funds
- Consider both **goals** (methodological emphases) and **content** (topics) in preparing your training plan

## Methodological Emphases = Research Goals

- To train education researchers who will:
- Explore associations in archival databases using sophisticated statistical techniques
- Develop new products and approaches that are grounded in a science of learning
- Conduct rigorous evaluation studies
- Design valid tests and measures

## Current NCER Topics

- Reading and Writing
- Mathematics and Science Education
- Cognition and Student Learning
- Teacher Quality
- Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning
- Education Leadership

## Current NCER Topics (cont.)

- Education Policy, Finance, and Systems
- Postsecondary Education
- Interventions for Struggling Adolescent and Adult Readers and Writers
- Middle and High School Reform
- Early Childhood Programs and Policies
- Education Technology

## NCSER Research Grant Topics

- Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
- Reading, Writing, and Language Development
- Mathematics and Science Education
- Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning
- Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary Students

## NCSER Research Grant Topics (cont.)

- Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education
- Teacher Quality
- Related Services
- Systemic Interventions and Policies for Special Education
- Autism Spectrum Disorders

## Shared Requirements of Training Programs

## Eligibility

- Academic institutions in the U.S. and its territories that grant doctoral degrees in fields relevant to education
- Training Directors must be the Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on one or more education research grants currently supported by the Institute or other sources

## Training Applications include 4 sections

- Significance
- Training Program Plan
- Personnel
- Resources

## Education Research Training Grants: Predoctoral Program

## Predoctoral Program:Purpose

- To create interdisciplinary training programs to prepare doctoral students in the education sciences
- Only offered through the National Center for Education Research, but can include training in special education research

## Predoctoral Program:Significance

- Potential contribution of the proposed predoctoral research training program for training researchers to conduct the types of research funded by IES
- How proposed predoctoral program differs from what currently exists at your university

## Predoctoral Program:Personnel

- Program Director
- + core of five or more outstanding faculty
- All with proven track records in research and training in education-related topics

## Predoctoral Program: Summary Table of Faculty Research Projects (Appendix A)

- Principal Investigator and other core faculty
- Brief description of the project, including methods used
- Explanation of how the project fits with IES research programs and goals
- Funding source
- Duration of project

## Predoctoral Program:Training Plan

- Coordinated interdisciplinary curriculum with specified content and methodological emphases
- Plan for and prior history of coordinating across disciplines
- Plan for developing a certificate in education sciences

## Predoctoral Program:Training Plan (cont.)

- Plan for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining strong graduate students
- Fellows must be citizens or permanent residents of US
- Dissertations and other products must address practical problems in education

## Predoctoral Program:Resources

- Evidence of institutional commitment to furthering goals of training program, and to creating a supportive environment for research and education
- Letters of support, submitted in Appendix A, are expected from participating departments, colleges, and the university

## Predoctoral Program Awards provide:

- Stipend support ($30,000/year)
- Cost-of-education allowance ($10,500 per year)
- Funds to support student research & travel
- Awards: Up $5,000,000 over 5 year period
- IDC: 8% on allowed costs

## Note:

- Only one predoctoral training program per university

## Goal Two: Current Predoctoral Programs

- Evidence of accomplishments of current predoctoral students
- Discussion of challenges confronted during the current funding period and plans to address and overcome these challenges

## Education Research Training Grants: Postdoctoral Program 

## Postdoctoral Program:Purpose

- To support the training of postdoctoral fellows interested in conducting education research
- Two programs offered, one through NCER, the other through NCSER

## Postdoctoral Program:Significance

- Potential contribution of the proposed postdoctoral research training program for training postdoctoral fellows to **gain the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct the types of research IES funds**

## Postdoctoral Program:Significance (cont.)

- Clearly identify and describe the topical and methodological focus of postdoctoral training to be provided
- Research Topics
- Research Goals

## Postdoctoral Program:Training Plan

- Training Director
- Plan for recruiting postdoctoral fellows and eligibility requirements of fellows
- Plan for training postdoctoral fellows

## Postdoctoral Program:Training Plan (cont.)

- How fellows gain the breadth of skills and understanding necessary to conduct rigorous applied research in education
- How fellows develop the capacity to independently carry out such research, including applying for grant funding and submitting results for publication in peer-reviewed journals

## Postdoctoral Program:Fellow Eligibility Requirements

- Must have received their Ph.D. prior to beginning training
- Special permission is needed to have a postdoctoral fellow who was a faculty member's predoctoral advisee
- Up to 4 postdoctoral fellows can be trained over the course of the grant, for 2-3 years each

## Postdoctoral Program:Personnel

- Specify proposed role of all key personnel in the training program, within 15 page narrative
- Elaborate how research expertise of the key personnel reflect content and methodological foci of the Institute
- Training Director’s time commitment to the program clearly stated in the training program narrative

## Postdoctoral Program:Resources

- Available at the participating institution
- Field settings (e.g., schools, software development laboratories) with which the Training Director has a relationship that could support fellows’ research projects

## Postdoctoral Program Awards provide:

- Stipend support ($50,000 per year)
- Fringe benefits support ($10,500 per year)
- Request funds to support fellow research & travel
- Awards: Up to $200,000/year for 4 years
- IDC: 8% on allowed costs

## Note:

- Multiple postdoctoral training program awards may be held at a single university
- IF
- Different faculty responsible for separate training programs
- Training programs have unique areas of research emphasis

## Current postdoctoral grantees seeking new funding

- Applications for new postdoctoral funding may not overlap with existing postdoctoral funding
- Applications seeking new funding must include a summary table in Appendix A that describes professional outcomes of fellows

## Postdoctoral Program:Summary Table Contents

- Name of the fellows’ primary postdoctoral mentor
- Research projects completed or currently being conducted by postdoctoral fellows who received support under a prior award
- Topic and methods used for each project
- Publications of current & former postdoctoral fellows
- Current positions of former postdoctoral fellows

## Current Support

- 17 NCER Postdoctoral Programs
- 5 NCSER Postdoctoral Programs
- 13 Predoctoral Programs
- 26 Universities
- Total of 30 postdoctoral and 233 predoctoral fellows since 2004

-          **Preparing and Submitting an Application**

## Finding Requests for Applications

- FY 2009 Requests for Applications are available on:
- _[http://ies.ed.gov/funding](http://ies.ed.gov/funding)__ _
- Click on Education Research Training Grants
- Click on Special Education Research Training Grants

## http://ies.ed.gov 

- Education Research Training RFA (84.305B)
- 	_[http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2009_84305B.pdf](http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2009_84305B.pdf)_
- Special Education Research Training RFA (84.324B)
- 	_[http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2009_84324B.pdf](http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2009_84324B.pdf)_
- Letter of intent due August 4, 2008
- Applications due October 2, 2008

## Finding Application Packages

- FY 2009 Application Packages will be available on _[www.grants.gov](http://www.grants.gov/)__._
- Check Requests for Applications for when Application Packages and Application Instructions will become available.

## Formatting Requirements for Predoctoral Applications

- Abstract is 1 page single-spaced.
- Training program narrative is no longer than **25 pages** single-spaced.
- Bibliography has no page limit.
- Each biographical sketch is limited to 4 pages.
- Budget justification has no page limit.
- Appendix A can be no longer than 15 pages.

## Formatting Requirements for Postdoctoral Applications

- Abstract is 1 page single-spaced.
- Training program narrative is no longer than **15 pages** single-spaced.
- Bibliography has no page limit.
- Each biographical sketch is limited to 4 pages.
- Budget justification has no page limit.
- Appendix A can be no longer than 15 pages.

## Help Us Help You

- Read the RFA carefully.
- Call or email IES program officers early in the process.
- IES program staff can review draft proposals, and provide feedback.
*Don’t be afraid to contact us!*

## Follow Directions and Attend to Details

- Read Requests for Applications and Application Instructions carefully
- Eligible Applicants
- Special Requirements
- Content and Formatting Requirements
- Application Submission and Processing
- Application Due Dates

## Reviewers’ Perspectives

- Write clearly and concisely
- Address the points described in RFA
- Organize information in logical sequence
- Label sections and number pages
- Make it easy for reviewers to find and understand the information

## What Happens Next?

## Peer Review

- Proposal is reviewed for compliance.
- Compliant proposals are assigned to a review panel.
- Two or three panel members conduct primary review of each application.
- Most competitive applications are reviewed by full panel at the panel meeting.

## Notification

- All applicants will receive email notification of the status of their application.
- All applicants receive copies of reviewer comments.
- If you are not granted an award the first time, consider resubmitting, and talk to your program officer.

**NCER**:Robin Harwood
- (202) 208-3896
- _[robin.](mailto:robin.harwood@ed.gov)__[harwood](mailto:robin.harwood@ed.gov)__[@ed.](mailto:robin.harwood@ed.gov)__[gov](mailto:robin.harwood@ed.gov)_
- Elizabeth Albro
- (202) 219-2148

**NCSER**: Kristen Lauer
- (202) 219-0377
- Jacquelyn Buckley
- (202) 219-2130
- _[Jacquelyn.buckley@ed.](mailto:Jacquelyn.buckley@ed.gov)__[gov](mailto:Jacquelyn.buckley@ed.gov)_