Associate Commissioner of Teaching and Learning, NCER SEEKING FUNDING FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH AT THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES ELIZABETH R. ALBRO, Ph.D. Associate Commissioner of Teaching and Learning, NCER SERA February 14, 2018

What is IES? ED’s research arm, non-partisan by law. Provide rigorous & relevant evidence on which to ground education practice and policy. Share this information broadly. Seek to identify what works, what doesn't, and why

Our Goal To improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly those at risk of failure

IES Organizational Structure Office of the Director National Board for Education Sciences Standards & Review Office National Center for Education Research “305” National Center for Special Education Research “324” National Center for Education Evaluation National Center for Education Statistics

https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/research/

Start Your Search For Funding Here http://ies.ed.gov/funding

FY 2019 Still to be determined Want to be the first to know when the RFAs are posted? Sign up for the IES Newsflash http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash/ Follow us on Twitter @IESResearch

CFDAs 84.305A and 84.324A NCER (305) & NCSER (324) Select 1 of 5 Research Goals Select 1 of 12 (NCER) or 11 (NSCER) Topics

Research Topics NCER NCSER Autism Spectrum Disorders Early Intervention Cognition & Student Lrng in SpED Families of Children with Disabilities Math & Science Education Professional Development Reading, Writing, & Lg Dev Social & Bhv’l Outcomes SpED Policy, Finance, & Systems Technology for Special Education Transition Outcomes for Secondary Stdts Cognition & Student Learning Early Learning Programs/Policies Education Leadership Education Technology Effective Teachers & Teaching English Learners Improving Education Systems Postsecondary & Adult Ed Reading & Writing Social & Bhv’l Context STEM Education Special Topics

In each Request for Applications (RFA) Overview and General Requirements Topic Requirements Research Goals Competition Regulations and Review Criteria Preparing your Application Submitting your Application

All applications submitted via Grants.gov

IES Peer Review Process Overseen by the Standards & Review Office Initial review by 2-4 independent reviewers Most competitive applications are then reviewed by the full panel of ~18-20 reviewers Final scientific merit scores used to make funding recommendations

Who Are Our Peer Reviewers? https://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/FY2017/index.asp

Learn More @ Funded Projects

Grant Writing Is A Process

Building an Application Read the RFA carefully Build a good team Talk to your Program Officer Write a well-crafted proposal

Writing Clearly Be specific: Reviewers notice overly general significance sections Add detail: Reviewers want to know HOW you will carry out the proposed research. Especially re intervention, development cycle, or data analysis Don’t use jargon and assume prior knowledge Find a good editor: Poor writing (e.g., grammar) & awkward constructions can harm an application.

Remember You can’t get funded if you don’t submit an application Revise and resubmit is the rule, not the exception Persistence (often) pays off

Help Us Help You Read the Request for Applications carefully. Send IES program officers a one-page description of your proposed project. Then talk with an IES program officer. Send the program officer your draft, so that s/he can provide feedback as time permits.

Any Questions? Thanks! Elizabeth Albro elizabeth.albro@ed.gov @IESResearch https://www.facebook.com/IESResearch/