Research Training Program in Special Education: Early Career Development and Mentoring Kristen Rhoads, Ph.D. Program Officer National Center for Special Education Research

Agenda Introduction to IES and NCSER Early Career Program Purpose Eligibility Requirements Components: Research and Career Development Plans Overview of Topic and Goal Structure for Research Component Application Submission and Review

Organizational Structure of IES National Board for Education Sciences Standards & Review Office Office of the Director National Center for Education Evaluation National Center for Education Statistics National Center for Education Research 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

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

Agenda Introduction to IES and NCSER Early Career Program Purpose Eligibility Requirements Components: Career Development and Research Overview of Topic and Goal Structure for Research Component Application Submission and Review

Request for Applications Research Training Program in Special Education: Early Career Development and Mentoring (CFDA #84.324B)

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

Awards Maximum Awards Award will be a Cooperative Agreement 4 years $400,000 total (direct plus indirect) Award will be a Cooperative Agreement Involves partnership between PI and IES

Principal Investigators Requirements Must have completed a doctoral degree or postdoctoral program no earlier than May 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 Could not have served as PI or Co-PI on an IES grant Could not have received a training fellowship through an IES postdoctoral training program Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States

Mentor Requirements You must: 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

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

Requirements for Proposal Significance Research Plan Career Development Plan Personnel Resources

Significance Justify and describe: Need for further career development Planned program of research 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?

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

FY2015 Research Goals *Exploration *Development & Innovation Efficacy & Replication Effectiveness *Measurement RFA for Special Education Research Grants found at http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2015_84324a.pdf

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

Research Plan Major Elements Focus of your research, topic area and goal Research Design Sample and setting Key variables or measures Data analysis

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

Research Plan What education problem do you want to solve? What question do you want to answer? Does the underlying issue of this research question/problem fit within one of the IES grant topics? What content will you address? What sample will you study? Does your research method fit the requirements of one of the IES goals?

Exploration Goal Explore associations between education outcomes and malleable factors Identify factors and conditions that may mediate or moderate relations between malleable factors and student outcomes Possible methodological approaches include: Analyze secondary data Collect primary data Complete a meta-analysis Combination of above

Development & Innovation Goal Development process must be iterative! Develop an innovative intervention (e.g., curriculum, instructional approach, program, or policy) OR improve existing education interventions AND collect data on its feasibility, usability, and fidelity of implementation in actual education settings AND collect pilot data on student outcomes.

Measurement Goal Development of new assessments or refinement of existing assessments, and the validation of these assessments OR Validation of existing assessments for specific purposes, contexts and populations

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

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)

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

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

Agenda Introduction to IES and NCSER Early Career Program Purpose Eligibility Requirements Components: Career Development and Research Overview of Topic and Goal Structure for Research Component Application Submission and Review

Writing the Proposal: Narrative Key portion of your application Comprised of five sections: Significance (of research and career development) Research Plan Career Development Plan Personnel Resources

Appendices Appendix A (3 page limit) Appendix B (no limit) Response to prior reviewer comments Appendix B (no limit) Summary table of special education research projects of each mentor Letter of support from your institution Letters of support from mentors Appendix C (15 page limit) Timeline of planned activities Examples of measures Appendix D (10 page limit) Examples of materials used in an intervention or assessment Appendix E (no limit) Letters of Agreement (districts, schools, data providers, other partners, consultants) Clearly state responsibilities of the writer

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 Honoraria 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)

Letter of Intent Due Date Application Package Posted Important Dates and Deadlines Application Deadline Letter of Intent Due Date Application Package Posted Start Dates August 7, 2014 4:30:00 PM DC Time June 5, 2014 July 1, 2015 to Sept 1, 2015

Submit a Letter of Intent Letters of Intent are strongly encouraged Program Officer will contact you to offer assistance Used to identify expertise needed for peer-review panels and to secure a sufficient number of reviewers Non-binding and not used in review LOIs are submitted electronically https://iesreview.ed.gov If you miss the deadline, please contact Kristen Rhoads to let her know of your intent to submit

Application Due Dates Applications are accepted once a year For FY 2015, applications are due August 7, 2014 at 4:30:00 PM Washington DC time (Eastern) We do NOT accept late applications The authorized representative at your institution (not the PI) actually submits the grant to IES

Finding Application Packages FY 2015 Application Packages will be available on www.grants.gov

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

Peer Review Process Information http://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/index.asp

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

Resources for Researchers Visit links for faculty and researchers on IES website: http://ies.ed.gov/resourcesforresearchers.asp Participate in webinars for FY 2015 competitions

Don’t be afraid to contact me! Help Us Help You Read the Request for Applications carefully Call or e-mail me early in the process As time permits, I can review draft proposals and provide feedback Don’t be afraid to contact me!

For More Information http://ies.ed.gov/funding Kristen Rhoads Kristen.Rhoads@ed.gov