ies.ed.gov Connecting Research, Policy and Practice Deborah Speece, Ph.D. Commissioner Jacquelyn Buckley, Ph.D. Research Scientist Webinar conducted May 9, 2012 National Center for Special Education Research: Overview

ies.ed.gov IES Organizational Structure NCSER Mission & Duties Current Goals & Activities Current Status Investments Findings New Opportunities & Future Directions Questions Outline for Today’s Webinar

ies.ed.gov IES Organizational Structure NCSER Mission & Duties Current Goals & Activities Current Status Investments Findings New Opportunities & Future Directions Questions Outline for Today’s Webinar

ies.ed.gov Organizational Structure Office of the Director National Board for Education Sciences National Center for Education Research National Center for Education Evaluation National Center for Education Statistics National Center for Special Education Research Standards & Review Office

ies.ed.gov IES Organizational Structure NCSER Mission & Duties Current Goals & Activities Current Status Investments Findings New Opportunities & Future Directions Questions Outline for Today’s Webinar

ies.ed.gov NCSER’S Mission per IDEA To sponsor research to expand knowledge and understanding of the needs of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities in order to improve the developmental, educational, and transitional results of such individuals; To sponsor research to improve services provided under, and support the implementation of, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C et seq.); and To evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in coordination with the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Source: pdf

ies.ed.gov Statutory Duties (18) Examples: – Identify scientifically based educational practices… – Examine the special needs of preschool aged children, infants, and toddlers with disabilities… – Improve the alignment, compatibility, and development of valid and reliable assessments… – Examine and improve secondary and postsecondary education and transitional outcomes… Source: pdf

ies.ed.gov Statutory Duties, Cont’d – Examine and incorporate universal design concepts… – Improve the preparation of personnel… – Help parents improve educational results… – Address the unique needs of children with significant cognitive impairments… – Examine the special needs of limited English proficient children with disabilities

ies.ed.gov IES Organizational Structure NCSER Mission & Duties Current Goals & Activities Current Status Investments Findings New Opportunities & Future Directions Questions Outline for Today’s Webinar

ies.ed.gov Commissioner’s Goals Identify pressing, researchable issues Increase the number of funded grants Improve communication with the field

ies.ed.gov Identify pressing, researchable issues Technical Working Group Pacific Coast Research Conference US Dept. of Ed/Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Teacher Roundtable CEC Division Meetings American Educational Research Association invited panel on policy and research

ies.ed.gov Increase the number of funded grants FY12 1 st Round Award abstracts now on web 28 awards: 26 research; 2 postdoctoral 10 Development, 8 Efficacy

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ies.ed.gov Improve communication with the field Within Gov’t: Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services; National Science Foundation; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Across Field: – CEC: national conference, Division leaders, teacher roundtable – Met with a number of organizations: AERA Policy Forum, HECSE, NASDSE, CCD

ies.ed.gov IES Organizational Structure NCSER Mission & Duties Current Goals & Activities Current Status Investments Findings New Opportunities & Future Directions Questions Outline for Today’s Webinar

ies.ed.gov NCSER Investments by Competition (RFA) ProgramNumber of AwardsInvestment (in millions) Special Education Research188$333.0 Research & Development Centers 4$40.0 Postdoctoral Research Training10$6.5 Small Business Innovation Research 7$7.3 Unsolicited Awards3$1.4 FY

ies.ed.gov Research & Development Centers –Improving Mathematics Instruction for Students with Mathematics Difficulties (FY 2010) –Assessment and Accountability in Special Education (FY 2011) –Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (FY 2008) –Serious Behavior Disorders at the Secondary Level (FY 2008)

ies.ed.gov Next set of slides refer to our main special education research competition held twice per year (84.324A) Investments from

ies.ed.gov Structure of the Competition 5 Goals 11 Topics

ies.ed.gov FY2013 Research Goals Exploration Development & Innovation Efficacy & Replication Effectiveness Measurement

ies.ed.gov Special Education Research Topics 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 Services 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

ies.ed.gov NCSER Projects by Goal FY 2006 – FY 2011 % of Funds Expended R & D Centers not included

ies.ed.gov NCSER Topics by Goals PortfolioGoal 1Goal 2Goal 3Goal 4Goal 5 Autism13600 CASL33100 Early Int Math/Sci Rdg/Write Prof Dev Soc/Behav Plcy/Fin/Sys07208 Transition58401 FY FY2011

ies.ed.gov NCSER Research Investments by Topic FY 2006 – FY 2011 % of Funds Expended R & D Centers not included

ies.ed.gov NCSER Investments by Developmental Level FY 2006 – FY 2011 % of Funds Expended R & D Centers not included Middle School % High School… % Middle & High School…………….. 4% hool… % Middle & High School…………….. 4%

ies.ed.gov NCSER Investments by At Risk or Identified Disability

ies.ed.gov NCSER Investments by Special Education Categories FY 2006 – FY 2011 % of Funds Expended R & D Centers not included

ies.ed.gov IES Organizational Structure NCSER Mission & Duties Current Goals & Activities Current Status Investments Findings New Opportunities & Future Directions Questions Outline for Today’s Webinar

ies.ed.gov Connecting Research, Policy and Practice Examples of Research Findings by NCSER Investigators

ies.ed.gov Exploration What Goes With What? Preservice teacher preparation in special education is uniquely related to children’s reading performance (Sass, GSU) Early and persistent mathematics difficulty robustly predicts children’s math growth over 5 years of schooling (Morgan, PSU)

ies.ed.gov Development & Innovation What Interventions Have Promise? A newly developed summer employment program showed promise of increasing community-based work experiences for youth with intellectual disabilities ( Carter, Vanderbilt) Targeted (vs. comprehensive) kindergarten literacy intervention yields better student outcomes for children at risk of disability at the end of second grade especially if implemented in kindergarten (vs. first grade); ELL children (vs. English only children) who are at risk appear to benefit the most two years after intervention ended. (O’Connor, UC-Riverside)

ies.ed.gov Efficacy & Replication What Works? Multiple investigators demonstrated that children with intellectual disabilities can improve their reading skills using instructional techniques that are effective for typically developing youngsters (e.g., Browder, UNCC) Preschoolers with autism who were in classrooms implementing a peer-based communication program had better outcomes than children in control classrooms: cognition, language, social skills, autism symptom severity (Strain, CU-D)

ies.ed.gov What Works ? (cont’d) First Step to Success, a program for students with emotional disturbance, has positive effects on external behavior, and potentially positive effects on emotional/internal behavior, social outcomes, and ratings of academic performance. Meets evidence standards as reviewed by the WWC. (Walker, ORI)

ies.ed.gov Projects Under Construction Intervention to assist middle school youth with emotional disturbance transitioning from alternative schools to general education home schools (Buchanan, OR Soc Lrng Cntr) Multimedia intervention to assist hearing parents of deaf toddlers in their children’s rehabilitation; low SES families ( Suskind, U Chicago) Computer based test delivery platform to increase accessibility of state tests for students with visual impairments (Laitusis, ETS)

ies.ed.gov IES Organizational Structure NCSER Mission & Duties Current Goals & Activities Current Status Investments Findings New Opportunities & Future Directions Questions Outline for Today’s Webinar

ies.ed.gov What’s Next? Summer Institutes – Single-case experimental designs – Randomized controlled trials – Quasi experimental designs

ies.ed.gov NCSER New Initiatives for FY13 Early Career Development and Mentoring Program Research Initiative: Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities (A3)

ies.ed.gov FY 2012 NCER (305) & NCSER (324) Grant Programs Application Deadline Letter of Intent Due Date Application Posted Start Dates 305A: Ed Research 324A: Sp Ed Research 305D: Stats/Methods 6/21/124/19/12 3/1/13 to 9/1/13 305A: Ed Research 324A: Sp Ed Research 305B: Research Training 324B: Sp Ed Research Training 324D: A3 Initiative 305E: State/Local 305H: Researcher- Practitioner Partnerships 9/20/127/19/12 7/1/13 to 9/1/13 Important Dates and Deadlines 38

ies.ed.gov For Further Information Contact the program officer for the topic under which you intend to apply: – Available in the Request for Applications: – – Sign up for IES News Flash to receive latest information: –

ies.ed.gov Additional Webinars Available Basic Overview Application Process Grant Writing Workshops for each goal Grant Writing Workshops for early career researchers and minority serving institutions Overviews of research training programs Overviews of NCSER funding opportunities

ies.ed.gov Questions??