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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Requirements for Proposal
Significance
Research Plan
Career Development Plan
Personnel
Resources

14. 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?

15. 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

16. FY2015 Research Goals *Exploration *Development & Innovation
Efficacy & Replication
Effectiveness
*Measurement
RFA for Special Education Research Grants found at

17. 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

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

19. 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

20. 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?

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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)

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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)

32. 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

33. 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
If you miss the deadline, please contact Kristen Rhoads to let her know of your intent to submit

34. 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

35. Finding Application Packages
FY 2015 Application Packages will be available on

37. 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

38. Peer Review Process Information

39. Notification
All applicants will receive 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

40. Resources for Researchers
Visit links for faculty and researchers on IES website:
Participate in webinars for FY 2015 competitions

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

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