1. Research Training Program in Special Education:
Early Career Development and Mentoring
Amy Sussman, Ph.D.
Program Officer
National Center for Special Education Research
Amanda Hoffman, Ph.D.

2. 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

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

4. The 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

5. 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

6. Request for Applications
Research Training Program in Special Education: Early Career Development and Mentoring
(CFDA #84.324B)
New competition for FY2013

7. Purpose of Early Career Program
Develop and maintain a strong cadre of researchers interested in 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 stage of their academic careers

8. Purpose (cont) More specifically…
Support to further develop methodological, content, and grant writing expertise needed to develop a strong line of research
Ensure that the research and training be guided closely by a scientist experienced in the study of children with or at risk for disabilities (mentorship)
Provide new investigators with protected time, if needed, to concentrate on developing research skills and a program of research

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
Eligibility
Focus of research on infants, toddlers, children, or youth with or at risk for disabilities
Need for additional research training
Completed doctoral degree or postdoctoral training within 3 years of the application due date
Tenure-track position at an Institution of Higher Education (IHE)
No previous IES award as PI or co-PI

11. Requirements for Proposal
Significance
Research and Career Development Plans
Personnel
Resources

12. Significance Justify and describe…
Need for further career development (esp. if received postdoc training)
Planned program of research (from prior through future)
Significance of proposed research project
Significance of the career development plan (including mentor’s role and additional training opportunities)
How will research and career development activities enhance your knowledge and skills?

13. Research and Career Development Plans
Research and career development plans designed to enhance knowledge and skills of early investigator
Plans must be integrated: Career development plan must support the research plan

14. Research Plan Major Elements
Research Questions/Aims
Methodology
Sample
Research design
Measures/data sources
Data analysis
Expectation of further research plan development with guidance of mentor

15. 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?

16. 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

17. FY2013 Research Goals *Exploration *Development & Innovation
Efficacy & Replication
Effectiveness
*Measurement
RFA for Special Education Research Grants found at

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

19. 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 and usability in actual education settings
AND collect pilot data on student outcomes

20. 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

21. Career Development Plan
Two components of career development plan
Mentoring plan
Additional training plan
Both components of career development plan must be integrated with (and support) the research plan

22. Career Development: Mentoring Plan
One primary mentor is required
Co-mentors are allowed
Eligibility requirements
Relevant expertise
Tenured positions at IHE
Not the PI’s graduate school/dissertation advisor or postdoctoral supervisor
Proposal requires detailed description of mentoring process
Expectation that mentor will work with you in developing career development plan

23. Career Development: Additional Training Plan
Educational opportunities (examples):
IES Summer Institute (e.g., RCT or single-case design)
Grant-writing workshop
Advanced statistical coursework to learn new analysis skill (e.g., SEM)
How will training activities help reach concrete training goals and support the proposed research?

24. Personnel
Focus is mainly on you as the PI and your mentor(s), though you may have other key personnel listed as well (e.g., consultant)
How does research expertise of each of you reflect the foci of IES – content and methodology?
Time commitment of mentor must be clear
Outside of narrative, there is space for:
Brief CVs / biosketches (4 pages) plus research support pages
Appendix A requires letter of support from each mentor, and description of each mentor’s research projects

25. Resources
Show the institutions involved have the capacity to support the work
Do not use university boilerplate
Describe institutional training supports (e.g., workshops, research groups on campus)
Include start-up packages
Outside of narrative, show that all organizations involved understand and agree to their roles
Appendix A requires letter of support from your institution
Letters of agreement are eventually needed from schools/districts that are participating in research

26. Additional Requirement for Early Career Program
Evaluation Plan
Timeline of activities to support research and training goals
Outcomes for both research and career development plans (examples):
Completion of workshop to obtain necessary data analysis skills
Manuscripts submitted for publication
Grant proposals submitted

27. FAQ: Am I eligible to apply?
Q: I received my PhD 3 years ago in May Am I eligible to apply? Q: I recently received my PhD and am working full-time as a Research Scientist at a university. It is a non-tenure-track position, but it is a stable appointment in a research center. Am I eligible to apply?

28. FAQ: Am I eligible to apply?
Q: Although I recently received my PhD, I already had a faculty position, non-tenured and at the level of Associate Professor. Because I just finished my PhD, I am a junior researcher. Am I eligible to apply? Q: I am an Assistant Professor at a university, and I received my PhD less than 3 years ago. However, my department does not offer tenure, and therefore I am not technically in a “tenure-track” position. Am I eligible to apply to the Early Career competition?

29. FAQ: Can this person be my mentor?
Q: Can my mentor be someone from my dissertation committee who was not directly my advisor? Q: My primary mentor will be at a different institution. Can my co-mentor be on a different campus of the same university system? Does this count as the same institution?

30. 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

31. Writing the Proposal: Narrative
Key portion of your application
Comprised of four sections:
Significance (of research and career development)
Research & Career Development Plans
Personnel
Resources

32. Appendices Appendix A (10 page limit) Appendix B (10 page limit)
Figures, charts, and tables
Examples of measures to be used in research
Letter of Agreement from each mentor and the Institution
Summary table of special education research projects of each mentor
Appendix B (10 page limit)
Examples of materials used in an intervention or assessment
Appendix C (no page limit)
Letters of Agreement (districts, schools, data providers, other partners, consultants)
Clearly state responsibilities of the writer

33. Budget and Budget Narrative
Provide a clear budget and budget narrative for overall project
IES Grants.gov Application Submission Guide describes budget categories
Ensure agreement among Research Narrative, Budget, and Budget Narrative

34. 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
Costs directly associated with research project and career development plan
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)

35. Letter of Intent Due Date
Important Dates and Deadlines
FY 2013 Program
Application Deadline
Letter of Intent Due Date
Application Posted
Start Dates
324B: Early Career Program
9/20/12
7/19/12
7/1/13 to
9/1/13

36. Review Application Requirements
Request for Applications
Currently available at
Grants.gov Application Submission Guide
Will be available 7/19/12 at
Application Package
Will be available on Grants.gov on 7/19/12

37. Information Sources Begin at the IES website (http://ies.ed.gov/)
Sign up for the IES Newsflash
Look at the IES funding webpage
Review current Requests for Applications
Look at the abstracts of projects funded under a research topic or program
Contact relevant program officer

41. Resources for Researchers
Visit links for researchers on IES website
Review past webinars
Participate in future webinars for the FY 2013 competitions
Watch methodology videos

42. Resources for Researchers
Visit links for faculty and researchers on IES website
Review past webinars, and participate in future webinars for the FY 2013 competitions

44. Submit a Letter of Intent
LOIs are submitted electronically using the instructions provided at:
We encourage all researchers to submit Letters of Intent
7/19/12 (after due date, LOI directly to the program officer)

45. Grant Submission
Make sure your institution is registered on Grants.gov
Complete your online forms and upload PDFs
Authorized representative completes the process
Submit by 4:30:00pm DC time on deadline – earlier is safer
If problems uploading
Contact Help Line and get a case number

46. Verification of Submission
You should receive three s
Grants.gov will say they have received your submission and assign you a number that starts with GRANT
Grants.gov will say your application is validated or rejected due to errors. If the latter, resubmit until validated.
Department of Education will assign you a grant number starting with R324

47. Application Review (Standards & Review Office)
Compliance screening for format requirements
Responsiveness screening to program requirements
Assigned to review panel
2-3 reviewers (substantive and methodology)
If scored high enough, application is reviewed by full panel
Many panelists will be generalists to your topic
There should be an expert in every procedure you use
Overall score plus scores on Significance, Research & Career Development Plans, Personnel, and Resources
So far, all applications with overall score of Outstanding and Excellent have been funded

48. Peer Review Process Information

49. Notification Process
All applicants will receive notification of the status of their application
All applicants receive copies of reviewer comments via
If you are not granted an award, talk to your program officer about next steps

50. For Further Information
Amy Sussman