Grant Writing Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions

1. Grant Writing Workshop forMinority Serving Institutions Katina Stapleton, Ph.D. Program Officer National Center for Education Research Carol O’Donnell, Ed.D. Program Officer National Center for Education Research

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

3. Missions of the Research Centers • NCER • supports rigorous research that addresses the nation’s most pressing education needs, from early childhood to adult education • 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

4. Final Outcomes of Interest: Student Outcomes Birth through Preschool • School readiness • Developmental outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities Kindergarten through Grade 12 • Academic outcomes in reading, writing, math, and science • Behaviors, interactions, and social skills that support learning in school and successful transitions to post-school opportunities • High school graduation • Functional outcomes that improve educational results, transitions to employment, independent living, and postsecondary education for students with disabilities

5. Final Outcomes of Interest (cont.) Postsecondary • Access, persistence, completion • Achievement in gateway math and science courses • Achievement in introductory composition courses Adult Education • Reading, writing, and math for basic and secondary education and English language learners

6. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions        Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Hispanic-Serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities

7. IES Funding Opportunities for MSIs There are no targeted funding opportunities for MSIs We encourage MSIs to apply for Education Research and Special Education Research grants We encourage MSIs to take advantage of the technical assistance IES provides

8. How can researchers at MSIs get started? • Recognize that completing a successful grant application is a process that begins before the initial application submission • Also know that preparing a grant application is part of building your program of research

9. Increase MSI Awareness of Available Funding Opportunities At the Institutional Level . . . • Scan The Federal Register (https://www.federalregister.gov), where funding opportunities are announced • Become knowledgeable about IES funding priorities and competitive grant competitions (http://ies.ed.gov/funding) • Identify researchers on campus who do work in education research (i.e., potential applicants) • They may come from outside your education department/school

10. Increase MSI Awareness of Available Funding Opportunities At the Institutional Level . . . • Make sure potential applicants are aware of available funding opportunities and IES program officers in their areas of interest • Coordinate phone or in-person meetings with IES staff to discuss your institution’s research capacity and interests

11. Increase MSI Awareness of Available Funding Opportunities At the Researcher Level . . . • Sign up for the IES Newsflash (http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash/) to be notified about new competitions • Become knowledgeable about IES funding priorities and competitive grant competitions (http://ies.ed.gov/funding)

12. Increase MSI Awareness of Available Funding Opportunities At the Researcher Level . . . • Identify your own research interests and strengths and see if they overlap with current funding priorities • Read the separate Requests for Applications (RFAs), which describe the application requirements • Contact the relevant IES program officer to discuss your ideas

14. First Step? Identify Appropriate Research Program, Topic, and Goal • Review the RFAs http://ies.ed.gov/funding • Identify a program (305A, 324B, etc.) • Identify a topic (Reading & Writing, Postsec, etc.) • Identify a goal (Exploration, Development, etc.) • Review abstracts of other projects within that topic or goal: • http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects/ • http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects/ • Talk to IES Program Officers

15. NCER Research Programs • Education Research Grants – 84.305A • Research Training in the Education Sciences – 84.305B • Research on Statistical and Research Methodology in Education – 84.305D • Evaluation of State and Local Programs and Policies – 84.305E • Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research – 84.305H

16. NCSER Research Programs • Special Education Research Grants – 84.324A • Research Training Program in Special Education: Early Career Development and Mentoring – 84.324B • Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities Research Initiative – 84.324D

17. Focus of this Presentation Education Research Grants (84.305A) Special Education Research Grants (84.324A)

18. Identify Appropriate Program, Topic, and Goal Your research question(s) and research method(s) determine the topic and goal.

19. “Does IES fund the kind of research that I (we) do?” What education problemdo you want to solve? What questiondo 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 samplewill you study? Does your research method fit the requirements of one of the IES goals?

20. Education Research Topics (84.305A) Cognition & Student Learning Early Learning Programs & Policies Education Technology Effective Teachers & Effective Teaching English Learners Improving Education Systems: Policies, Organization, Management, and Leadership Mathematics & Science Education Postsecondary and Adult Education Reading & Writing Social & Behavioral Context for Academic Learning

21. Special Education Research Topics (84.324A) Autism Spectrum Disorders Cognition & Student Learning in Special Education Early Intervention & Early Learning in Special Education Families of Children with Disabilities Mathematics & Science Education in Special Education Professional Development for Teachers & Related Service Providers Reading, Writing, and Language Development Social & Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning Special Education Policy, Finance, and Systems Technology for Special Education Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities

22. Exploration Goal • Explore associations between malleable factors and education outcomes • 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 primary data • Complete a meta-analysis

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

24. Efficacy & Replication Goal Evaluate whether or not a fully developed intervention is efficacious under limited or ideal conditions OR Gather follow-up data examining the longer term effects of an intervention with demonstrated efficacy OR Replicate an efficacious intervention varying the original conditions

25. Efficacy & Replication Goal Ask what might be needed to implement intervention under routine practice Reduce appearance of conflict of interest for developer-evaluators Does not require confirmatory mediator analyses but recommends exploratory ones NCSER also accepts efficacy studies that propose single case experimental designs

26. Effectiveness Goal Evaluate whether a fully developed intervention that has evidence of efficacy is effective when implemented under routine practice through an independent evaluation. Prior to submitting an effectiveness proposal, at least two efficacy studies of the intervention with beneficial and practical impacts on student outcomes must have been completed.

27. Effectiveness Goal • IES expects researchers to: • Implement intervention under routine practice • Include evaluators independent of development/distribution • Describe strong efficacy evidence for intervention • Does not expect wide generalizability from a single study • Expects multiple Effectiveness projects to this end • Sample size is not a key distinction from Efficacy • Does not require confirmatory mediator analyses but encourages exploratory ones • Cost of implementation is limited to 25% of budget

28. 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

29. NCER Grants by Goal

30. NCSER Grants by Goal

31. Maximum Award Amounts (84.305A & 84.324A)

32. The Goals Build on One Another • Exploration could lead to: • Development or modification of an intervention • Efficacy evaluation of an intervention • Development & Innovation could lead to an Efficacy evaluation, if the intervention is found feasible and pilot data is supportive • Efficacy & Replication could lead to an Effectiveness study, if impact is found across multiple efficacy/replication studies • Measurement could feed into the other goals

33. What if My Project is “Between” Goals or Topics? PICK ONE! • Read all of the goals in the RFA so that you understand where your work falls along the continuum of goals. What should come before your project? What should come after it? • Break the project down into smaller pieces • Don’t just go for the largest amount of money • Aim for a well-crafted project that will deliver what it promises • Discuss your ideas with a program officer

34. The Application’s Research Narrative Key part of your application 4 Sections: Significance Research Plan Personnel Resources Requirements vary by topic and goal 25 pages, single-spaced

35. Significance • Describes the overall project • Your research question(s) to be answered, or • Intervention to be developed or evaluated, or • Measure to be developed and/or validated • Provides a compelling rationale for the project • Theoretical justification • Logic Models, Change Models • Empirical justification • Practical justification • Justifies the overall importance of the work

36. Research Plan • Describe the work you intend to do • How you will answer your research question, or • Develop your intervention, or • Evaluate the intervention, or • Develop and/or validate your assessment • Make certain Research Plan is aligned to Significance section • All analyses should have justification in Significance (i.e., answer the research questions) • Step-by-step process • Timeline to show when everything will be done

37. Build a Good Team

38. Personnel Convince reviewers that your team has the skills and experience to implement the proposed work If all the expertise required for your project is not available on your campus, consider partnering with another institution Demonstrate your productivity Make sure the team includes a senior researcher with a strong grant record

39. Personnel • Link each person and their expertise to their role in the project: • Qualifications • Roles • Responsibilities • Percent of time devoted to the project • Show every aspect of project has person with expertise and time to do it.

40. Personnel Strategies for PI • Senior Researcher as PI • Show adequate time to be PI • Make credentials clear; not all reviewers may know • Junior Researcher as PI • Show you have adequate expertise not only to do work but to manage project • Continuation of graduate research • Management skills as graduate student • Reviewers more comfortable if you have senior person(s) on project to turn to for advice • Co-PI, Co-I, contractors, advisory board • Have them on for enough time to be taken seriously

41. Resources • Show the institutions involved have the capacity to support the work • Don’t use university boilerplate • If your institution lacks a strong research or grant management record • Consider partnering with an experienced institution for initial research grant submissions • Show that all organizations involved understand and agree to their roles • Describe the responsibilities of each institution, including schools, to the project • Show strong commitment of schools and districts--have alternatives in case of attrition

42. Resources • Data issues • Document permission to use and access confidential data • Show familiarity with data and show that it can be used to do the proposed work • If merging datasets, show that it can be done • Proof of access to data and schools is required

43. Next Steps?

44. Talk to the Program Officer • Call or e-mail IES program officers early in the process • IES program staff can provide feedback on: • research idea • topic • goal • abstracts and draft proposals

45. Review Application Requirements Download the following: • Request for Applications • Currently available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding • Grants.gov Application Submission Guide • Will be available 4/19/12 for June deadline at http://ies.ed.gov/funding • Application Package • Will be available on http://www.Grants.gov on 4/19/12 for June deadline

46. Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) • Letters of Intent (LOIs) are optional but strongly encouraged • Submit through https://iesreview.ed.gov • Contents: 1) Descriptive title 2) Topic and goal that you will address 3) Brief description of the proposed project 4) Name and contact information for PI and Co-PIs 5) Name and institutional affiliation of any key collaborators and contractors 6) Duration of the proposed project 7) Estimated total budget request (approximation)

47. Attend a Research Training Institute • Design and Analysis of Practical Quasi-Experiments for use in Education • When: August 6-10, 2012 • Where: Northwestern University • Application Deadline: June 1, 2012 • http://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/events/workshops/qeworkshop.html

48. Additional Webinars Available http://ies.ed.gov/funding/webinars/index.asp • Basic Overview • Application Process • Grant Writing Workshops for each goal • Grant Writing Workshops for early career researchers • Overviews of research training programs • Overviews of NCSER funding opportunities

49. Check Out Our Other Resources http://ies.ed.gov/resourcesforresearchers.asp

50. Important Dates and Deadlines