Direct Experience, Personal Strategies, and Academic Benefits of Participating in IES Competitions

1. Direct Experience, Personal Strategies, and Academic Benefits of Participating in IES Competitions Rafael Lara-Alecio, Professor, Department of Educational Psychology Seminar Mini Series Part 1: Applying for Institute of Education Sciences Grants March 21, 2012

2. Direct Experiences • I always have as the first goal of my grants– to serve the University land grant mission regarding teaching, research, and service • Teaching via mentoring the new generation of scholars • Research via providing avenues for expanding knowledge and skills with their dissertations and publications • Service via responding to the needs of Texas citizens

3. Direct Experiences • IES grants provide state, national, and international status • Professor • Students • Program • Department • College • University • Partners

4. Direct Experiences • IES provides opportunities for meeting other researchers across the country working in similar projects. • It provides opportunities to be part of international groups and share cutting edge research. • IES grants provide opportunities to share valid and reliable information for policy makers’ use.

5. Direct Experiences • IES provides new opportunities to continue advancing scholarly work at large scales. • IES provides opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary groups developing curriculum material and assessment instruments.

6. Direct Experiences • IES provides economical benefits to the Program, Department, College, University, School District, and Businesses. • Project ELLA had funding of $6,762,115. Of that amount, 26% indirect costs ($1,758,150) went to the Program, Department, College, and University.

7. Personal Strategies • Because support from school settings is needed from day one and throughout the life of the project, be certain that the top level administrators--at the time that you get the award-- are with you supporting your efforts.

8. Personal Strategies • In order to compete for IES grants, you must demonstrate a strong research agenda with strong scholarly work (Tier 1 journals). • Students, teachers, administrators, and even parents play a critical role in the success of the project. Be sure that you compensate them for their efforts as your grant allows.

9. Personal Strategies • A major research grant requires an interdisciplinary team effort. Be sure that you know each of the key researchers and people serving in different positions such as Co-Pisor Coordinators who will carry out different tasks in the project.

10. Personal Strategies • Be extremely serious about managing all the parts of the budget. Strong management willgive you status at the federal government level and at the university and will make you feel safe for future competitions. • Last but not least, do not forget to do all the paper work required by the federal, state and university administration such as IRB forms. Stay informed about the new rules, and notify the IRB should any change occur in your design or sample.

11. Academic Benefits • Our IES grant, Project ELLA, provided unique research opportunities to many graduate students and junior faculty.

12. Academic Benefits • Drs. Robert Slavin and Allen Cheung from Johns Hopkins University and the Success for All Foundationhave conducted a new research synthesis on the most effective programs for English language learners related to reading under experimental research designs. Project ELLA is cited as one of the most influential studies impacting the academic life of English Language learners. This review should be published in the Reading Research Quarterly in the near future.

13. Academic Benefits • Today the following dissertations have been written using data from this project. One dissertation was awarded the best dissertation in our Department. One dissertation was awarded a national award (NABE). One dissertation was selected as a finalist for a national award (AERA). Over seven dissertations studies are in progress, and all expected to be finished between this and the next year.

14. Academic Benefits • Helms, S. (2011, December). Educational Bricolage: Quilts, Maps, Rhizomes, and the Project ELLA Community. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Sam Houston State University. (Committee Member) • Contreras, A. (2011, December). The Psychometric Properties of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI). Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Co-Chair) • Spies, T. G. (2011, May). Academic Language Proficiency Development and its Impact on Reading Comprehension: Within and Across Languages. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Co-Chair) • Penn, A. B. (2010, August). Phonemic Awareness and its Impact on Emerging Spanish Literacy in Bilingual Classrooms. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Co-Chair) • Acosta, S. (2010, May). High Stakes Reading Assessment and English Oral Language Development for Third Grade English language Learners. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Chair) • Nava-Walichoski, M. (2009, December). An Alternative Oral Proficiency and Expressive Vocabulary Assessment of Kindergarten English Language Learners. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Chair) • Quiros, A. (2008, August). Structured Story Reading and Retell Related to Listening Comprehension and Vocabulary Acquisition among English Language Learners. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Chair) • Tong, F. (2006, December). Oral English Development and Its Impact on Emergent Reading Achievement: A Comparative Study of Transitional Bilingual and Structured English Immersion Models. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Chair) • Esquierdo, J. J. (2006, May). Early Identification of English Language Learners for Gifted and Talented Programs. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. (Committee Chair)

15. Academic Benefits • Publications in Top Refereed Journals. • Over 11 manuscripts have been published using ELLA Data. • Publications have involved graduate students as well. • Another 10 manuscripts are in progress.

16. Academic Benefits • Irby, B. J., Guerrero, C., Rafael-Alecio, R., Tong, F., & Rodriguez, L. (2012). High-quality professional development for teachers of English language learners. School Leadership Review, 7(1) 36-46. • Quiros, A., Lara-Alecio, R., Tong, F., & Irby, B.J. (2012). The effect of a structured story reading intervention, story retell and higher order thinking for English language and literacy acquisition (STELLA). Journal of Research in Reading, 35(1), 87-113. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9817.2010.01472.x • Irby, B. J., Tong, F., Nichter, M, Lara-Alecio, R., Hassey, F., & Guerrero-Valecillos, C. (2011). Hispanic English learners’ self esteem related to instructional program type, language of instruction, and gender. TABE Journal. • Tong, F., Lara-Alecio, R., Irby, B. J., & Mathes, G. P. (2011). The effects of an instructional intervention on dual language development among first grade Hispanic English learning boys and girls: A two-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Research, 104, 87-99. doi: 10.1080/00220670903567364 • Tong, F., Irby, B. J., Lara-Alecio, R., Yoon, M., & Mathes, G. P. (2010). Hispanic English learners’ response to a longitudinal English instructional intervention and the effect of gender: A multilevel analysis. The Elementary School Journal, 110(4), 542-566. • Lara-Alecio, R., Tong, F., Irby, B.J., & Mathes, P. (2009). Teachers’ pedagogical differences during ESL block among bilingual and English-immersion kindergarten classrooms in a randomized trial study. Bilingual Research Journal, 32(1), 77-100. • Tong, F., Irby, B.J., Lara-Alecio, R., & Mathes, P. (2008). English and Spanish acquisition by Hispanic second graders in developmental bilingual programs: A 3-year longitudinal randomized study. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 30, 500-529. • Irby, B.J., Quiros, A., Lara-Alecio, R., Rodriguez, L., & Mathes, P. (2008). What administrators should know about a research-based oral language development intervention for English language learners: A description of story retelling and higher order thinking for English language and literacy acquisition—STELLA. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m17321/1.1/ • Tong, F., Lara-Alecio, R., Irby, B. J., Mathes, P.G., & Kwok, O. (2008). Accelerating early academic oral English development in transitional bilingual and structured English immersion programs. American EducationalResearchJournal. 4, 1011-1044. • Ezquierdo, J.J., Irby, B., & Lara-Alecio, R. (2008). Initial screening for gifted and talented programs: Increasing participation of Hispanic English language learners. TEMPO, 28(2), pp. 25-29. • Helms, S., Irby, B.J., Lara-Alecio, R., & Mathes, P. (2006). Parents' reflections of their children‘s participation in Project ELLA: A comparative study of English language learners in bilingual and structured English immersion classrooms. The TABE Journal. 9(1), 35-45.

17. Academic Benefits • Refereed Presentations as National, International, Regional, State, and Local Levels • Over 22 refereed presentation have taken place using Data from ELLA Projects. Our presentations always involve graduate students.

18. Academic BenefitsSample of Presentations • Lara-Alecio, R., & Irby, J. B (2011). Classroom Observations through Project ELLA. Paper presented to the Arabian, Educational Training Group (AETG), Saudi Arabia. • Lara-Alecio, R., Irby, B. J., Tong, F., *Guerrero-Valecillos, C., & Rodriguez, L. (2011, April). Learning academic science language among intermediate English learners. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA. • Lara-Alecio, R. (2010). Project ELLA. A successful longitudinal research study for bilingual students grades K-3. Paper presented to the United States International Agency Annual Conference. University Rafael Landivar, Guatemala, Guatemala. • Guerrero-Valecillos, C., Tong, F., Lara-Alecio, R., & Irby, B. J. (2010, April). Spanish-speaking English learners' performance on high-stakes reading assessment. Paper discussion presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO. • Tong, F., Irby, B., Lara-Alecio, *Hassey, F., Nicher, N. (2010, April). Hispanic English-learners’ self-esteem in language competency: The influence of intervention, language of instruction and gender. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO. • Walichowski, M., Lara-Alecio, R., Irby, B., Tong, F., Durodola, S., & Goodson, P. (2010, April). Systematic development of the semantic and syntactic scoring system for oral proficiency and expressive vocabulary for kindergarten English language learners. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO. • Lara-Alecio, R., Irby, B., Tong, F., Mathes, P. (2010, April). Project ELLA (English Language/Literacy Acquisition): Longitudinal findings. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO. • Guerrero-Valecillos, C., Tong, F., Lara-Alecio, R., & Irby, B. J. (2009, October). Spanish-speaking English learners’ performance on a high-stakes reading assessment. Paper presented at the annual meeting of Texas Association of Bilingual Education, Houston, TX. • Irby, B. J., Lara-Alecio, R., Johnson, E., Tong, F., Achilles, C. (2009, August). Considerations for experimental research design employed in schools. Paper presented at National Council of Professors of Educational Administration Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. • Tong, F., Lara-Alecio, R., Irby, B. J., *Guerrero-Valecillos, C. (2009, April). Promoting bilingualism and biliteracy: A four-year longitudinal comparison between one-way dual-language and transitional bilingual models. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA. • Tong, F., Irby, B. J., Lara-Alecio, R., *Guerrero-Valecillos, C. (2009, April). Gender differences on English language/literacy acquisition among Hispanic second language learners. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

19. Extended BenefitsFollowing is a figure that indicates the model of Project ELLA. This national impact study would not have been possible without Aldine ISD.

20. IES GRANT FUNDED • Lara-Alecio, R. (2003-2008). English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA), U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C., Contract No.R305P030032, $6,762,115. 10/03-09/08. Role: Principal Investigator and ProjectDirector. • Currently, there is an IES grant application under review which is an ELLA-Replication study.