Grant Writing Workshop for Young Investigators

1. Grant Writing Workshop for Young Investigators Elizabeth R. Albro, Ph.D. Associate Commissioner Teaching and Learning Division National Center for Education Research

2. Getting Started Recognize that competing a successful grant application is a process that begins before the initial application submission. And that preparing a grant application is part of building your program of research.

3. “Pre-Application Submission Process” • Acquire experience taking responsibility for components of research projects (graduate student, postdoctoral fellow) • Start small • Smaller projects (e.g., internal grants) • Lesser roles on external proposals (e.g., co-PI, project manager) • Demonstrate productivity

8. Application Process • Read the Request for Applications carefully • Build a good team • Talk to your Program Officer • Write a good application

9. Read the Request for Applications Carefully

10. Finding Requests for Applications FY 2012 Requests for Applications are available on: http://ies.ed.gov/funding Sign up for the IES Newsflash: http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash/

11. http://ies.ed.gov/

12. Finding Application Packages FY 2012 Application Packages are available on www.grants.gov.

13. Identify Appropriate Research Program • Review RFAs • Review Project Abstracts • http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects/ • http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects/ • Talk to IES Program Officers

14. Research Grant Programs • Education and Special Education Research Grants Programs • National Research and Development Centers • Statistical and Research Methodology in Education • Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Policies

15. Focus of this Presentation • Education Research Grants Program (84.305A) • Special Education Research Grants Program (84.324A)

16. Identify Appropriate Topic within Research Program

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

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

19. Identify Appropriate Goal

20. Determine Which Goal is Right for You • Exploration • Development & Innovation • Efficacy and Replication • Scale-Up Evaluation • Measurement

21. Helpful Hint • Proposing a smaller project often makes sense for junior investigators without long histories of managing research grants.

22. Exploration • Explore the association between malleable factors and education outcomes • A malleable factor can be changed by the education system be it a characteristic of students (e.g., skills, behaviors), teachers (e.g., credentials, practices) or school (e.g., climate, size) , or an education program or policy • Underlying processes that enhance or inhibit learning • Aspects of a school, district,or community associated with beneficial education outcomes • Education interventions associated with beneficial education outcomes (e.g., professional development, curricula, policies) • Explore factors that mediate or moderate the relationship between malleable factors and student outcomes

23. Exploration May Include • Original data collection with appropriate statistical analyses • Secondary data analysis of existing datasets • Secondary data analysis complemented by primary data collection • Meta-analyses designed to determine moderators or moderators of effects

24. Exploration • Secondary data analysis or meta-analysis: • Typical award: $100,000 to $300,000 per year (direct and indirect) • Maximum 2 years and $700,000 • Primary data collection and analysis (with or without a secondary data analysis): • Typical award: $100,000 to $400,000 per year • Maximum 4 years and $1,600,000

25. Development and Innovation • Develop new interventions (e.g., instructional practices, curricula, teacher professional development) • Demonstrate the feasibility of the intervention for implementation in an authentic education delivery setting • Collect pilot data on promise of intervention to achieve intended outcomes

26. Development and Innovation • Typical award: $150,000 to $400,000 per year • Maximum of 3 years and $1,500,000 • No more than 30% of award can be used for the pilot study

27. Efficacy and Replication • Causal test of whether or not a fully developed intervention has a beneficial impact on student outcomes relative to a counterfactual in an authentic educational setting • Interventions already in wide use • Interventions not in wide use • Takes place under “ideal” conditions • Homogenous sample of students/schools • Extra assistance to support high implementation

28. Efficacy and Replication • Typical award: $250,000 to $650,000 per year • Maximum of 4 years and $3,500,000

29. Scale-up Evaluation • Independent causal test of whether or not a fully developed efficacious intervention has a beneficial impact on student outcomes relative to a counterfactual in an authentic educational setting under routine implementation • Independent: evaluation team has no financial interest in intervention • Efficacious: evidence of intervention’s efficacy • Routine implementation: as implemented by practitioners with expected level of support if adopted by a school or district

30. Scale-up Evaluations • Typical award: $350,000 to $900,000 per year • Maximum of 5 years and $5,000,000 • Limit of 25% of budget for implementation of the intervention

31. Measurement • Develop and test assessments or other measurement tools • Typical award: $150,000 to $300,000 per year • Maximum of 4 years and $1,600,000

32. Which Goal and Topic are Right for You? • Choose topic and goal that demonstrate your expertise and skills • Start to think about which goal is appropriate for the question(s) you want to answer • Look at the abstracts of projects funded under a research topic • http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/index.asp

33. What if My Program is “Between” Goals or Topics? PICK ONE! • Read the Request for Applications • 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….

34. Challenge Your challenge is to convince reviewers that you and your team have the skills and experience to implement well what you have proposed.

35. Build a Good Team

36. How to Build a Team • Think about the type of expertise that is needed to carry out the project. For example, • Curriculum Development • Psychometrician • Statistician/Methodologist • Consider Goal • Consider your own training and experience

37. How to Build a Team (cont.) • Demonstrate your productivity • Include a senior researcher with a strong grant record as a member of the team • Ensure all team members commit sufficient time to implement competently the proposed research

38. Next Steps • Read the Request for Applications closely one more time and confirm that your idea fits the requirements for a specific Topic (e.g., Read/Write) and Goal • Then talk to your Program Officer

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

40. Information for Applying • Requests for Applications • Letter of Intent • IES Grants.gov Application Submission Guide • ApplicationPackage • Key Dates

41. Request for Applications (RFA) • A separate RFA for each grant program • Describes the requirements for an application • Requests for Applications are available on: http://ies.ed.gov/funding • To be informed about the release of future RFAs, sign up for the IES Newsflash: http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash/

42. Letter of Intent (LOI) • A short description of your intended application • PI, institution, collaborators • Budget – rough estimate • Up to 1 page abstract describing the work • Purpose • Used by program officers to discuss your idea • Used by IES Office of Standards and Review to plan for peer review process • Not used in the peer review process – superseded by your application • Submitted on http://iesreview.ed.gov

43. IES Grants.gov Application Submission Guide • Instructions for completing and submitting the application package • Available on http://ies.ed.gov/funding

44. Application Packages • Contains the forms to be filled out and submitted as your application • Available at www.grants.gov • Help: support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726 • For the June 23, 2011 application deadline, packages will be available starting April 21, 2011 • For the September 22, 2011 deadline, packages will be available starting July 21, 2011 • Packages are specific for grant program and deadline

45. Key Dates

46. Write a Good Application (Complete ALL components)

47. Preparing the Application Package • SF 424 Research and Related (R&R) forms including R&R Total Federal and Non-Federal Budget form • Project Summary/Abstract • Contents of the Application

48. Contents of Application Include: • Project Narrative • Bibliography and References Cited • Biographical Sketches of Key Project Personnel • Narrative Budget Justification • Subaward Budgets

49. Contents of Application Also Include: • Appendix A (tables, charts, figures, and response to reviewers if a resubmission) • Appendix B (curriculum materials) • Appendix C (letters of agreement) • Additional forms for applicants selected for funding

50. Personnel Fringe Benefits Travel Equipment Supplies Contractual Other Indirect Costs Creating a Budget:Get Help