Connecting Research,

Policy and Practice

Basic Overview of Funding Opportunities

at the Institute of Education Sciences
Rebecca McGill-Wilkinson, Ph.D.
National Center for Education Research

Kimberley Sprague, Ed.M.

National Center for Special Education Research

ies.ed.gov

Organizational Structure of IES

Office of the
Director

National Board
for Education
Sciences

Standards &
Review Office

National
Center for
Education
Evaluation
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National
Center for
Education
Research

National
Center for
Education
Statistics

National
Center for
Special
Education
Research

Missions of the Research Centers

NCER
supports rigorous research that addresses the
nations 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
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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
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Connecting Research,
Policy and Practice

Quick Overview of Current

Investments

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NCER Investments by Competition (2002-2013)

Program

Number of
Awards

Investment
(in millions)

Education Research

584

$965.4

Research & Development Centers

20

$204.7

Postdoctoral Research Training

39

$24.7

Predoctoral Research Training

26

$121.8

Researcher and Policymaker Training

$0.8

Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships

$2.4

Eval. of State & Local Programs & Policies

14

$55.1

Statistical & Research Methodology

34

$24.8

Reading for Understanding

$113.4

Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research

12

$20.2

Social & Character Development Research

$13.6

Unsolicited

31

$44.9

73

$64.9

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Small Business Innovation Research

NCSER Investments by Competition (2006-2013)

Program

Number of
Awards

Investment
(in millions)

247

$451.0

Research & Development Centers

$62.0

Postdoctoral Research Training

12

$7.8

Early Career Development and Mentoring Training

$1.2

Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students

with Learning Disabilities Research Initiative

$10.0

Small Business Innovation Research

16

$11.0

$1.4

Special Education Research

Unsolicited Awards
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Connecting Research,
Policy and Practice

What are the FY2015 Funding

Opportunities?

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FY 2015 Research Grant Programs

Education Research Programs (84.305A)
Special Education Research Programs (84.324A)

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FY 2015 Research Grant Programs

Education Research & Development Centers (84.305C)
Knowledge Utilization
Standards in Schools
Virtual Learning

Statistical & Research Methodology in Education (84.305D)

Statistical & Research Methodology Grants
Early Career Statistical & Research Methodology Grants

Partnerships & Collaborations Focused on Problems of

Practice & Policy (84.305H)
Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research
Continuous Improvement Research in Education
Evaluation of State & Local Education Programs & Policies

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FY 2015 Research Training Grant Programs

Research Training Grant Programs in the Education Sciences
(84.305B)
Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training
Postdoctoral Research Training Program
Methods Training for Education Researchers

Research Training Program in Special Education: Early Career

Development and Mentoring (84.324B)

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How to Identify Funding Opportunities

Begin at the IES website (http://ies.ed.gov/funding)
Sign up for the IES Newsflash
Funding Opportunities are announced in The Federal
Register
Review current Requests for Applications
Contact relevant Program Officer(s) for the topic(s) of
interest in the relevant Center

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http://ies.ed.gov
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How to Identify
Appropriate Grant Programs
Read the Request for Applications
Review announced topics and methodological
requirements
Look at abstracts of projects funded under a research
topic or program
http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects

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Education Research Topics

(84.305A)

Cognition and Student Learning

Early Learning Programs and Policies
Education Technology
Effective Teachers & Effective Teaching
English Learners
Improving Education Systems: Policies, Organization,
Management, and Leadership
Mathematics and Science Education
Postsecondary and Adult Education
Reading and Writing
Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning

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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

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FY2015 Research Goals

Exploration
Development & Innovation
Efficacy & Replication
Effectiveness
Measurement

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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

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Development & Innovation Goal

Develop an innovative
intervention (e.g., curriculum,
instructional approach, program, or
policy)

Development
process must be
iterative!

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.
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Efficacy & Replication Goal

Evaluate whether or not a fully developed intervention is
efficacious under limited or ideal conditions
OR

Replicate an efficacious intervention varying the original

conditions
OR

Gather follow-up data examining the longer term effects of

an intervention with demonstrated efficacy
OR

Analyze retrospective (historical) secondary data to test an

intervention implemented in the past

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Efficacy & Replication Goal

Intervention must be fully developed
Implemented under ideal or routine conditions
Implemented by end user in authentic education
settings

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Remember to Address Requirements

Cost analysis
Data Management Plan (in appendix E)

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Effectiveness Goal
Evaluate whether a fully developed intervention that
has evidence of efficacy is effective when
implemented under typical conditions 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
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Effectiveness Goal
Must have two prior efficacy studies
Implemented by end user under routine conditions

Project team must be independent of intervention

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Remember to Address Requirements

Cost analysis
Data Management Plan (in appendix E)

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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

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Measurement Goal
Must include a rationale for a new assessment or
refinement
Will result in well-specified assessment
framework:
Operation definition(s) of construct(s)
Theoretical model showing relation of construct(s)
Description of how assessments provides evidence of
construct(s)
Description of the intended use(s) and population(s)
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For All Goals

Dissemination plan
Check RFA for materials for each Appendix

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Maximum Award Amounts

(84.305A & 84.324A)
Goal

Maximum
(direct + indirect)

Exploration
With secondary data
With primary data

2 years, $700,000
4 years, $1,600,000

Development & Innovation

4 years, $1,500,000

Efficacy & Replication

Follow-up study
Retrospective
Effectiveness
Follow-up study

4 years, $3,500,000
3 years, $1,300,000
3 years, $800,000
5 years, $5,000,000
3 years, $1,600,000

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Measurement

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4 years, $1,600,000

Connecting Research,
Policy and Practice

Additional FY 2015 Research

Programs

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Research Training Programs in the

Education Sciences (84.305B)
Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training
Program
Postdoctoral Research Training Program

Methods Training for Education Researchers

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Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Training

Program
For institutions to create cohesive graduate
training programs
Should involve a number of different
disciplines

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Postdoctoral Research Training Program

For institutions to establish postdoctoral
training programs to train researchers in the
skills necessary to conduct the type of
research that the Institute funds

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Methods Training for Education

Researchers
Supports training of current education
researchers to maintain and upgrade
methodological skills
Applications should respond to ongoing
development and adaptation of methods

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Research Training Program in Special

Education (84.324B)
Early Career Development and Mentoring
Intended for those within 3 years of their doctorate or
postdoctoral work
Provides support to further develop methodological,
content, and grant writing expertise
Involves working with a mentor
Requires a research plan AND career development plan

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Education Research and Development

Centers (84.305C)
Knowledge Utilization
Standards in Schools
Virtual Learning

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Knowledge Utilization
Explore how and when practitioners use research
evidence to make decisions
Explore how existing education research can be
made more relevant and useful to practitioners

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Standards in Schools
States across the U.S. are adopting and implementing
new standards for college- and career-readiness
E.g. Common Core State Standards

Explore how K-12 schools and teachers are

responding to new standards and what they might
mean for students

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Virtual Learning
Support research on and evaluation of instructional
practices, content, and learning tools within widelyused online instructional delivery platforms

Explore how the large amounts of data generated by

platforms can be used to address practical needs and
questions of practitioners and researchers

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Statistical and Research Methodology in

Education (84.305D)
Research projects intended to expand and improve
the methodological and statistical tools available for
education researchers

These tools will be used to improve the design of

research studies, analysis of research data, and
interpretation of research findings
Special topic for early career projects

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Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on

Problems of Practice and Policy (84.305H)
Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education
Research
Continuous Improvement Research in Education
Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs
and Policies

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Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships
Supports partnerships composed of research
institutions and state or local education agencies
Identified education problem of high priority for the
education agency that has important implications for
student outcomes

Supports partnerships development of a research

plan
New or existing partnerships
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Continuous Improvement Research in

Education
Supports partnerships between research institutions
and state or local education agencies
To address specific education problem of high priority for
the education agency that has important implications for
student outcomes

Existing, well-established partnerships

Implement, adapt, and revise an approach to
addressing the issue or problem

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Evaluation of State and Local Education

Programs and Policies
Support for rigorous evaluations of education
programs or policies that are paid for and
implemented by State or local education agencies

Evaluations are to determine both the overall impact

of the programs/policies and the impact across a
variety of conditions

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Award Parameters
(84.305B-H & 84.324B)
Program

Maximum
Number of Years

Maximum Award
(direct + indirect)

305B Predoc Training

Postoc Training
Methods Training

5 years
5 years
3 years

$4,000,000
$700,000
$1,000,000

324B Early Career in Special Ed

4 years

$400,000

305C Knowledge Utilization

Standards in Schools
Virtual Learning

5 years
5 years
5 years

$5,000,000
$10,000,000
$10,000,000

3 years
1.5 years

$900,000
$200,000

2 years
4 years
5 years

$400,000
$2,500,000
$5,000,000

305D Stats/Methods
Early Career
305H Researcher-Practitioner Part.
Continuous Improvement
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Eval. Of State and Local

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Connecting Research,
Policy and Practice

Now that youve decided to

apply, whats next?

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Contact Relevant Program Officers

Then,
Contact
a
Program
Officer
Program Officers can offer guidance and technical

assistance
Program Officers are associated with competitions
and/or topics
Contact information is included at the end of each
RFA
Contact information is also available on each of the
program pages on the IES website

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Documents for Submission

RFA
No separate submission guide

FY 2015 Application Packages will be available on June

5, 2014 at www.grants.gov

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Important Dates and Deadlines

Application
Deadline
August 7,
2014
4:30:00 PM
DC Time

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Letter of
Intent Due
Date
June 5, 2014

Application
Package
Posted
June 5, 2014

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Start Dates

July 1, 2015
to
Sept 1, 2015

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

https://iesreview.ed.gov

If you miss the deadline, please contact the relevant

Program Officer to let him/her know of your intent to
submit
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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

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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
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Notification
All applicants will receive e-mail notification that
the following information is available via the
Applicant Notification System (ANS):
Status of award
Peer reviewer summary statement

If you are not granted an award the first time,

consider resubmitting and talking with your
program officer

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Help Us Help You

Read the Request for Applications carefully
Call or e-mail IES Program Officers early in the process
As time permits, IES program staff can review draft
proposals and provide feedback
Dont be afraid to contact us!

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For More Information

http://ies.ed.gov/funding
Rebecca McGill-Wilkinson
Rebecca.McGill@ed.gov
Kimberley Sprague
Kimberley.Sprague@ed.gov
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