General Overview

Request for Applications

In this announcement, the Institute of Education Sciences (Institute) describes the research grant programs that are funded through its National Center for Special Education Research. Separate announcements are available on the Institute's website that pertain to the postdoctoral research training program funded through the National Center for Special Education Research and to the discretionary grant competitions and research training programs funded through the Institute's National Center for Education Research (http://ncer.ed.gov).

The Institute invites applications for research projects that will contribute to its Special Education Research Grants Programs on (1) Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education; (2) Reading, Writing, and Language Development; (3) Mathematics and Science Education; (4) Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning; (5) Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary Students; (6) Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education; (7) Teacher Quality; (8) Related Services; (9) Systemic Interventions and Policies for Special Education; and (10) Autism Spectrum Disorders. For the FY 2009 competition, the Institute will consider only applications that meet the requirements outlined below under Research Grant Topics and Requirements of the Proposed Research.

For the purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA), a student with disabilities is defined in Public Law 108-446, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), as a child "(i) with mental retardation, hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this title as 'emotional disturbance'), orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities; and (ii) who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services" (Part A, Sec. 602). An infant or toddler with a disability is also defined in IDEA as, "an individual under 3 years of age who needs early intervention services because the individual (i) is experiencing developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures in 1 or more of the areas of cognitive development, physical development, communication development, social or emotional development, and adaptive development; or (ii) has a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay" (Part C, Sec. 632).