IES Staff
Katherine Taylor
Education Research Analyst
NCSER
About
Dr. Katherine (Katie) Taylor is the Program Officer currently overseeing grants in NCSER’s Educators and School-Based Service Providers and NCER’s Teaching, Teachers, and the Education Workforce research topics as well as R&D Centers related to the education workforce. In addition, she oversees NCSER and NCER grants under the following programs: Research Training (Postdoctoral Research Training and Early Career Development and Mentoring), Systematic Replication, and Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Policymaking. Prior to joining IES in 2015, Dr. Taylor was a postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she conducted research on school-based social skills programs for middle school youth. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Associated IES Content
Grant
Small Group Reading Intervention to Support Children with Pervasive Learning and Attention Needs (RISC-PLAN) in the Upper Elementary Grades
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving the reading outcomes of students with or at risk for co-occurring reading disabilities and attention problems. In addition, the PI will participate in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to this particular group of students, the use of single-case design to inform intervention development, and the analysis of group design data. A growing body of research indicates that a sub...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B190010
Grant
Postdoctoral Training Program in Prevention Science at the University of Oregon: Preparing Education Researchers to Prevent Social and Behavioral Problems in Schools
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B180001
Grant
Post-Doctoral Research Training Program in Special Education: Evidence-Based Practice in Early Intervention and Early Learning
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B180004
Grant
Partnering with Early Intervention Providers to Increase Implementation of Parent Coaching for Families of Children with ASD
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving Part C early intervention (EI) providers' implementation of parent-mediated interventions with families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to parent coaching, mixed-methods research, community-partnered participatory research, and grant writing. Research demonstrates that parent-mediated early interventi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B180017
Grant
Autism Postdoctoral Training Program Addressing the Educational Needs of Pre-K through Secondary Aged Students
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B180034
Grant
The Special Education Teacher Pipeline in Washington State: A Comprehensive Analysis of Preservice Predictors of Special Education Teacher Career Paths and Effectiveness
The purpose of this study is to investigate relations between preservice teacher education experiences, special education teacher workforce entry and retention, and student education outcomes. An emerging literature suggests that preservice teacher experiences-specifically student teaching, coursework, and the match between student teaching experiences and early-career experiences-can have important implications for teachers' career paths and effectiveness. Despite increased attention to the...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A170016
Grant
Cognitive and Linguistic Mediators of Response to Intensive Interventions in Reading for English Learners At-Risk for Learning Disabilities
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving outcomes of English learners (EL) at risk for learning disabilities (LD) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise related to research with ELs, complex mediation analyses, regression discontinuity designs (RDD), and the application of mediation frameworks to RDDs. The PI intends to investigate the extent to which cognitive and linguistic factors (i.e., vocabulary/background k...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B170012
Grant
Validation of the Assessment of Culturally and Contextually Relevant Supports (ACCReS): Supporting Educators of Diverse Students with or at Risk for Disabilities
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to improve teachers' use of evidence-based, culturally and contextually relevant academic and behavioral classroom practices. The PI will also participate in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise in instrument development, psychometric analysis, and the coordination of a multi-year research project. The PI intends to further develop and validate a teacher self-assessment, the Assessment of Culturally and Cont...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B170010
Grant
A Longitudinal Investigation of the Friendship and Bullying Experiences of Middle School Youth with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to better understand the risk factors and consequences of bullying for middle school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) while she participates in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise in ASD, school-based research, multi-level modeling, and grant-writing.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B170003
Grant
Promoting System-Wide Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice for Students with Severe Disabilities through Multi-Tier Professional Development
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving the instructional strategies of paraprofessionals working with students with severe disabilities, and will participate in activities to develop expertise in randomized controlled trials with growth modeling, single-case designs, and grant writing. Previous research has identified three key features of professional development that promote fidelity; professional development must include effective training strateg...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B160009
Grant
Conjoint Behavioral Consultation for Middle School Students With or at Risk for Serious Emotional Disturbance: A Career Development and Research Plan
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving outcomes for adolescents with or at risk for serious emotional disturbance (ED) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to adolescent development, measurement and assessment, research methodology (e.g., multilevel modeling, qualitative data analysis), and grant writing. The PI intends to iteratively develop and test the feasibility and promise of Conjoint ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B160043
Grant
Accessing Science through Literacy: Facilitating Blended and Inclusive Content Area Literacy Instruction for Students with Intellectual Disability
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to increase access to the general education curriculum for students with intellectual disability while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to middle school science instruction, interventions using classroom-based support strategies, single-case design and analysis, and grant-writing. The PI intends to develop and test interventions designed to increase comprehension of an...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B160012
Grant
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Boys Town Postdoctoral Fellowship: Research Training Focused on Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B160033
Grant
Post-doctoral Training in Special Education and Autism Research
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B160038
Grant
Identification of Reading and Language Disabilities in Spanish-Speaking English Learners
This study planned to explore factors related to the identification and classification of reading and language disabilities among Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in an effort to provide school-based professionals with clearer criteria for identifying learning disabilities in these students. ELL students are the fastest growing subgroup of students in U.S. public schools and are disproportionately at risk for poor academic outcomes. Given the risk of poor outcomes, the ident...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A160258
Grant
Empowering Teachers with Low-Intensity Strategies to Support Instruction II
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving outcomes for students with emotional disturbance (ED) while developing skills related to this research, including establishing partnerships with schools and districts, analyzing data using multi-level modeling and other advanced statistical techniques, and writing competitive grant proposals. The PI intends to develop a training model for teachers to implement a classroom-based, low-intensity strategy called Ins...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B150028
Grant
Structures: Improving the Reading Comprehension of Struggling Readers in 4th Grade through Expository Text Structure and Writing
The Principal Investigator (PI) will add to his existing quantitative research skills by developing skills in qualitative and mixed methods research. These skills will be applied to the research project that is designed to develop and pilot test a supplemental intervention aimed at teaching students with and at risk for learning disabilities to detect and use expository text structures to analyze and interpret complex test.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B130005
Grant
Using Multimedia to Improve Middle School Science and Special Education Teachers' Use of Evidence-Based Vocabulary Practices, and the Impact of Vocabulary Performance of Students with Disabilities
The Principal Investigator (PI) will further develop his skills in the use of multi-level modeling statistics and item response theory, the development of reliable and valid measures of teacher implementation and practices, and working with practitioners to design and implement professional development (PD) activities while conducting related research activities. Using a multimedia approach, the research project aims to develop and pilot test professional development processes to improve voc...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B130023
Grant
Identifying Factors Predicting Implementation and Sustainability of School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Although many effective interventions are adopted in today's schools, they rarely sustain beyond a year or two once external support (e.g., grant funding, university-based training) is removed. The existing literature on sustainability of practices in schools is primarily anecdotal and not based on empirical research. Accordingly, school personnel are left without guidance on how to implement sustainable practices. Because so little attention has been devoted to the rigorous study of impleme...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120278
Grant
Systems-level Analysis of Evidence-based Intervention Implementation by Problem-Solving Teams
Research indicates that schools rarely implement evidence-based practices for students exhibiting behavioral problems or disorders. In many cases, implementation of evidence-based practices may require a system-level change to improve their adoption and use as well as improve support and commitment from all school personnel. The purpose of this project is to develop and evaluate an intervention protocol that adopts the principles of applied behavior analysis and applies them to an organizati...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120212
Grant
Efficacy of the Collaborative Life Skills Program
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a serious condition defined by inattention and/or impulsivity and hyperactivity, and associated with significant academic and social impairment. It is estimated that 3 to 7 percent of students in the elementary grades meet criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD, but there is a lack of effective, potent, and sustainable school-based interventions to mitigate ADHD and to support optimal learning and social outcomes. To address this need, the researc...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120358
Grant
A Multi-Site Efficacy Trial of the Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams "CW-FIT": A Research to Practice Agency for Students With and At Risk for EBD
Research suggests that 3-6 percent of school-age children have emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), yet these students are typically not identified until they have exhibited serious problems, including school failure, over multiple school years. There is a need for evidence-based interventions that prevent and ameliorate severe problem behavior exhibited by school-age children. Behavioral interventions based on an understanding of "why" a student displays problem behavior (i.e., the fun...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120344
Grant
Evaluating the Efficacy of the School-based Social Competence Intervention for Adolescents (SCI-A) with High Functioning Autism
Youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit social skills deficits that inhibit their ability to navigate the complex social environment. For example, students with ASD are often unable to pick up nonverbal social cues and social prompts, and tend to display socially unacceptable behavior. Students are described as socially awkward, self-centered, or emotionally blunted. This interferes not only with their ability to succeed in school, but also with their successful t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120027
Grant
Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowships in Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education at the University of Florida
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B120002
Grant
Team-Initiated Problem Solving for Improved Student Outcome
The goal of this project was to examine the efficacy of Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS), a model for training and coaching school teams to use behavioral and academic data to define and solve problems. Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a frequently used systems-level intervention that involves school teams actively engaging problem solving to improve student academic, social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. This requires both appropriate data manag...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120041
Grant
Post-Doctoral Research Training Program in Special Education: Response to Intervention (RTI) in Early Childhood
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B120004
Grant
Enhancing Accessibility for Students with Disabilities in Large-Scale Reading Assessments
Students with reading and language disabilities make up the largest group of students with disabilities. The majority of these students will participate in their state assessment with or without accommodations. Very little is known about the effects of these accommodations on standardized test scores, yet states continue to allow different accommodations for their state assessment. The purpose of this study is to identify a set of valid accommodations that could be provided to students with ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120110
Grant
Project ECRI: Enhancing Core Reading Instruction in First Grade
Primary- and secondary- reading instruction that is part of a Response to Intervention model is often delivered through a core reading program. Implementation of core programs can vary widely among teachers, and poor implementation may weaken the potential of the program to improve student outcomes. In addition, the core program alone may not be sufficient for addressing all of the needs of students who require more intensive secondary intervention. For these students, practitioners may p...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090104
Special Education Research and Development Centers
Under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, IES supports special education research and development centers (R&D Centers) that are intended to contribute significantly to the solution of special education problems in the United States by engaging in research, development, evaluation, and national leadership activities aimed at improving the education system, and, ultimately, student achievement.
Special Education Research and Development Center Program
Under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, IES supports special education research and development centers (R&D Centers) that are intended to contribute significantly to the solution of special education problems
Postdoctoral Research Training Program in Special Education and Early Intervention
The Postdoctoral Research Training Program in Special Education and Early Intervention (Postdoctoral Training) topic supports programs that prepare education researchers to conduct high-quality, independent special education and early intervention research.
Methods Training for Special Education Research
The IES Research Training Programs in Special Education are intended to prepare individuals to conduct special education and early intervention research that advances knowledge within the field and addresses issues important to education policymakers and practitioners.
Educators and School-Based Service Providers
The Educators and School-Based Service Providers (Educators) topic supports research that contributes to the identification of effective strategies for improving the performance of teachers and other school-based service providers (e.g., related services) in ways that improve the educational outcomes of students with or at risk for disabilities from kindergarten through Grade 12.
Research to Accelerate Pandemic Recovery in Special Education
The purpose of the Research to Accelerate Pandemic Recovery in Special Education grants program is to address the urgent challenges faced by districts and schools in supporting students with or at risk for disabilities, their teachers, and their families in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Research Grants Focused on Systematic Replication in Special Education
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) provides scientific evidence to improve education practice and policy and shares that evidence in a way that can be used by educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public. Systematic replication studies that vary one or more aspects of a previous study contribute to a better understanding of what interventions improve education outcomes and the conditions under which they will likely work and for whom.
Early Career Development and Mentoring in Special Education
The Early Career Development and Mentoring (Early Career) program supports grants that prepare researchers to conduct independent rigorous and relevant early intervention and special education research.
Grant
Improving Educational Stability and Opportunities for California's Foster Youth Students
Students in foster care are one of the most vulnerable groups enrolled in California public schools. Using a mixed-method approach, this project team will study school mobility for foster youth students, examine the changes in foster youth outcomes since the pandemic, understand how districts support learning recovery for foster youth students (with a focus on maintaining educational stability), and identify promising district actions that support foster youth students' educational stability...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S240021
Grant
CALDER Recruitment & Retention (CALDER-R&R)
CALDER-R&R examines policies addressing teacher shortages and their impact on teachers, student learning, and equity. Two important perspectives undergird the Center's work. First is the understanding that teacher shortages are not a single phenomenon. Instead, they exist in specific subject areas (for example, science and mathematics), among teachers from specific backgrounds (for example, teachers from historically marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds), in specific schools (for e...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305C240007
Grant
The Special Educator Workforce: A Research Collaborative
The purpose of the Special Educator Workforce: A Research Collaborative (SPARC) is to help address long-standing challenges related to the composition, distribution, stability, and effectiveness of the special education teacher workforce. SPARC will conduct a cohesive, mixed-methods program of research using state longitudinal data systems (SLDS) and qualitative data to explore factors shaping these challenges (state, district, and school contexts; teacher preparation; and state and di...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324C240002
Grant
Diagnostic Instrument for Teachers' Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Numbers and Operations
In this project, the researchers will develop a diagnostic measure of content and pedagogical content knowledge of numbers and operations for elementary school teachers. Despite the agreement across teacher educators on the importance of teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge in creating meaningful learning opportunities for students, many existing assessments of teacher knowledge have not been designed to capture the key elements of these knowledge components, particularly pedago...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A240246
Grant
Additive and Multiplicative Learning Progressions: Impacts on Eliciting, Interpreting, and Responding to Student Thinking in the First Years of Teaching
In this study, the researchers will examine how teacher preparation programs that incorporate an explicit focus on learning progressions can nurture novice teachers' capacity to elicit, interpret, and respond to students' mathematical thinking and how this practice continues to take shape through teachers' earliest years in the profession. Research-based learning trajectories/progressions (LT/Ps) describe probable learning pathways within mathematical content strands, giving teachers access ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A240131
Grant
Project SUSTAIN: Sustaining Special Education Teachers by Improving Working Conditions - A Collaborative Intervention Development and Investigation of Promise
The purpose of this project is to develop and test the SUSTAIN intervention to enhance the working conditions of special educators serving students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings. Special educators' working conditions are associated with a number of educator outcomes, including quality of instruction, burnout, and attrition. The need for interventions to improve working conditions is especially salient for special educators serving students with E...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A240058
Grant
AVID: Automated Virtual Reality Based Trainings for Intervention Development
The purpose of this project is to develop and evaluate the promise of virtual reality (VR)-enhanced training modules to improve preservice teachers' implementation of function-based intervention for students with autism who demonstrate challenging behavior. Challenging behavior often prevents children with autism from accessing inclusive educational environments and negatively impacts learning. Function-based intervention is an effective strategy for reducing challenging behavior, including ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A240009
Grant
Understanding Lasting Teacher Impacts
In this study, the researchers aim to develop and validate a new measure to capture teacher effects on student outcomes. Teacher contributions to student growth are used not only in teacher evaluation but also in a range of state policy decisions such as educator preparation program accreditation and approval. However, there are concerns about the extent to which teacher contributions to student test score gains-typically measured by test-based value-added models (TVAMs)-capture teacher full...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A240031
Grant
Centering the Whole Child: Understanding the Role of Comprehensive Student Support in Promoting Student Learning and Equity in Indiana
The Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children at Boston College and the Indiana Department of Education will collaborate to understand the potential role of comprehensive student support in closing the gap in access to resources and helping students and schools succeed. This project team aims to examine the extent to which academic achievement and behavioral outcomes for marginalized students have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions and then focus on investigating the impact of ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S230013
Grant
Project ReSpECT: Revealing Special Educators' Conditions for Teaching
The purpose of this project is to develop the Revealing Special Educators' Conditions for Teaching (ReSpECT) measure to evaluate special education teachers' working conditions. Working conditions include teachers' job demands as well as the available social, informational, and logistical resources to meet those demands. Working conditions are a crucial lever by which leaders may be able to improve teacher effectiveness, retention, and well-being and, as such, there is increased interest in r...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A230164
Grant
Does Expansion of Bilingual Programming Support Equitable Access for Multilingual Learners? An Examination of LOOK Act Implementation in Massachusetts
The research team will examine implementation of the Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) Act in Massachusetts, focusing on the extent to which the expansion of bilingual programming through the LOOK Act supports equitable access to and participation in dual language education (DLE) and State Seal of Biliteracy (SSoB) programs for multilingual learners (MLs). They will also look at the extent to which access to and participation in these bilingual programs is associated with differential...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S230006
Grant
Closing the Opportunity and Achievement Gaps in College and Career Readiness for Nevada Students
This project will examine the opportunity gaps that Nevada's Hispanic and English learner (EL) students face in reaching college and career readiness. EL and Hispanic students in the United States and Nevada have more limited access to advanced courses, lower levels of academic achievement, and lower high school graduation rates than their peers. They are also less likely to earn a college degree and often face constraints in accessing K-12 school resources (e.g., dollars per student spent o...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S230005
Grant
Using Colorado Longitudinal Data to Address Food Insecurity and Support Equity in Postsecondary Education and Training
This project will inform Colorado's efforts to increase college attainment by supporting students' needs for food and related human services. Many college students struggle with food insecurity, and evidence increasingly suggests that food insecurity can act as a barrier to postsecondary success. Colorado state agencies and postsecondary institutions are looking for ways to expand student participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ensure that students receive nu...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S230002
Grant
Measuring the Impact of State Financial Aid Programs
In this project, designed by Connecticut's Office of Higher Education (OHE), the research team will assess the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship Program (RWSP), Connecticut's primary state-administered financial aid program. This project answers the need for evidence at the state level regarding Connecticut's investment in need-based and combined need-merit financial aid as means for increasing college attainment among low-income students at Connecticut's public colleges and universities. The pr...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S230014
Grant
A Systematic Replication Study of Interleaved Mathematics Practice
The purpose of this project is to conduct a systematic replication study of a highly promising mathematics learning intervention, interleaved practice, in 7th grade classrooms. Though psychologists have long known that interleaving and spacing improves long-term learning, the practice problems in most mathematics curricula are arranged so that the majority of problems relating to the same skill or concept are blocked together. With the interleaved practice intervention, some of the practice ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R220012
Grant
Pathways Into Teaching: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of High Leverage Opportunities to Increase the Representation of Teachers of Color in Tennessee Schools
A growing body of research demonstrates the benefits of a racially and ethnically diverse teaching workforce, yet diversifying teaching remains a challenge in many states. This challenge stems, in part, from a scarcity of research into the varied pathways of teachers of color into classrooms, how the policies and processes they encounter along those pathways affect their experiences, and how those experiences can divert them from the pathway or prepare them for teaching success. The goal of ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220054
Grant
Assessing the Potential of Outcomes-Based Licensure Test Standards
Researchers propose a framework for informing revisions to state licensure testing requirements, which researchers refer to as outcomes-based licensure test standards. Researchers plan to link domain-level test information for individual teacher candidates from the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) to various measures of teaching effectiveness in Massachusetts. This will allow researchers to test how different domains of content knowledge predict teacher and student outcomes...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220058
Grant
Efficacy Study of the Simulated Instruction in Mathematics Professional Development
The Simulated Instruction in Mathematics Professional Development (SIM PD) program is an innovative professional development (PD) program that offers (1) a focus on research-based math instructional strategies and (2) the unique opportunity to practice implementing these strategies in a mixed-reality environment with support of a coach and teacher colleagues. The program responds to the critical need in the field for ways to develop math teachers' ability to use the focal strategies, which h...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220035
Grant
Assessing Teacher Applicants: What Can be Learned About Inservice Teacher Quality and Retention by Applying AI to Applicant Short-Answer Questions
The importance of teachers to student success is hard to overstate. Improving school's ability to select more effective teachers is an obvious avenue for improving their workforce. This exploration study will contribute to a small but promising recent body of research on teacher selection, which shows that districts have choice amongst applicants, and can obtain information during the application process that is predictive of both teacher effectiveness and retention. One widely used selectio...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220479
Grant
Effectiveness Replication of the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) Instructional Model for Writing in the General Curriculum
The purpose of this systematic replication is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) Instructional Model under routine classroom conditions in the general curriculum. SRSD instruction is a structured, disciplined approach for teaching all students specific strategies for writing compositions. Building on previous research showing strong effects for the SRSD model in middle school populations, this study will address the gaps in the SRSD literature by:...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R220020
Grant
A Replication Study to Examine the Efficacy of Sound Partners When Implemented by Peer Tutors
This research team will carry out a replication randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the efficacy of Sound Partners, a reading intervention, delivered through cross-age peer tutoring. The project features moderator analyses to examine how socioeconomic status (SES) is related to intervention effects on student reading outcomes. Early achievement gaps between children of high- and low-resource families have persisted over a long period of time for several reasons including that a) n...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R220024
Grant
National Replication Study of the Effects of Self-Affirmation on Black and Latinx Students' Academic, Disciplinary, and Socio-Emotional Outcomes in Different School Settings
The research team will replicate a prior impact study of a self-affirmation (SA) intervention to counteract the harmful effects of negative racial stereotypes on the academic, disciplinary and socio-emotional outcomes of seventh grade Black and Latinx students. This study differs from the prior studies because it is specifically designed to provide new evidence concerning: (1) the impact of self-affirmation on Black and Latinx students in different schools with different demographic composi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R220018
Grant
Using Text Messaging to Improve Kindergarten Readiness in Children in Rural New Mexico
In this project, the team aims to replicate an effectiveness study of TipsByText (TbT), a text messaging intervention for parents of prekindergartners that serves as a tool schools and districts can use to improve the home learning environment, resulting in improved school readiness and better education outcomes in kindergarten (K) and first grade. TbT is designed to address barriers to behavior change using behavioral economics theories so that parents can support the literacy, math, and ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R220006
Grant
Assessing the Long-Term Impacts of School Extension Programs on Student Re-Engagement and Learning Recovery
The purpose of this project is to examine the effects of the pandemic on educational outcomes in North Carolina and the impact of school extension programs on school re-engagement and academic recovery. Early evidence suggests that the pandemic had substantial negative impacts on student outcomes, with disproportionate impacts on historically marginalized groups. In North Carolina, the Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR) is using federal funding to direct a set of school exten...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S220003
Grant
Putting Data to Work to Re-Engage Young Adults Who Experienced Pandemic-Related Educational Disruptions
TBR-The College System of Tennessee seeks to develop data insights about community college student persistence and test coaching strategies that support students whose postsecondary paths were disrupted by COVID-19. The project team will use data from community colleges and the state's longitudinal data system to identify promising career pathways for community college students and examine the impact of COVID-19 on student success. Using insights from these analyses about the impact of COVID...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S220005
Grant
University of Virginia Education Science Training Program in English Language Learning (EL-VEST)
The University of Virginia Education Science Training Program in English Language Learning (EL-VEST) will provide substantive and methodological postdoctoral training to four fellows.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B210008
Grant
Exploration of Departmentalized Instruction
Researchers will investigate the effects of departmentalized instruction in primary schools with a focus on assessing implementation in routine settings and the contributions of specific causal mechanisms. Researchers will study whether the effects of departmentalization on student outcomes change with the number of years of implementation. Researchers will explore the extent of teacher specialization in the years following the policy change. This analysis will both provide evidence on the i...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210008
Grant
Culturally Responsive Teaching for Student Equitable Achievement (CuRTSEA): A Professional Development Program
The purpose of CuRTSEA is to develop, refine, and test a teacher professional development (PD) program for culturally responsive teaching (CRT) designed to improve teacher knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to historically underserved minority students. The project will focus on Hispanic students and their teachers in 9th grade to address research-based needs of the Hispanic population and the importance of the 9th grade learning. CuRTSEA aims to improve Hispanic students' engagement ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210146
Grant
The Effect of Content-Focused Coaching on Reading Comprehension Instruction: Evidence from Urban and Rural Schools
Results of national assessments show that a large percentage of students in the United States do not advance beyond basic levels of reading comprehension, and this is especially the case for minoritized students, English learners (ELs), and students living in poverty who are consistently and disproportionately represented within the lowest levels of reading achievement. The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy, implementation, and cost-effectiveness of a web-based professional dev...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210171
Grant
An Effectiveness Replication of Targeted Reading Instruction: Investigating Long-Term Student and Teacher Impacts
Targeted Reading Instruction (TRI, formerly called Targeted Reading Intervention) is a teacher professional development (PD) program with an embedded student reading intervention. Hundreds of TRI classroom teachers have helped K-2 students learn to read. TRI is one of the few reading programs in the US displaying strong evidence of effectiveness in both decoding and reading comprehension, as confirmed by What Works Clearinghouse. This study will be the first to test TRI's long-term effective...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R210007
Grant
Project PRIME2: Planning Realistic Intervention implementation and Maintenance by Educators
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Planning Realistic Intervention implementation and Maintenance by Educators (PRIME2) for improving elementary school teachers' implementation of function-based behavioral interventions for students with and at risk for disabilities. PRIME2 is a theory-informed, consultation-based, individually tailored, tiered system of implementation support developed with previous IES funding. Research-based interventions implemented with fidelity ca...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A210266
Grant
Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) for Special Educators: Supporting Educator Capacity and Well-Being to Promote Positive Student Outcomes
The goal of this project is to replicate the efficacy of Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE), a fully developed and commercially distributed program with demonstrated efficacy in reducing teacher burnout and improving the quality of the instructional environment and student outcomes in general education settings. Although CARE has been implemented in a large number of schools and has a growing network of certified trainers, the evidence for CARE in special education cont...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324R210020
Grant
Project STAY: Supporting Teachers of Autism in Years 1-3
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving outcomes for teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise in school-based research, mixed methods and group design research, and grant and publication writing. Teaching students with ASD requires knowledge of evidence-based practices and other unique skills that are often not taught in preservice programs. Without them, tea...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B210017
Grant
Shaping Teacher Quality and Student of Color Experience in Massachusetts: Alignment of Preparation and Licensure Systems with Teacher Effects on Student non-Test Outcomes
The purpose of this project is to examine the extent to which Massachusetts' preparation and licensing systems prepare teachers to be effective in improving outcomes for students of color.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S210012
Grant
Evaluation of a Predictive Model – Montana's Early Warning System for Dropouts
Montana's OPI and Montana State University will examine Montana's Early Warning System (EWS) to predict student dropout risk and risk factors for students in grades 3-12.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S210011
Grant
Initial Efficacy Study of Data Wise
In this Efficacy project, researchers propose to examine the impact of Data Wise on Grade 5 teacher instructional practice and student test scores. This 2-year intervention targets the collaborative processes and data use within instructional teams. This study will provide evidence of the implementation, impacts, costs, and sustainability of this fully developed and widely used approach to data-driven instruction that has no prior evidence of efficacy.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200292
Grant
Exploring Special Educator Burnout and, in Turn, the Impact of Burnout on Special Educators' Treatment Integrity in Behavior Support Plans: Project Burn and Turn
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to better understand the risk factors for special educator burnout and its relation to teachers' fidelity of implementing behavior interventions to students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs). At the same time, the PI will participate in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise in teachers serving students with EBD, multilevel structural equation modeling and mixed methods research, a...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B200002
Grant
GSU Postdoctoral Training on Adult Literacy: G-PAL
The focus of this training program is to prepare postdoctoral fellows to conduct education research in adult literacy.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B200007
Grant
Developing a Sentence Writing Intervention for Young Struggling Writers
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research focused on improving writing outcomes among young students with or at risk for learning disabilities (LD), while participating in mentoring and training activities to build expertise in single-case research design, multilevel modeling, development of written language, and grant management. The ability to construct quality sentences using a variety of syntax structures is a necessary skill that contributes to the ability to wr...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B230030
Grant
Developing and Evaluating the Feasibility of a Manualized Tier 3 Problem Behavior Intervention for Young Children With Developmental Delay
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving behavior outcomes of young children with developmental delays while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to adult learning strategies for early childhood professionals, mixed methods research, randomized controlled trials, and grant writing and management. Young children, age birth to three years old, with developmental delays are more likely to engage in sev...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B220002
Grant
The Effects of PACT on Social Studies Knowledge and Comprehension Among 8th Grade Students
The purpose of this project is to test the effectiveness of a variation of the Promoting Accelerated Reading Comprehension of Text (PACT) intervention. Previous research on PACT (including this WWC-reviewed study) has shown positive effects for specific social studies content knowledge and more generalized social studies reading comprehension among eighth graders. To build on the extant evidence and to address the need to build adolescents' comprehension skills in content courses, including ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R200002
Grant
LIFT: Leveraging Autism Intervention for Families Through Telehealth
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to support families of young children with neurodevelopmental disorders while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to implementation science, designs to optimize adaptive interventions and analyze outcomes, and grant writing. Standard home coaching for caregivers focused on children's social communication can lead to gains in children's engagement and communication as well...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B200017
Grant
Video- and App-Based Naturalistic Language Instruction (VALI) for Spanish-Speaking Caregivers to Support Bilingual Language Development in Children With or At Risk for Language Delays
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving outcomes among young dual language learners (DLLs) with language delays, while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to this population, methods for developing and evaluating interventions, and writing and dissemination. Early language skills are critical for later reading and school achievement, yet little is known about effective language interventions for y...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B200038
Grant
Improving the Accessibility of Effect Size and Synthesis Methods for Single-Case Research
Improving the Accessibility of Effect Size and Synthesis Methods for Single-Case Research
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324U190002
Grant
Developing Infrastructure and Procedures for the Special Education Research Accelerator
In this project, researchers will develop and pilot test the Special Education Research Accelerator (SERA), a platform for organizing many research teams to collaboratively conduct high-quality, large-scale replication studies with diverse samples of learners with disabilities.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324U190001
Grant
Developing an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Intervention for Preschool Children with Severe Disabilities
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving communication skills among young children who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to the measurement of preschoolers' communication skills, single-case design, randomized controlled trials, and virtual coaching for teachers. Despite research showing the benefits of AAC for children with d...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B190024
Grant
Examining the Executive Function-Stress Loop and its Association with Student Outcomes: Implications for Middle Schoolers with or At Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research focused on improving the social, emotional, and academic outcomes of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). In addition, the PI will participate in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to longitudinal research designs, the assessment of executive functions (EFs) and classroom quality, and grant writing. Understanding mechanisms through which behavior and aca...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B190030
Grant
Friendships and the Academic Skills and Behaviors of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: The Importance of Classroom Social Contextual Factors
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research focused on improving outcomes of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to the friendships and social experiences of socially vulnerable youth, longitudinal social network methods and analyses, and grant management. It is well documented that children with EBD experience difficulties with social skil...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B220003
Grant
Building up Mathematical Problem Solving of Students with Extensive Support Needs
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving math outcomes among secondary students with extensive support needs (students who require ongoing support, such as students with intellectual disability, autism, or multiple disabilities). In addition, the PI will participate in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to math content and pedagogy, mixed methods research, and grant writing and grants management. Math skills are i...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B190019
Grant
Instructional Supports for Children with Dyslexia Learning to Read Complex Words
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research focused on better understanding factors associated with complex word reading among students with dyslexia while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to dyslexia, reading interventions and theory, randomized controlled trials, item-level statistical analyses, and grant writing. Although there have been recent calls for schools to address the unique educational needs of stud...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B190025
Grant
Liberate
The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of Read 180® with struggling adolescent readers in juvenile justice schools. Read 180® is a widely used literacy program for differentiating instruction in typical school settings. Research indicates that students with and without disabilities in juvenile justice schools often demonstrate serious literacy deficits. In addition, the prevalence of students with disabilities in juvenile justice schools is about three times greater than in typi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A190145
Grant
Developing Talkers: Building Effective Teachers of Academic Language Skills
Researchers will evaluate the impact of two theoretically distinct versions of an intervention called Developing Talkers (DT) that uses a Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS). DT is designed to improve teacher facilitation of academic language skills and the academic language skills of kindergarten students. The two versions are the Scripted Approach and the Teacher-Inspired Approach. Researchers will monitor teacher uptake of evidence-based practices during a first stage of intervention....
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A190065
Grant
Development and Pilot Evaluation of Bully Prevention Training Modules for Special and General Education Teachers: Impact on Teacher Awareness, Self-Efficacy, and Student Outcomes
The purpose of this project is to build a professional development program to enhance elementary school educators' knowledge and skills for identifying, mitigating, and preventing bullying among students with and without disabilities. A large portion of students in the U.S. report experiencing bullying, with the highest rates occurring among students with or at risk for disabilities. Despite current policies mandating schools to address bullying and research showing that most teachers report...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A190238
Grant
Project VIEW (Visual Impairments Education in Writing)
The purpose of this study is to examine how a set of malleable teacher-level factors is related to the writing instruction practices of teachers of students with visual impairment (TVIs) and the general education teachers with whom they work, as well as the writing outcomes of students with visual impairment (VI). The teacher-level factors include preparation to teach writing, preparation to teach students with VI, beliefs and expectations about writing among students with VI, and collaborat...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A220270
Grant
Institutionalizing, Sustaining, and Enhancing the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness
In this project, researchers will promote the usefulness, sustainability, and visibility of the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies (REES), a registry of impact studies in education
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324U180001
Grant
Promoting Teacher Use of the Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version to Engage in Supports Planning to Enhance Access to the General Education Curriculum for Children with Intellectual Disability
The purpose of this project is to develop a professional development model to support teachers in using the results of a Supports Intensity Scale-Children's Version (SIS-C) assessment to design supplementary aids and services that promoteaccess to the general education curriculum for students with intellectual disability (ID). The model includes the SIS-C Supports Planning Process (a process that involves using the SIS-C to identify, implement, and evaluate supplementary aids and services fo...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A180034
Grant
Para-Impact: Professional Development with Teacher-as-Coach for Paraeducators of Elementary Students with Moderate to Severe Developmental Disabilities
The purpose of this project is to develop Para-Impact, a professional development package to train supervising teachers to utilize practice-based coaching (PBC) to improve paraprofessionals' implementation of systematic instruction for elementary students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities (MSDD). Students with MSDD - including those with autism, significant intellectual disabilities, and multiple disabilities - typically require frequent and intense exposure to evidence-base...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A200234
Grant
Developmental Relations Between Language Ability and Behavior Problems
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to better understand relations between oral language and behavior problems in young children while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise in language development, advanced longitudinal analyses, school-based research partnerships, and grant writing and management. The PI intends to conduct a longitudinal investigation to explore relations between language and behavior among young children at r...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B200039
Grant
Optimizing Emergent Literacy Interventions for Children with Autism
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research aimed at developing effective emergent literacy instruction for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to adaptive interventions, sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) designs, publication, and grant funding. Findings from emerging research suggest that many children with ASD demonstrate early signs of rea...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B180035
Grant
Exploring How Special Educators' Working Conditions Contribute to their Engagement of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Effective Reading Instruction
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to better understand how working conditions (e.g., instructional resources, planning time, collegial support) contribute to special education teacher instruction and student education outcomes. In addition, the PI will participate in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise in evaluating teachers' instruction, conducting mixed-methods research, designing and analyzing single-case studies, and grant writing. The ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B170017
Grant
BREATHE: A Burnout Intervention for Special Education Teachers
The purpose of this project is to refine an intervention designed to reduce special education teacher burnout and attrition and improve teaching quality, classroom climate, and student outcomes (i.e., engagement, social/behavioral, academic). Teacher stress and burnout are major contributors to teacher attrition. The costs associated with teacher attrition are significant. Not only is teacher attrition financially costly to school districts, but it also reduces the organizational stability o...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A200232
Grant
Efficacy of Paraprofessional Behavior Support Coaching for Elementary School Students with Externalizing Behavior Disorders
The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy of the Behavior Support Coaching for Paraprofessionals (BSC-P) model for improving classroom intervention practices and behavioral and academic outcomes for elementary school students with or at risk for externalizing behavior disorders. Although paraprofessionals play a substantial role in providing classroom-based behavioral interventions for students, they often receive very little training or job-embedded support in behavior management....
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A170069
Grant
Project DATA for RTI: Developing Adept Teams for Advancing RTI
The purpose of this project is to develop an individualized web-based professional development (PD) program to support teachers' effective implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) and improve student outcomes. Effective implementation of RTI requires ongoing evaluation of the relation between implementation of interventions and change on student measures over time in order to determine whether interventions are successful or in need of modification to improve outcomes for students wi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A160032
Grant
Validating the School Outcomes Measure (SOM™): An Outcomes Measure for Students Who Receive School-based Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy
The purpose of the current study is to refine and validate a web-based version of the School Outcomes Measure (SOM™) for use in educational settings nationwide. The SOM™ measures the functional abilities of students ages 3 to 21 who receive school-based occupational therapy (OT) and/or physical therapy (PT) related services using the fewest number of items possible. Items measure students' level of independence in fulfilling tasks and roles in school that are necessary for partic...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A160226
Grant
Developing Functional Behavior Assessment Maps for Students with Persistent Challenging Behavior: A Guiding Framework for Practitioners
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research designed to improve the quality of functional behavior assessments (FBA) for elementary-age students with or at risk for disabilities with persistent challenging behavior, as well as participate in career development activities aligned with this program of research to expand relevant knowledge and methodological skills. Challenging behavior is one of the most significant barriers to accessing effective educational services fo...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B160010
Grant
READY for WAGES: Research on Employment of Adjudicated Youth through Working at Gaining Employment Social Skills Curriculum
This project will assess the efficacy of Research on Employment of Adjudicated Youth through Working at Gaining Employment Social Skills Curriculum (READY for WAGES), a research-based social skills curriculum, to promote positive employment-related skills and outcomes for incarcerated juvenile offenders with disabilities in long-term facilities. Adolescents with disabilities are over-represented in the juvenile justice system, and young offenders with disabilities are even more at risk for p...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A150138
Grant
Validating an Observation Protocol for the Evaluation of Special Educators
The purpose of this project was to examine the validity of Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching (FFT) for use with special education teachers. The FFT is commonly used to evaluate general and special education teacher instruction, yet most of the research on this tool has only been with general education teachers. Moreover, the extent to which the FFT captures evidence-based instructional approaches for students with disabilities has not been investigated. As such, the goal of the cu...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A150231
Grant
RESET: Recognizing Effective Special Education Teachers
This project developed and validated a special education teacher observation measure, Recognizing Effective Special Education Teachers (RESET), to evaluate and improve instructional practice delivered to students with disabilities. The challenges of evaluating special education teachers are significant. Special educators work under a variety of conditions, serve a heterogeneous group of students with disabilities, enter the profession with varying skill levels, and may require additional ins...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A150152
Grant
Combined Cognitive and Motivational Interventions for ADHD
The purpose of this project was to explore the mechanisms by which working memory improves on-task behaviors, attention, and academic outcomes for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD affects 3-10% of children in the U.S. and isassociated with poor academic achievement. Given the prevalence and broad-rangingconsequences, improving academic achievement in children with ADHD is critical. A recent approach to intervention involves providing training in working mem...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A150023
Grant
An Efficacy Study of the School-based National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders Model (NPDC)
This project assessed the efficacy of a widely used professional development model that promotes program quality, teachers' use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), and positive outcomes for elementary school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study responds to a national need to prepare teachers to implement effective, research-based educational programs to improve behavioral, social, and academic outcomes for students with ASD.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A150047
Grant
Improving Content-Area Literacy Instruction in Middle Schools (Project CALI)
The research team proposed to develop a middle school co-teaching program that to improve collaboration between general (content-area) and special education teachers and, ultimately, reading skills and content-area knowledge of students with disabilities. The level of literacy necessary for post-secondary education and employment has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. However, many students with disabilities are not receiving sufficient literacy instruction in content-area classe...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A150181
Grant
Literacy Study Group for Teachers of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
This project developed and tested the Integrated Literacy Study Group (ILSG), a web-based professional development intervention designed to assist teachers in delivering high-quality reading instruction to elementary school students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Students with EBD are likely to experience significant reading difficulties, which is strongly correlated with low academic achievement, school dropout, conduct and social problems, and unemployment. Many of these ch...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A180220
Grant
Measurement of Listening Fatigue in School-Age Children with Disabilities
This project will result in a validated measure to assess listening fatigue for children in grades 1-12 with hearing loss and other communication-based disabilities. Previous studies indicate that school-age children with hearing loss and specific language impairment are at increased risk for listening fatigue in their classes. Increased listening effort and the associated stress and fatigue can jeopardize the ability to learn, thus increasing the risk for problems in school. The development...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A160300
Grant
Special Education Training Fellowship: Interventions and Professional Development Models in Language and Literacy
This postdoctoral program provided four postdoctoral fellows with extensive training in special education research with a focus on language and literacy interventions. As part of the program, fellows developed individualized training plans with mentors and participated in a variety of training activities, including a distinguished speaker series, a data analysis work group, a university-wide postdoctoral training program, summer training institutes, and courses in methodology and statistics.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B110007
Grant
Single Case Design Research Training Institute
The purpose of this project is to improve the capacity of education researchers to conduct high-quality single-case design (SCD) intervention research by holding two SCD Training Institutes during the summer of 2014 and 2015.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324U140001
Grant
University of Nebraska's Post-Doctoral Program in Emotional Disturbance (ED)
This postdoctoral program trained four postdoctoral fellows in the development and evaluation of educational interventions and assessments for students with emotional disturbance (ED). The training program centered around the partnership between the university and Boys Town, a national provider of intervention services to children with or at risk for disabilities.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B110001
Grant
Supporting Teachers' Data-Based Instruction in Early Writing: Tools, Learning, and Collaborative Support
Learning to write is critical to students' overall literacy development. Writing provides students with the means to communicate what they know and is important for integrating knowledge and critical thinking. Beyond the K-12 school years, lack of writing proficiency can have a serious impact on postsecondary and employment opportunities. Improving student writing outcomes is particularly important for students with or at risk for disabilities that affect writing. Researchers found that only...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A130144
Grant
Using Peer Models in the Context of Small-Group Direct Instruction to Teach Social and Academic Skills to Children with Autism
The Principal Investigator (PI) will further develop skills conducting single-case design research on children with autism while conducting a series of studies using this population and methodology. The research goals are to modify a small group intervention with peer models and examine its impact on academic and social skills.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B130029
Grant
Using Data to Foster the School Success of Students with Disabilities
Increasingly, special educators are expected to use data in their day-to-day deliberations in support of students. However, teachers often report that they are unprepared to choose and apply reliable strategies for data collection and make good use of data in their deliberations about how to best support student learning. In addition, special education teams in rural areas are often working in isolation and do not have meaningful opportunities to share best practices.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A110131
Grant
Development of Computer-based Testing Accommodations for Students with Visual Disabilities
Computer-based testing holds promise for increasing accessibility of state assessments for children with disabilities. However, providing appropriate accommodations presents a challenge for this testing method. There have been particular challenges with making computer-based test items accessible to students who are Braille readers. The purpose of this project is to add enhancements in testing accommodations for students who are blind or have low vision to an existing platform that delivers ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A110088
Grant
State Toolkit for Examining Post-School Success (STEPSS) Professional Development (PD) Project
State and national data show that youth with disabilities are less likely to attend postsecondary education or be employed than their peers without disabilities. State Education Agencies (SEAs) collect transition-related student data as part of their federal reporting requirements that can be used to improve youth outcomes by targeting areas of need and identifying appropriate evidence-based practices, yet there is no standard practice for using these data. The purpose of this study is to de...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120277
Grant
Development Strategies to Increase Teacher Integrity in a Daily Report Card Intervention for Children with or at-risk for ADHD
Research has shown that teacher-implemented interventions for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have positive effects. However, given the many demands that teachers face, the extent to which teachers implement these interventions as recommended (i.e., with integrity) is variable and often declines in the absence of ongoing consultation with another professional. Limited use of these interventions is a significant problem and can compromise student outcomes. The so...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120272
Grant
Validating the Use of Growth Measures from Statewide Standards-Based Summative Assessments for Students with Disabilities
There has been a national push to use growth modeling with scores from statewide standards-based summative assessments to evaluate schools, teachers, and student subgroups. Yet for students with disabilities, there has been little research exploring the use of growth modeling for this subpopulation to determine if interpretations about schools, teachers, and the academic progress of the subgroup are valid. The purpose of this study is to provide validity evidence for the use of test scores f...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120224
Grant
Implementing the Common Core State Standards for Students with Disabilities: Research and Development of Web-based Supports for IEP Team Decision
Students with disabilities who receive special education services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Schools are turning toward the new Common Core Standards and using them as the basis for developing IEPs and providing instruction for students with disabilities. In this project, the research team will further develop a tutorial program, IEPQ-Core, to assist IEP teams in writing measurable annual goals linked to these new s...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120081
Grant
Virtual Reality Applications for the Study of Attention and Learning in Children with Autism and ADHD
Children with high-functioning autism (HFA) frequently exhibit achievement difficulties, especially in the areas of reading comprehension and written expression. Social attention impairment, a symptom of autism, may play a critical role in the learning difficulties of these children. Social attention impairment in autism encompasses three related problem domains-joint attention, social orienting, and attention to faces. To engage effectively in social learning within a classroom, children mu...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120168
Grant
A Modular CBT for Reducing Anxiety and Improving Educational Outcomes
The primary purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of a modular cognitive-behavioral intervention (M-CBT) on reducing excessive anxiety and improving student academic, social, and behavioral performance in school. Anxiety disorders are the most common childhood psychiatric conditions and are known to severely impair children's academic, social, and behavioral functioning in school. Approximately 11-15 percent of youth receiving special education services (generally under the c...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A140002
Grant
Making the Right Connections: Improving the Comprehension of Struggling Readers
The National Assessment of Educational Progress indicates that 33 percent of 4th graders and 26 percent of 8th graders read below a basic proficiency level. Further, research indicates that 80 percent of students with learning disabilities have severe reading difficulties. Late elementary school, when comprehension of more challenging content is required, is a time when some students first begin to develop reading difficulties. Therefore, this project focuses on addressing this problem in fo...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A110046
Grant
Relationship of Student Outcomes to Physical Therapy School Services
The ultimate goal of school-based physical therapy services is to enhance students' successful participation in typical school and community activities leading to further education, employment, and independence. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research examining the associations between characteristics of school-based physical therapy and student outcomes.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A110204
Grant
Development and Validation of the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) for Children
Individuals with intellectual or developmental disability may require ongoing support to participate in typical life activities, such as navigating the neighborhood. In order to identify the supports needed by adults with intellectual disabilities, an assessment called the Supports Intensity Scale has been developed, validated, and adopted worldwide. However, no equivalent assessment for children with intellectual or developmental disabilities exists. The research team will develop an adapte...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120407
Grant
Fatigue and Listening Effort in School-Age Children with Hearing Loss
Although research has demonstrated that children with hearing loss (CHL) experience difficulties with speech recognition under noisy conditions, less is known about the listening effort expended and its effects on hearing-related fatigue. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether school-aged children with mild to moderate hearing loss experience greater fatigue caused by listening effort in noisy school classrooms than children without hearing loss. The researchers will compare CHL...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A140006
Grant
Executive Functioning and Academic Skills in Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. In addition to other documented cognitive problems, preliminary evidence suggests that children with DS may have deficits in certain executive functioning (EF) skills-cognitive processes that are important for adaptive, goal-directed actions. The potential EF deficits in children with DS may have critical educational implications. In typically developing children, EF skills are associated with early school perfor...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A110136
Grant
Efficacy of Broad Target Speech Recasts on Students with Down Syndrome
Over 95 percent of parents of children with Down Syndrome report that their child has difficulty being understood by persons outside of their immediate family or social circle. This difficulty tends to persist into adulthood. Problems with speech comprehensibility can have negative consequences on educational achievement and post school outcomes. There is a widely held belief that improving speech accuracy (e.g., producing particular speech sounds) will lead to improved speech comprehensi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A100225
Grant
Prime Online: Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Research-based Practice in Inclusive Elementary Mathematics Classrooms
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 85 percent of students without disabilities in fourth grade scored above Basic in mathematics in 2007. However, only 60 percent of students with disabilities achieved this minimal standard. Strong research evidence reveals that a substantial part of the variability in student achievement gains is due to the effectiveness of a given teacher. This finding could be explained in part by differences in teachers' mathematical content k...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A100196
Grant
Methods to Improve Accessibility of Tests for Persistently Low-Performing Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities pursuing grade-level academic content standards and attending general education classes can be hindered by their disabilities and other cognitive limitations in demonstrating what they know in regular grade-level state assessments. For these students, the regular grade-level state assessments may not provide reliable and valid information about their academic achievements. This project will identify specific cognitive barriers in grade-level reading and mathematics...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A100344
Grant
Project PRIME: Planning Realistic Intervention Implementation and Maintenance by Educators
Increased standards and high demands for accountability in education have led to a focus on implementing education practices that are empirically based. The field of education has made progress in the development of assessment-driven intervention plans and identifying evidence-based interventions, but it remains difficult for such interventions to be implemented with high levels of integrity (i.e., the intervention is implemented as planned). Research has shown that a majority of teachers s...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A100051
Grant
Feedback-and-Revision on Alternate Assessment based on Modified Achievement Standards in Mathematics
Alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards are designed to be challenging for eligible students and measure mastery of grade-level content, but are less difficult than regular grade-level assessment. Many alternate assessments have been created by modifying existing grade level assessments; where modifications include simplifying the language, decomposing subskills, and eliminating a distractor for multiple-choice items. However empirical research supporting these...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A100065
Grant
Post-Doctoral Special Education Research Training in Urban Communities: A Research to Practice Model
This postdoctoral program provided six postdoctoral fellows with field experience and methodological training in the design and evaluation of interventions for children and adolescents with serious behavior disorders and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The program was housed at the Juniper Gardens Children's Project and the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B100004
Grant
SmartSign: Learning Sign Language via Mobile Phone
Almost 95 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents who may not know sign language or who have low levels of proficiency in sign language. Although 75 percent of hearing parents eventually decide to use sign language with their deaf child, they typically struggle to learn a second language in a visual modality. The deaf children of hearing parents remain significantly delayed in language development throughout their lives when compared to hearing children or deaf children of deaf ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A100080
Grant
Postdoctoral Training in Intervention Research for Children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders
This postdoctoral program trained three postdoctoral fellows on contemporary intervention research design and evaluation with a focus on behavior disorders.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B090010
Grant
Responsiveness-To-Instruction to Strengthen the Academic Performance of Students with Reading and Math Disabilities
The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of integrated reading and mathematics instruction for students with or at risk for disabilities in both areas. The academic needs of students who have concurrent reading and math disabilities are not frequently addressed by practitioners or researchers. When they are addressed, an additive approach is frequently implemented. In this approach, reading interventions and math interventions are provided separately as if students had only a read...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090052
Grant
Post-Doctoral Training in Special Education Research
This postdoctoral program trained six postdoctoral fellows in the development and evaluation of interventions for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other special educational needs. The program was housed in the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, an interdisciplinary research center with faculty from early childhood education/early intervention, psychology, special education, speech and communication disorders, epidemiology, pediatrics, and public health.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B090005
Grant
Professional Development for Algebra Progress Monitoring
The purpose of this study is to develop a professional development program that will enable teachers of students with disabilities to better monitor students' learning in algebra. The aim of this project is to develop and pilot test an online professional development system that monitors progress in algebra, primarily for students with learning disabilities. The Professional Development for Algebra Progress Monitoring system will provide teachers with training and support for keeping track o...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090295
Grant
Professional Development that is Systemic, Focused on Teacher Growth, Incorporates Coaching, Collaboration, Cohorts, and Increased Knowledge to Create Student Success
The purpose of this project is to develop a professional development curriculum to improve teacher practice in general instructional and classroom management practices in ways that will promote student success. The professional development curriculum will be called STICKS - Systemic, focused on Teacher growth, Incorporates Coaching, collaboration, cohorts, and increased Knowledge to create Student success.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090283
Grant
Evaluating the Efficacy of Enhanced Anchored Instruction for Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities in Math
Research on interventions for secondary students with learning disabilities in math is limited. It has been estimated that between 5 to10 percent of students have a specific learning disability in math. Difficulties in math performance are often attributed to a combination of weak problem-solving, such as identifying relevant information, and computational skills, such as basic operations involving fractions. Research has suggested that students with disabilities in math gain, on average, on...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090179
Grant
Training Working Memory and Executive Control in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disordered Children
Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder often experience difficulties in academic areas. Working memory, the cognitive system that allows for the maintenance and manipulation of information, is also affected in children with the disorder. Research has demonstrated an association between performance on working memory tasks and academic skills and learning outcomes. Given the importance of working memory for scholastic achievement, there has been increased interest in developing...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090164
Grant
Strategy Training, Problem Solving, and Working Memory in Children with Math Disabilities
An important part of mathematics programs in elementary schools are word problems. In many current theories on the development of children's mathematical problem-solving, a fundamental component is working memory. Children with math disabilities have limitations in working memory and to date, there have not been any intervention studies that have tried to develop strategies to compensate for working memory demands as they relate to problem solving in children with math disabilities.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090002
Grant
Growth in Literacy, Language, and Cognition in Children with Reading Disabilities who are English Language Learners
A growing number of children enter school in the United States with Spanish as their first language. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2005 indicated that only 15% of Hispanic students in fourth grade read at or above the proficient levels compared to 40% of White or Asian American students. Currently, approaches to the assessment and identification of children for special education services who have limited English proficiency are not consistent. For English Language...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090092
Grant
Write Start: Development of an Integrated Occupational Therapy Writing Intervention
Learning to write legibly and fluently is important to children's academic progress. In particular, handwriting appears to be important to the fluency and quality of students' written composition. Often, teachers do not provide explicit and systematic handwriting instruction and rarely use a handwriting program. The handwriting programs that are available have limited evidence for their ability to improve student outcomes. In addition, when students with disabilities, who have handwriting d...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090004
Grant
Language Growth and Therapy Characteristics for Early Elementary Students
Over 49,000 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide services for over one million elementary school pupils who have a primary speech and language impairment. Despite the prevalence and $36 billion annual expense of speech-language services, there is little research showing which characteristics of language intervention specifically lead to improved language outcomes for students. In order to identify "what works" in speech-language pathology, this study will identify characteristics of...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A090012
Grant
Georgia Measurement and Assessment Training — Postdoctoral Program
This cooperative training program between the Colleges of Education at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia trained five postdoctoral fellows in applied assessment or measurement science. The program's primary focus was on measurement issues associated with students with disabilities. Training for the applied assessment track and the measurement science track was different but parallel.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B080006
Grant
VU Department of Special Education Postdoctoral Intervention Research Training Program
This postdoctoral program provided five postdoctoral fellows with training in the development and implementation of interventions and statistical and methodological training in intervention research. Fellows received training in randomized controlled trials and alternative research designs, such as regression discontinuity designs and propensity score matching.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B080005
Grant
Postdoctorate in Behavior Education and Research (PBER)
This postdoctoral program trained four postdoctoral fellows in statistics, methodology, and applied research that addresses the instructional and behavior support needs of students with disabilities. Mentors included faculty in the Center for Behavioral Education and Research in the Neag School of Education and the Measurement, Evaluation, and Assessment work group in the Departments of Educational Psychology, Psychology and Sociology, and Statistics.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B080007
Grant
Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowship Program
This postdoctoral program trained four postdoctoral fellows in interdisciplinary research in education sciences related to reading disabilities, with a special emphasis on response to intervention.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B080008
Grant
Online Teacher Training: Promoting Student Social Competence to Improve Academic and Behavioral Outcomes in Grades K-3
Children who enter school with social behavior problems are at an elevated risk for continued difficulties in school and life. Social behavior problems during the school years are associated with poor academic achievement, negative academic impacts on peers, and negative outcomes in adulthood. Early elementary school provides an optimal environment in which to address these problems by helping children acquire valuable social skills, develop social competence, and practice other positive beh...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A080150
Grant
Early Identification of Children with Reading Disabilities within an RTI Framework
The purpose of this project is to compare three types of measurement approaches for accurately and efficiently identifying kindergartners with reading disabilities. Early identification of children with reading disabilities maximizes the opportunity to provide intensive reading interventions, improve reading achievement, prevent academic failure in later grades, and reduce inappropriate identification for special education services. Three measurement approaches are commonly used to identif...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A080118
Grant
Recognition and Response: A Response to Intervention Model for Early Childhood
A growing body of evidence suggests that Response to Intervention (RtI) has potential for improving academic outcomes for all children and for reducing inappropriate referrals for special education. Because preschools are focusing more and more on teaching basic skills that promote academic success in elementary school, it has been suggested that RtI models would benefit children in pre-elementary education settings. As evidence of the promise of applying RtI to preschool settings, researc...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A080152
Grant
Related Services Intervention for Expressive and Receptive Language Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder and in Cognitive Impairment
In recent years, increasing numbers of children in preschool have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and educating these children is challenging. Similarly, children with cognitive impairments are increasingly served in inclusion environments and receive related services for language skills. Although the efficacy of expressive language intervention for these children has been examined, the efficacy of focusing on receptive language skills has not. The purpose of the proposed stu...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A080143
Grant
Postdoctoral Methodological Training in Instruction, Reading, Math, and Cognition Research on Children At Risk for Learning Disabilities
This postdoctoral program trained four postdoctoral fellows in research design and statistical methods within the areas of reading, math, and cognition. The training program included mentoring faculty with expertise in intervention research and statistical methods.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B080002
Grant
The Effects of Teacher Preparation and Professional Development on Special Education Teacher Quality
Teacher quality has a profound impact on student achievement and educational attainment, but research has produced few definitive findings on how best to prepare high quality teachers. The researchers on this project will analyze data from the Florida Education Data Warehouse to evaluate the potential impact of pre-service and in-service teacher training experiences on academic achievement, high school graduation, and post-secondary education and employment outcomes for students with disabi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070018
Grant
Precision in Response to Intervention Models: Variations of Measurement, Instruction, Student Language, and Age
English-language learners are often inappropriately referred for special education services due to poor English language skills and poor reading skills. Inappropriate referrals needlessly increase special education costs. Response to intervention models for reading instruction have been developed to address this concern. These models hold significant promise for providing high quality instruction to all students, identifying students with disabilities early and reliably, and reducing the num...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070098
Grant
Improving Instruction Through Implementation of the Partnership Instructional Coaching Model
The No Child Left Behind Act sets a challenging goal of having all students, including students with disabilities, achieve proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2014. Schools and districts are held accountable for making adequate progress toward proficiency for all students and subgroups, and the performance of students with disabilities is often cited as a particular challenge for schools in achieving annual proficiency targets. Research has identified a number of teaching practices w...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070302
Grant
Collaborative Teacher Network
Responsibility for teaching students with disabilities is shared by regular and special educators. Most students with disabilities are educated in regular school buildings, and almost half are educated in regular classrooms for most of the school day. However, few regular education teachers feel fully prepared to teach students with disabilities, and special education teachers may not be fully prepared to teach academic content to the level of state achievement standards. The purpose of t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070045
Grant
The Influence of Collaborative Professional Development Groups & Coaching on the Literacy Instruction of Upper Elementary Special Education Teachers
The literacy struggles of students with learning disabilities are well documented as persistent and significant. For example, the 2007 NAEP found that only 13% of 4th grade students with disabilities were proficient in reading, while in 8th grade this proficiency rate was down to 7%. In large part, the literacy problems of students with LD are due to a lack of high quality, research-based reading instruction and generally poor teaching practices. Research has found that special education ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070192
Grant
Building Effective and Meaningful Individualized Education Programs for Secondary Aged Students
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 includes specific transition requirements for secondary students with disabilities as part of the Individualized Education Programs (IEP) process to promote movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment, continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. Although there is a growing awareness of the transition-re...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070039
Grant
Assessments Aligned with Grade Level Content Standards and Scaled to Reflect Growth for Students with Disabilities (SWD) and Persistent Learning Problems (PLP)
The No Child Left Behind Act requires that students with disabilities be included in state assessments and accountability. Federal regulations issued in April 2007 have given states new flexibility by allowing them to develop "modified academic achievement standards" that are challenging for eligible students, measure mastery of grade-level content, but are less difficult than grade-level achievement standards. Modified achievement standards are intended for a small group of students whose...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A070188
Grant
Principled Science Assessment Designs for Students with Disabilities
The No Child Left Behind Act requires that students with disabilities be included in state assessments and accountability. However, the use of accommodations, modifications, and alternate assessments to permit the inclusion of students with disabilities has given rise to a number of issues related to fairness and test validity. Recently, researchers have begun to explore whether tests can be designed from the outset to be more accessible and valid for a wider range of students; this approa...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A070035
Grant
IEP Quality Improvement: Research and Development of Web-based Decision Support
The purpose of this project is to develop and test a Web-based IEP Tutorial and decision-making support system (Tutorial) that will be linked to the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) electronic IEP archiving system. The overall aim is to use the developed web-based informational and decision making resources to allow IEP teams to craft better quality IEPs that function to support higher standards-based achievement.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324J060002
Grant
I in the IEP
The purpose of this project is to develop and obtain preliminary evidence of the efficacy of two interventions designed to equip educators, administrators, and parents with the necessary tools to support students with disabilities from indigenous cultures to engage with and benefit from their own Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324J060033
Grant
Enhancing Individual Education Plans for Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Using a Daily Report Card
The purpose of this project is to develop and obtain preliminary evidence of the efficacy of an intervention designed to improve the practices of teachers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and academic and socioemotional outcomes of these children. The researchers will provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of using a daily report card intervention (DRC), long used as an efficacious intervention for chil...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324J060024
Grant
National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects: Research and Development for Students with Visual Impairments
Students with visual impairments present an ongoing challenge in large-scale assessments of reading proficiency, and issues persist concerning the valid assessment of reading with this population, particularly when some type of technology-assisted reading (e.g. text to speech) is involved. The purpose of this project is to: (a) examine the psychometric properties of state assessments for students with visual impairments, (b) conduct research on the development of an alternate assessment of ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A060034
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