University of Delaware
Associated IES Content
Grant
Linking Data and Policy to Improve College Readiness in Delaware
The purpose of this project is to identify the mechanisms through which local curricula and course offerings, statewide assessments, and feedback on predicted college-readiness might be better leveraged to influence students' educational trajectories through high school and into college.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200181
Grant
Examining the Efficacy of a Fraction Sense Intervention Grounded in Principles From the Science of Learning
The purpose of this project is to examine the efficacy of the fraction sense intervention (FSI), developed with funding from an IES grant, on student mathematics performance to understand mediators and moderators of the effects on student outcomes. Competence with fractions is crucial for success in math as well as for many careers and vocations. Students who leave 6th grade without fundamental understandings of fractions may experience cascading difficulties that lead to lifelong avoidance ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A200140
Grant
Exploring Cognitive and Foundational Processes Underlying Pre-Algebra Among Students With and Without Mathematics Learning Difficulties
The purpose of this project is to explore the domain-general cognitive and domain-specific foundational processes that underlie pre-algebra. Specifically, the project will (a) identify explicit links among cognitive and foundational processes, and pre-algebra competence among seventh graders with mathematics learning difficulties (MD) versus typically developing students (TYP), (b) explore whether cognitive processes indirectly contribute to pre-algebra competence through foundational mathem...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A220268
Grant
An Efficacy Follow-Up Study of the Long-Term Effects of Reading Recovery Under the i3 Scale-Up
The purpose of this project is to test the sustained efficacy of Reading Recovery, an intensive one-on-one reading instruction program for the lowest-achieving first grade students, on state test scores in third and fourth grade. Many first grade students struggle with reading and for some of these students, low literacy achievement in first grade can set them up for continued difficulty in literacy throughout elementary school and beyond. The Reading Recovery program is based on the idea th...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170171
Grant
Investigating the Efficacy of a Web-Based Early Reading Intervention Professional Development Program for K-1 English Learners
Large numbers of children in United States schools struggle with reading, including a disproportionate number of English learners (ELs). The Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) is an instructional intervention and professional development program for early reading, designed to help classroom teachers acquire key diagnostic strategies for use with young, struggling readers. The purpose of this study was to determine TRI's efficacy for young ELs, specifically. Previous efficacy studies (R305A0...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160255
Grant
Assessing the Comprehension of Language in 2-Year-Olds Using Touch-Screen Technology
The purpose of this project was to develop a reliable and valid computer-based language assessment for children ages 24-36 months. Past research demonstrated that early language skills are predictive of later language and academic skills. Therefore, early identification of children with language delays can lead to improvement in their later linguistic and academic outcomes. This project was modeled after a previously developed assessment, the Quick Interactive Language Screener or QUILS, for...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A160241
Grant
Developing a Fraction Sense Intervention for Students with or at Risk for Mathematics Difficulties
This project aims to develop a fraction sense intervention for middle school students with or at risk for mathematics difficulties. Many middle-school students struggle to develop a basic understanding of fractions. Fractions are not only foundational for learning algebra, but facility with fractions also affects daily life functioning (e.g., managing personal finances). Unfortunately, many students fail to develop these foundational skills, which can lead to negative educational, vocational...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A160127
Grant
Supporting Strategic Writers: Effects of an Innovative Developmental Writing Program on Writing and Reading Outcomes
Many community college students must take non-credit developmental courses in writing to improve their basic writing skills, but little research has focused on instructional interventions designed for developmental writing. The purpose of this project was to test the efficacy of such an intervention that was developed and evaluated in a previous IES-funded grant (R305A100614). A quasi-experimental study (MacArthur et al., 2015) in the prior grant found improved outcomes in writing quality an...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160242
Grant
Refining and Extending a Number Sense Screener for Identifying Children at Risk for Mathematical Difficulties in School
The purpose of this project is to refine, extend, and validate a number sense screener for students from prekindergarten through Grade 1. Number sense-the knowledge of number, number relations, and number operations-is highly predictive of later math success and underlies many difficulties students have in mathematics. Being able to identify students who have difficulties with number sense early in development is critical to providing educational interventions that promote readiness and succ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150545
Grant
Spatial Training in Preschool: Identifying the Malleable Factors
A growing body of literature reveals the importance of early spatial abilities to later success in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Yet by the time American children have entered school, they are already lagging behind their peers in other countries. Preschool children can learn important spatial and mathematical concepts but our current instructional approaches do not foster or support their understanding of STEM concepts. The purpose of this project is to underst...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140385
Grant
Investigating the Impact of Classroom Instruction and Literacy Skills on Writing Achievement in First Grade
Elementary schools generally, and first grade in particular, provide students with critical instruction in early literacy skills. This project is designed to explore how various types and amounts of reading and writing instruction are related to student writing outcomes in first grade and to examine whether the effects of instruction are moderated by students' incoming reading and writing skills and demographic characteristics (socioeconomic status). Research on early writing development an...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110484
Grant
Using Developmental Science to Create a Computerized Preschool Language Assessment
Language is a core ability that children need for success in school. Understanding teachers and peers, following narratives, telling stories, participating in conversation, learning to read, and doing math all rest on linguistic skill. The purpose of this project is to develop a reliable, valid, norm-ready, research-driven, and culturally sensitive computer-based language assessment for children 3- to 5-years-old that can be administered in 20 minutes. The preschool language assessment tool...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110284
Grant
National Research and Development Center on Improving Mathematics Instruction for Students with Mathematics Difficulties
The purpose of the National Center on Mathematics Instruction for Students with Mathematics Difficulties is to increase knowledge of how children acquire and fail to acquire an understanding of rational numbers (i.e., fractions) and how children with math difficulties can be taught to understand and operate fluently with rational numbers. The new center will conduct exploratory research including both small-scale experimental and longitudinal studies to examine the cognitive processes, such ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324C100004
Grant
Development of a Curriculum to Teach Writing in Postsecondary Developmental English Composition Classes
In the early 2010s, large numbers of students were entering postsecondary programs with a high school diploma but were underprepared for college coursework. According to the NCES (2013), in 2011-12, 33% of first-year college students took at least one remedial course in reading, writing, or math (40% in public 2-year and 30% in public 4-year institutions). To help address the needs of students and faculty in development writing courses, the researchers developed a curriculum called Supportin...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100614
Grant
Validating Vertical Scales as Measures of Growth Using Moderated Nonlinear Factor Analysis
This project will investigate the use of Moderated Nonlinear Factor Analysis (MNLFA) as a potential improvement upon existing vertical scaling methods that use the common item, nonequivalent group (CING) design. Vertical scales aim to capture growth across time by linking test forms appropriate for students of different ages, placing scores onto a common scale. This scale design is integral to several applications in education, ranging from the measurement of individual students' growth acro...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B240013
Grant
Writing Across Levels of Language (WALL) in First Grade
The purpose of this project is to revise and pilot test a first-grade writing program, called Writing Across Levels of Language (WALL). This project builds on the findings of an IES funded Exploration project (Investigating the Impact of Classroom Instruction and Literacy Skills on Writing Achievement in First Grade). First-grade students struggle with the demands of writing, making it difficult for them to meet most state writing standards. Students have been found to struggle with writing ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210202
Grant
Exploring Elementary Teachers' Feelings, Beliefs, and Effectiveness across Mathematics, Science, and Literacy
Teachers are responsible for making decisions and taking actions that determine students' classroom experiences. Much of the research on teacher effectiveness has focused on teachers' pedagogical and content knowledge. However, findings from recent evaluations indicate improvement in teacher knowledge generally does not translate to improved student outcomes and suggest that other important elements - such as feelings and beliefs - can play a powerful role in professional performance. In thi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200524
Grant
A Researcher-Practitioner Partnership Examining the Use of Automated Essay Evaluation Software for Improving Students Writing Achievement
This partnership project developed and strengthened the partnership between University of Delaware's School of Education and Red Clay School District, and explored the feasibility and promise of MI Write (formerly PEG Writing), an automated essay evaluation (AEE) software program. Red Clay, and other school districts, want to improve the writing achievement of students in elementary schools, Grades 3-5. However, teachers often do not assign enough writing or provide enough feedback because i...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H170046
Grant
An Evaluation of Turning Around North Carolina's Lowest Performing Schools: A State Partnership Evaluation
The research team investigated the implementation and impact of a school turnaround plan for low-performing schools in North Carolina. The plan, called the North Carolina Transformation (NCT) program, identified and targeted increasing each school's leadership and instructional capacities. Rather than the expected positive effects of NCT on student and teacher outcomes, their regression discontinuity study found that student achievement gains were lowered and that teacher turnover increased ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305E190002
Grant
The Center for Research Use in Education (CRUE)
The Center for Research Use in Education (CRUE) aimed to study what drives research use, from the production of knowledge to sharing and application of research knowledge. CRUE had two major lines of work: a structured program of research and national leadership and dissemination activities. CRUE researchers designed, produced, piloted, and validated two parallel surveys for researchers and practitioners: the Survey of Evidence in Education for Schools (SEE-S) and the Survey of Evidence in E...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305C150017
Grant
Postdoctoral Training in Children's Mathematics Language and Cognition
This training program prepared four postdoctoral fellows to apply cognitive science principles to crucial issues in education, especially in mathematics, language development, and early learning.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B130012
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