University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Associated IES Content
Grant
AFIRM for Paraeducators: Paraeducators' Use of Evidence-Based Practices to Increase Goal Attainment for Students with Autism
The purpose of this project is to conduct a pilot study to test the promise of the AFIRM (Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules) for Paraeducators (AFP) program for increasing the use and fidelity of evidence-based practices (EBPs) among paraeducators and the goal attainment of elementary-aged students with autism. The increases in the prevalence of autism diagnoses and the number of paraeducators providing instruction in special education has created a need for preparing t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A230140
Grant
School Characteristics, Classroom Processes, and PK-1 Learning and Development
The main objective of this project is to provide a more nuanced understanding of associations between school characteristics, classroom processes, and students' language, academic, executive function, and social skills between prekindergarten and grade 1 (PK-1). The first aim focuses on the associations between school characteristics (i.e., academic performance, strain, and organization of resources) and students' early learning. The second aim explores the degree to which school characteris...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210538
Grant
Equitable Rostering Solution: A Project on Evidence-Based Teacher-Student Assignment
Equitable Rostering Solution (ERS) is a computerized student-teacher rostering tool intended to optimize the match between student and teacher by using profiles of both student and teacher needs and strengths. The research team will further develop ERS and validate its ability to: (a) increase student equity in access to effective instruction; (b) reduce opportunity and achievement gaps between high and low-performing students; (c) improve all students' academic achievement and growth; and (...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210356
Grant
Project EXPRESS: EXamining interventions to PRomote Executive functioning and Social Skills
The purpose of this efficacy study is to evaluate the comparative efficacy of two interventions for middle school students on the autism spectrum. Students with autism have challenges related to social skills and executive functioning that impact educational outcomes, yet there is limited evidence about effective school-based programs addressing these core areas of need for pre-adolescents with autism. The proposed study will address this need by evaluating an intervention that targets socia...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A210163
Grant
Making Professional Development Work for Preschool Classroom Teams Serving Students with ASD: Adapting a PD Model Using Normalization Process Theory
This project aims to develop and test an adapted professional development (PD) model to be used with the Advancing Social-communication And Play (ASAP) intervention, which is an intervention that focuses on improving early social communication and play skills of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research suggests that current PD models may not sufficiently improve educator practice and student outcomes or lead to sustained implementation. To address this, the project wi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A200188
Grant
Empirical Benchmarks for Interpreting Effect Size and Design Parameters for Planning Multilevel Randomized Trials on Social and Behavioral Outcomes
Social and behavioral measures are commonly used in education and social science research as primary and secondary outcomes of interest, and they are closely associated with the student academic achievement. To examine intervention effects on social and behavioral outcomes in education and prevention science, multilevel randomized trials that include cluster randomized trials (CRTs) and multisite randomized trials (MRTs) are now widely used. In order to design CRTs and MRTs with sufficient s...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305D190013
Grant
Effects of Implicit Bias on Children's Early Outcomes
The purpose of this project is to examine the relationship between implicit bias, teacher expectations, teacher–child interactions and child outcomes. There are disparities in child discipline and development that can manifest early for poor and/or minority children and can have lasting consequences. Previous research has shown that teachers demonstrate implicit preferences towards White versus minority students. Self-fulfilling prophecies and teachers' lower expectations of children can s...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200525
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
Cross-Sectional Examination of Writing Quality in Elementary School Students: An Exploration of an Empirical Based Model of Writing Factors Across Grades 1 to 5
The purpose of this project is to develop an empirical framework to improve elementary school writing assessment and instruction. By understanding writing constructs, teachers can help students develop the corresponding skills. Furthermore, a writing framework will provide a strong foundation for creating age-specific measures and more effective tools for monitoring progress. Teachers can then apply specific constructs when planning instruction or providing feedback.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A190405
Grant
Efficacy Follow-Up Study of the CSESA Model
The purpose of this project is to determine the longer-term outcomes for high school students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who participated in an efficacy study of a comprehensive treatment model developed by the IES-funded Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (CSESA). Compared to other high school students with disabilities, students with ASD have significantly more difficulty with daily living activities, a lower sense of self direction, fewer p...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A180091
Grant
Supporting Paraprofessionals' Use of Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The purpose of this project is to develop the Supporting paraprofessionals-Teachers use of Evidence-based practices with Learners having Autism (STELA) program, a professional development intervention targeting the knowledge and skills that paraprofessionals need to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Increasingly, paraprofessionals have the responsibility of delivering instruction and intervention to students with ASD under the supervi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A170028
Grant
Tailoring Teaching to Fit the Class: Teaching Practice and Classroom Composition Under Random Assignment
This project will explore how classroom composition (based on student initial achievement, race, socioeconomic status, and gender) is related to different teaching practices and how teaching practice is linked to classroom composition and student outcomes. Researchers will explore how teachers adapt to different classroom compositions, whether these adaptations predict student outcomes, and which teacher characteristics predict adaptation. Findings from this project will have implications fo...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170269
Grant
Promoting Self-Regulation to Enhance Social, Behavioral, and Academic Adjustment in Middle School
The purpose of this project was to develop and test an intervention to support the development of adolescents' self-regulation skills during the middle school years. The need for intervention during this time period can be seen in a decline in achievement and an increase in discipline problems and truancy. Middle school classroom peer cultures also tend to discourage academically engaged and prosocial behaviors, favoring aggression and defiance. As such, there is reason to provide universal ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170172
Grant
Student Learning as a Function of Exposure to Teachers' Use of Cognitive Processing Language During Instruction
Cognitive Processing Language (CPL) is rich in references to metacognition, cognitive processes, and requests for remembering, and is important for the development of memory strategies and later study skills as well as for the acquisition of knowledge in specific content domains, including mathematics. More needs to be understood regarding the characteristics of teachers who use high levels of CPL in their instruction or who exhibit greater readiness to incorporate higher levels of CPL when ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170637
Grant
Post-doctoral Training in Special Education and Autism Research
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B160038
Grant
Promoting ASAP Collaboration through Technology (PACT): An Intervention Modification to Enhance Home-School Collaboration
The purpose of this project was to develop and pilot test a web-based enhancement of the classroom-based Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) intervention to support collaborations between home and school. ASAP was designed to develop joint attention (shared attention toward an object or event with another person) and symbolic play (pretending), both pivotal skills for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although there is evidence that ASAP has an impact, there is ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A170151
Grant
Educational Outcomes of the Incredible Years Small Group Program for Early Elementary Students with Self-Regulation Difficulties
Researchers evaluated the efficacy of a small group social-emotional and behavioral intervention, the Incredible Years Dina Dinosaur Treatment Program (IY-Dina), for helping early elementary school students with social-emotional and behavioral difficulties. Many children with these difficulties do not respond adequately to universal interventions. As a result, they are at risk for discipline referrals, academic underachievement, and conflict with peers and teachers that interferes with learn...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150169
Grant
Large-Scale Psychometric Assessment of the ECERS-3
The purpose of this project is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-3rd Edition (ECERS-3), the latest version of the widely used observational tool designed to assess global classroom quality in preschool classrooms. Classroom quality is associated with young children's pre-academic and social behavioral skills in preschool and later school achievement. Several state and national initiatives have been developed to increase overall quality in...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150109
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
The Targeted Reading Intervention: A Web-Based Professional Development Program Targeting K-1 Classroom Teachers and Their Struggling Readers
The purpose of this proposal is to examine the effects of the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) professional development program in helping rural kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers in low-wealth schools implement evidence-based, individualized reading instruction for the children in their classrooms who are struggling in learning how to read. Specifically, this proposal aims to understand whether the TRI can improve teacher knowledge in both the foundation and the peda...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100654
Grant
Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (CSESA)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 88 children have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism is a pervasive disorder affecting multiple developmental outcomes (e.g., behavior, communication, cognitive skills). The heterogeneity of abilities poses a significant challenge for schools in determining how best to meet the needs of each child within the least restrictive environment. The research to date suggests that despite some mitigation in the sev...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324C120006
Grant
Development of a Computerized Assessment of Executive Function for Preschool-Aged Children
Executive function (EF) is an umbrella term that refers to a wide range of cognitive abilities that together serve as a supervisory system important for planning, reasoning ability, and the integration of thought and action. EF plays a central role in children's development of self-regulation and social and cognitive competence. Evidence suggests that EF deficits may act as a "final common pathway" through which diverse disorders and risk factors affecting young children lead to learning dif...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120033
Grant
Recognition and Response: Addressing Early Learning Difficulties in Math through an RTI Model for Pre-K
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A120059
Grant
Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP): An Intervention Program for Preschoolers with Autism
Core diagnostic features of autism include deficits in social-communicative functioning. Two pivotal skills for young children with autism include joint attention and pretend play, which constitute early foundations upon which later social-communicative skills are built. Joint attention (characterized by behaviors such as pointing, showing, and coordinated looking to share attention toward objects or events with another person) and symbolic play (characterized by the ability to pretend), pl...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A110256
Grant
The Role of Behavioral and Instructional Match in the Prediction of Early Classroom Engagement and Academic Achievement
The idea that instructional strategies should be matched to individual student skills has a long history in education. Recent research indicates that the match between child skills and teacher instruction in the early elementary grades is critical to children's reading achievement. In this project, researchers will examine teacher instructional strategies as a moderator of child grade entry skills in predicting literacy achievement at 2nd and 3rd grade. Researchers will use data from the Fam...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110104
Grant
Efficacy of a Parent-Mediated Intervention for One-Year-Olds at Risk for Autism
Early intervention with children with autism may promote better long-term outcomes and preempt more serious consequences associated with this disorder. There is little research about the efficacy of interventions with infants and toddlers who, at this point, have not yet demonstrated all of their autism diagnostic symptoms. The purpose of this project is to assess the efficacy of an early intervention program called Adaptive Responsive Teaching with one year olds most at risk for autism spec...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A100305
Grant
Post-Doctoral Training in Special Education Research
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B090005
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
Social Communication and Symbolic Play Intervention for Preschoolers With Autism
Deficits in social-communicative functioning are core diagnostic features of autism. Joint attention and symbolic play are theoretically posited to be pivotal skills that constitute the early foundations for social-communicative development. Researchers have found that the quality and quantity of young children's social communicative behaviors is highly predictive of long-term developmental and functional outcomes. Few school-based interventions have been developed and tested that target th...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070056
Grant
Comparison of Two Comprehensive Treatment Models for Preschool-Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their Families
Prevalence rates for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have risen in the last decade. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 150 children has an ASD. This increase has created pressure on local school systems to provide effective treatment and services for children with such disorders. To date, few studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of school-based interventions that address the multiple needs of children with ASD.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B070219
Grant
Improving Teacher Quality to Address the Language and Literacy Skills of Latino Children in Pre-Kindergarten Programs
At the time of this study, research indicated that Latino children were lagging behind their peers when they entered into kindergarten. However, very little was known about the effects of pre-kindergarten schooling on Latino children who are English language learners. In this study, the researchers purposed to develop and test an intervention designed to improve the quality of teaching practices related to literacy and language learning among Latino children enrolled in North Carolina's More...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040032
Grant
Social and Character Development in Rural Youth: The Competence Support Program
In this project, the researchers aimed to evaluate the Competence Support Program, a multi-level program that includes social skills training, school-wide behavior management, and school-wide training in classroom social dynamics management. They intend to test the ways in which the program trains teachers to identify student peer groups, the leaders of those groups, and the socially aggressive students. Researchers also examined how students' personal characteristics (such as risk status), ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305L030162
Grant
Integrating Mindfulness Into School Counseling to Enhance Resilience for Adolescents in the Context of Stress
The purpose of this project is to develop, refine, and pilot test an IES-funded program (Be CALM Counseling) to increase counselors' attunement to the stress-related needs of the diverse middle school populations they serve. Stress is highly prevalent among adolescents, even more so in the present times, and disrupts students' learning as well as their emotional wellbeing. Although many different individual and contextual factors have been shown to promote stress resilience, emotion regulati...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A230390
Grant
Observer Impression Scale of Preschool Children's Peer Social Competence
Observer Impression Scale of Preschool Children's Peer Social Competence
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220241
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
Moving Beyond the Average: Building a Comprehensive Model of Classroom Quality That Incorporates Children's Individual Experiences
This project explored how individual children's engagement varied within classrooms and the degree to which variation in child engagement was associated with children's outcomes. Specifically, the research team (i) evaluated the degree to which the quality of children's engagement with teachers and academic content varied within individual children and within classrooms; (ii) related average quality of engagement at the child and classroom levels with child outcomes; and (iii) explored varia...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200308
Contract
Evaluation of Transition Supports for Youth with Disabilities
Students with disabilities continue to lag their peers in high school graduation, enrollment in postsecondary education, and employment more than a decade after the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Although IDEA requires states and districts to support student efforts toward their post-high school goals, there is limited evidence about which strategies are effective. This study assesses variants of an approach that the Department has promoted &mda
Federal funding program:
Contract number:
91990019C0078
Grant
Young Children in Dual Language Education Programs: Language of Instruction, Engagement, Self-concept, Approaches to Learning, and Student-Teacher Relationships as Contributors to Academic Outcomes
In this project, researchers focus on exploring relationships between language of instruction and academic outcomes in the context of dual language (DL) educational programs. The research team will look at two-way immersion DL programs, which provide instruction in both English and a non-English language (in this case, Spanish) to both English learners (ELs) and English-speaking students. DL programs have been posited as a mechanism to reduce the achievement gap for ELs, but more research is...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180063
Grant
An Examination of Response to Intervention in the Early Writing Skills of At-Risk Preschoolers
The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy of the Phonological Awareness + Letter Knowledge (PA+LK) intervention on writing skills in preschool children at risk for early learning problems. Research shows that preschool children who have difficulty with literacy skills are more likely to enter elementary school with literacy problems, and are unlikely to catch up with their peers. Thus, it is important to establish strong foundational literacy skills before students enter kindergart...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170529
Grant
Early Education in Rural North Carolina
This research team will explore malleable factors in early education from preschool through third grade that are believed to promote early learning and development for children. The researchers will focus on rural North Carolina, which is an important context because of the large achievement gaps related to race and income in the rural Southeast.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160022
Grant
Early College High Schools at Scale: Probing Impacts and Generalizability with a Quasi-Experiment Benchmarked Against an RCT
This project provides evidence about the effectiveness of Early College High Schools (ECHS) in North Carolina (NC) which are small schools of choice primarily located on campuses of two- or four-year colleges or universities. Students who attend ECHS have the opportunity to earn, at no financial cost to them, two years of transferable college credit or an associate's degree while simultaneously satisfying high school graduation requirements. This study leveraged existing data to provide info...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150477
Grant
Dual-Credit Courses and the Road to College: Experimental Evidence from Tennessee
This project team evaluated the impact of Tennessee's dual credit course for Advanced Algebra/Trigonometry on students' high school and college outcomes. Dual-credit courses are courses taken in high school that can provide college credit. These courses are designed to align high school and college curricula by providing college-level instruction within the familiar context of high school. Curricular alignment between high school and college may better prepare students by exposing them to th...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H140028
Contract
Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices (EPSEP)
Experiences in early childhood programs can help young children, including those with disabilities, develop skills important for later learning. But many children need help to strengthen their social-emotional skills and engagement in classroom activities in order to reap those early learning benefits. Currently, there is limited evidence on how to effectively integrate supports for these skills into the general curriculum, particularly in classrooms where children with disabilities are serve
Federal funding program:
Contract number:
ED-IES-14-C-0001
Grant
Developing a Teacher-Based Intervention Involving Memory-Relevant Language During Instruction
With increases in age, children become more proficient in the use of strategies or plans for the storage and retrieval of information. Given the importance of remembering for success in school, it is essential that children develop strategies for remembering. Longitudinal findings by this research team reveal clear differences in the use of "memory talk" across teachers, as well as linkages between teachers' mnemonic style and children's memory and academic performance. Children taught by te...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A120402
Grant
Written Language Problems in Middle School Students: A Randomized Trial of the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) Model Using a Tier 2 Intervention
Writing may be considered a problem solving process because it requires the higher-order cognitive activities of planning and knowledge transfer. Success at writing may require explicit writing instruction, explicit self-regulation instruction (including the development of strategies such as goal setting and self-monitoring), and the development of positive self-efficacy about writing. The Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model encompasses each of these major areas of learning to w...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A120145
Grant
Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowship in Early Childhood Education Sciences
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Early Childhood Education Sciences provided five fellows experience in the design and evaluation of interventions for young children, as well as methods including clinical trial studies and quasi-experimental evaluations.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B100028
Grant
Postdoctoral Training in Behavioral and Family Supports
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education Sciences trained four fellows to conduct research relevant to early childhood education and related fields.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B060021
Grant
Attention, Memory, and Executive Functions in Written Language Expression in Elementary School Children
At the time of this study, the researchers aimed to establish a stronger scientific foundation for educational practice within the writing domain by using the current advances in cognitive science and neuroscience. Through this study, they planned to examine
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H060042
Grant
National Research Center on Rural Education Support
The mission of the National Research Center on Rural Education (NRCRES) is to conduct research that addresses the diverse educational needs of rural schools, which face particular challenges that affect students' academic performance, such as: (1) high rates of child poverty; (2) limited resources for educational materials and professional development; (3) difficulty in attracting and retaining appropriately and highly qualified teachers; and (4) staffing issues stemming from sparse and remo...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A040056
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