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. Under the Research Grants Focused on Systematic Replication in Special Education competition (84.324R), IES will support systematic replication studies of interventions that have produced beneficial effects on education outcomes in one or more rigorous causal-impact studies. Interventions can include those that were developed and/or tested with IES funding as well as those that have not been funded by IES. Studies will use one of two different approaches:

1. Systematic Replications: These projects will systematically replicate an intervention by varying at least one aspect of a prior impact study. For example, researchers could vary the geographical location; the population of learners, educators, and/or schools; and/or features of the intervention implementation and delivery.
2. Systematic Replications Using Digital Platforms: These projects will systematically replicate an intervention that is either currently available through a widely used digital platform or can readily be embedded within such a platform prior to the evaluation. These replications will involve varying at least one aspect of a prior impact study, such as the geographical location; the population of learners, educators, and/or schools; and/or the intervention implementation.

Under both approaches, IES will support replication studies that evaluate an intervention when implemented under routine conditions (Effectiveness Replications) and evaluations that provide more support than is typically provided under routine conditions (Efficacy Replications).