Through the Education Research and Development Center (R&D Center) program (84.305C), the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) supports R&D centers that conduct research and provide national leadership on key education issues that face our nation. These centers have greater resources than are available through the Education Research Grants program ( 84.305A;) to tackle understudied but critically important topics and create innovative solutions that could be deployed at scale.
Improving Rural Education is one of four centers that IES intends to fund in FY 2024. The three other topic areas are
- Improving Outcomes in Elementary Science Education
- K–12 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Policy
- Using Generative Artificial Intelligence to Augment Teaching and Learning in Classrooms
IES requests applications to establish a National Research and Development (R&D) Center on Improving Rural Education (Rural Center) to conduct research in at least two states or territories on a major problem or issue in rural education that involves local stakeholders and addresses their needs.
The Rural Center will generate evidence about critical challenges in rural education, lead national conversations about rural education, and work closely with rural districts in at least two states or territories who face the greatest challenges in providing educational opportunities and improving learner outcomes .
Previous IES Rural R&D Centers
- National Research Center on Rural Education Support (R305A040056)
- The National Center for Research on Rural Education (R305C090022)
- The National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) (R305C190004)
- The National Center for Rural School Mental Health (NCRSMH): Enhancing the Capacity of Rural Schools to Identify, Prevent, and Intervene in Youth Mental Health Concerns (R305C190014)