Purpose
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 that advances knowledge within the field and addresses issues important to education policymakers and practitioners.
In order to prepare the next generation of special education and early intervention researchers, NCSER developed the Postdoctoral Training topic to support university-based training programs to train doctoral-level researchers to conduct high-quality, independent special education and early intervention research. NCSER-funded postdoctoral training programs have increased the supply of special education and early intervention researchers who are prepared to conduct exploratory research, implement rigorous evaluation studies, develop and evaluate new products and approaches, and design and validate assessments and other measurement tools for use with children with or at risk for disabilities.
Portfolio summary
Since 2008, NCSER has funded 20 Postdoctoral Training grants to universities that have trained a total of 80 postdoctoral fellows. Of these 80 fellows, the majority are female (74%). The following is the racial and ethnic breakdown of fellows for whom IES has data:
- 73% are White
- 14% are Asian
- 3% are Black or African American
- 1% are American Indian or Alaskan Native
- 4% are Hispanic or Latinx
Of these 20 programs, 8 are active and 12 have been completed. Of the 54 fellows who were trained under the completed programs and for whom IES has employment data as of 2020:
- 74% were working for a college or university
- 6% were working for a state or local education agency
- 6% were working in a private business or industry
- 2% were working for a research firm
- 2% were self-employed or working in other types of positions
Related projects & training programs
- Early Career Development and Mentoring Program
- Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education Sciences in the National Center for Education Research (NCER)
- Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences (NCER)
- Pathways to the Education Sciences Research Training Program (NCER)