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NCER Announces New FY 2010 Research Grants

NCER recently awarded 36 new research grants under the Education Research Grants Program and two new grants in the Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Policies from applications considered under the October 2009 deadline. In addition, two new National Research and Development Centers were awarded. Spending for these grants and centers total $96 million.

The newly funded projects address a wide range of topics and seek to improve student outcomes from preschool to postsecondary in multiple domains using innovative techniques. The projects include:

A list of all new awards follows.

Education Research Grants Program (CFDA 84.305A)

Reading and Writing

Efficacy of Rich Vocabulary (RVOC) Instruction for Classrooms
Washington Research Institute, Patricia Vadasy

Robust Instruction of Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students
University of Pittsburgh, Margaret McKeown

Teaching and Learning Argumentative Writing in High School English Language Arts Classrooms
The Ohio State University, George Newell

Development of a Curriculum to Teach Writing in Postsecondary Developmental English Composition Classes
University of Delaware, Charles MacArthur

Mathematics and Science

Learning Progressions in Middle School Science Instruction and Assessment
University of California, Berkeley, Mark Wilson

Establishing the Validity and Diagnostic Capacity of Facet-Based Science Assessments
SRI International, Angela DeBarger

Argument-Driven Inquiry in the Middle and High School Laboratory — The Refinement and Further Development of a New Instructional Model
Florida State University, Victor Sampson

Do Professional Communities Improve K–16 Curricula Mastery and Augment Mathematics Achievement?
University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Stephanie Moller

Toward High School Biology: Helping Middle School Students Make Sense of Chemical Reactions
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Jo Ellen Roseman

The Connected Chemistry Curriculum
University of Maryland, College Park, Mike Stieff

Creating Cross-Grade Assessments of the Development of Core Algebraic Constructs
Educational Testing Service (ETS), Malcolm Bauer

Cognition and Student Learning

Developing and Evaluating Measures of Formative Assessment Practices
University of Colorado, Denver, Maria Ruiz-Primo

Exploring Reading Fluency and its Underlying Behaviors
University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc., Scott Ardoin

Teacher Quality — Reading and Writing

The Targeted Reading Intervention: A Web-Based Professional Development Program Targeting K–1 Classroom Teachers and Their Struggling Readers
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Lynne Vernon-Feagans

Validation of an Assessment of Teacher Knowledge of Beginning Reading Instruction
American Institutes for Research (AIR), Terry Salinger

Teacher Quality — Mathematics and Science

Using Data to Inform Decisions: How Teachers Use Data to Inform Practice and Improve Student Performance in Mathematics
C.N.A. Corporation, Ellen Mandinach

Developing Mathematics Teaching Through Focused Collaborative Assessment of Practice
University of Michigan, Pamela Moss

Making Middle School Mathematics Accessible for All Students
WestEd, Shandy Hauk

Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning

Academic Achievement Outcomes from a Pre-K Family and School Intervention
New York University School of Medicine, Laurie Brotman

Intrapersonal Factors Associated with Academic Success among High School Students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate (AP-IB) Programs
University of South Florida, Shannon Suldo

Using an Empirically-Supported Teacher Consultation Model to Facilitate the Implementation of an Integrated Social-Emotional Learning and Literacy Curriculum in Urban Elementary Schools
University of Virgina, Jason Downer

Education Policy, Finance, and Systems

Preventing Truancy in Urban Schools Through Provision of Social Servies by Truancy Officers
National Opinion Research Center (NORC), Jonathan Guryan

Strategic School Funding for Results
American Institutes for Research (AIR), Jay Chambers

Early Childhood Programs and Policies

Touch Your Toes! Developing a New Measure of Behavioral Regulation
Oregon State University, Megan McClelland

The Availability of Early Childhood Education and Care in the United States: Exploring Links between Policy, Availability and Effects, 1990–2005
Stanford University, Susanna Loeb

Middle and High School Reform

Bringing Rigor and Relevance to High School Reform through Thematic Curricula
Institute for Research and Reform In Education (IRRE), James Connellp>

English Language Learners

Improving the Teaching and Learning of English Language Learners: The Instructional Conversational Model
The University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc., Pedro Portes

Validating Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Instruments for Use with ELLs in Response-To-Intervention Models
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Craig Albers

An Efficacy Study of Project GLAD
Education Northwest, Theresa Deussen

Language in Math
University of Miami, Walter Secada

The Iterative Development of Modules to Support Teachers' Engagement in Exploring Language and Meaning in Text with English Language Learners
University of Michigan, Mary Schleppegrell

Developing a Formative Assessment of Academic Reading Comprehension for English Language Learners: A Tool to Improve Teaching and Learning
Educational Testing Service (ETS), Mikyung Wolf

Postsecondary Education

The Efficacy of Personal Response Systems (Clickers) as Learning Tools: A Multidisciplinary, Large-Scale, Empirical Evaluation
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Amy Shapiro

Ready or Not? California's Early Assessment Program and the Transition to College
University of California, Davis, Michal Kurlaender

Education Technology

DeepTutor: An Intelligent Tutoring System Based on Deep Language and Discourse Processing and Advanced Tutoring Strategies
University of Memphis, Vasile Rus

Habitat Tracker: Learning about Scientific Inquiry through Digital Journaling at Wildlife Centers
Florida State University, Paul Marty


Research and Development Center in the Education Sciences (CFDA 84.305C)

NCER recently awarded two new research grants for Research and Development Centers in the Education Sciences for applications considered under the October 2009 deadline. These awards are:

National Center for Cognition and Mathematics Instruction
WestEd, Steven Schneider

National Research and Development Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools
Vanderbilt University, Thomas Smith


Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs & Policies (CFDA 84.305E)

NCER recently awarded two new research grants under the Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs & Policies for applications considered under the October 2009 deadline. These awards are:

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Ohio Department of Education's Literacy Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Educators
The Ohio State University Research Foundation, Shayne Piasta

Middle School Intervention Project (MSIP)
University of Oregon, Scott Baker

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