Description:

Collaborating Institutions: Educational Testing Service; Stanford University; St. Philip's College; Alamo Colleges

Co-Principal Investigator: Ryan, Ann Marie

The Educational Research Training Program at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), initially funded by IES in 2016, is designed to provide undergraduate juniors with experiences in conducting education research while preparing participants for doctoral study. The program will accept students already enrolled at UTSA as well as transfer students from Alamo Colleges, a local network of community colleges. Over the course of the 5-year grant, UTSA will offer up to 48 students 1-year fellowships.

The interdisciplinary training program's P-20 theme focuses on research addressing the ongoing inequities in education found in American schooling and P-20 education pathways. As part of the year-long training program, fellows will receive training in education research, conduct research with faculty mentors, and receive assistance in applying to doctoral study.

The training program includes a semester-long seminar on P-20 issues in the fall of each fellow's junior year, followed by a semester-long research apprenticeship with faculty mentors in the spring. During the summer, fellows will have the opportunity to participate in several research institutes, including a week-long Young Scientists Institute at UTSA led by staff from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and a one-week workshop on P-20 Pathways and dual language learners held at Stanford University. Each year, two fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in an 8-week Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at ETS' New Jersey headquarters in which fellows will engage in meaningful research under the mentorship of an ETS staff member.

For participation in the training program, each fellow will receive a stipend, financial support for the summer research institutes at UTSA and Stanford University, and financial support for GRE preparation. In addition, the fellowship includes the costs of travel to Stanford University and a fund to conduct research and attend a research conference.

Project Website: https://pathways.utsa.edu/

Increasing Diversity in the Education Sciences

A primary purpose of all Pathways training programs is to help increase diversity in the Education Sciences. UTSA is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) that serves the South Texas geographic area. In addition to recruiting fellows from UTSA, the training program will recruit transfer students from St. Philip's College (a local historically black community college) and other community colleges within the Alamo Colleges district.

Related IES Projects UTSA Educational Research Training Program: P-20 Pipeline Issues(R305B160008)