About NCSER
The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) sponsors a comprehensive program of special education research designed to deepen our understanding of children with or at risk for disabilities. NCSER’s primary mission is to support research that investigates the conditions that improve developmental and educational outcomes for infants, toddlers, children, and youths who have disabilities or are at risk for developing them. NCSER researchers have made important progress in understanding factors related to children’s academic growth, developing measurement systems integral to documenting children’s skill development and learning, and developing and testing interventions designed to improve educational outcomes, broadly defined to include school readiness, academic achievement, and behaviors that support learning. The work of NCSER researchers captures the developmental range of birth through adolescence in the 13 disability categories recognized in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which include sensory impairments, developmental delays, speech and language impairments, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and emotional disturbance. NCSER has also funded six Research and Development Centers that focus on critical topics that require sustained and intensive research attention. In addition, NCSER funds research training programs that prepare individuals to conduct rigorous and relevant early intervention and special education research that addresses issues important to education policymakers and practitioners.
Joan McLaughlin
Commissioner,NCSER
Joan McLaughlin
Commissioner - NCSER
Bio
Joan McLaughlin joined the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) as Deputy Commissioner of the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) in 2009. In addition to her role as Deputy Commissioner, Dr. McLaughlin served as NCSER's program officer for the Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education grant program. In 2013, she was appointed Commissioner of NCSER. Prior to joining IES, she spent 16 years working in the Education and Family Services area of Abt Associates Inc., a research-consulting firm. While there, Dr. McLaughlin served as principal investigator or project director for numerous evaluations of federal education, food assistance, and early childhood programs. She also served as a program officer in the Office of Analysis and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, where she oversaw design, process, and implementation studies of programs and initiatives focused on maternal and child health and child nutrition issues. In addition, Dr. McLaughlin served as a program analyst in the Program Evaluation and Methodology Division of the U.S. Government Accountability Office. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and her master's and doctoral degrees in developmental psychology from Cornell University.
Related Sessions
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM
DESCRIPTION
NCSER Commissioner Joan McLaughlin will provide an update on NCSER’s work, discuss plans for future activities, and take questions from grantees.PRESENTER(S)
- Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education
Sarah Brasiel
Program Officer,NCSER
Sarah Brasiel
Program Officer - NCSER
Bio
Sarah joined IES in 2016, and is the Program Officer at the National Center for Special Education Research for the following three topic areas: Mathematics and Science Education; Reading, Writing, and Language Development; and Technology for Special Education. Her prior research has focused on improving middle school teachers' pedagogical content knowledge about integers and using randomized control trials and quasi-experiments to evaluate the effects of inquiry mathematics and science curriculum and instruction, mathematics educational technology, and reading interventions. Prior to joining IES she was a researcher for two IES Regional Educational Laboratories (REL Mid-Atlantic 2007-2010 and REL Southwest 2010-2013). She received her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to graduate school, she was a special education and general education teacher for 18 years teaching upper elementary, middle and high school students.
Jacquelyn Buckley
Program Officer,NCSER
Jacquelyn Buckley
Program Officer - NCSER
Bio
Jackie joined IES in 2006 and is the Program Officer for the Social Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning and the Families of Children with Disabilities research topics. Her prior research focused on prevention and early intervention services for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, and mental health services in schools. Jackie received her Ph.D. in Educational (School) Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prior to graduate school, she worked at Teach for America, where she served as a middle school special education teacher in the Rio Grande Valley, TX.
Kimberley Sprague
Program Officer,NCSER
Kimberley Sprague
Program Officer - NCSER
Bio
Kim Sprague joined IES in 2012. Prior to joining NCSER, she served in the IES Standards and Review Office (SRO). Kim has conducted several studies, many using rigorous methods (including experimental designs), in the areas of early childhood education, early literacy development, professional development, and adolescent literacy. Prior to joining IES, Kim had been a researcher at Brown University, EDC, and Abt Associates, and she has degrees from Harvard, Cornell, and SUNY in Human Development, Psychology, and Education Policy with a focus on research methodology.
Amy Sussman
Program Officer,NCSER
Amy Sussman
Program Officer - NCSER
Bio
Amy has managed several portfolios for NCSER, and is currently serving as the Program Officer for Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education. Before joining IES in 2010, she was the Program Director for the Developmental and Learning Sciences program at the National Science Foundation, an adjunct faculty member and researcher at Georgetown University studying early care and education, a research analyst at the American Institutes for Research, and American Psychological Association Congressional Fellow. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Yale University.
Katherine Taylor
Program Officer,NCSER
Katherine Taylor
Program Officer - NCSER
Bio
Katie joined NCSER in 2015 and is the Program Officer for the Professional Development for Teachers and School-Based Service Providers, Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education, and Special Education Policy, Finance, and Systems research topics. She is also the program officer for the Postdoctoral Research Training and Early Career Development and Mentoring topics with the Research Training Programs in Special Education. Prior to joining IES, Katie was a postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she conducted research on school-based violence prevention programs for middle school youth. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.