Transcript Early Childhood Activities

IES Grant Writing Workshop for Efficacy and
Replication Projects
Joan E. McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Deputy Commissioner
National Center for Special Education
Research
Overview of Presentation
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Structure of the Institute of Education Sciences
Research Topics within NCSER & NCER
Goals within Research Topics
Research Narrative for Goal 3 applications
Preparing and Submitting an Application
What Happens Next?
Questions
Structure of the
Institute of Education Sciences
IES Organizational Structure
Office of the
Director
National
Center for
Education
Research
National
Center for
Education
Statistics
National Board
for Education
Sciences
National
Center for
Education
Evaluation
National
Center for
Special
Education
Research
FY 2012 Research Grant Topics in NCSER
and NCER
Special Education Research Topics (84.324A)
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Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education
Reading, Writing, and Language Development
Mathematics and Science Education
Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning
Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary Students
Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education
Professional Development for Teachers and Related Service
Providers
Special Education Policy, Finance, and Systems
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Technology for Special Education
Families with Children with Disabilities
Education Research Topics (84.305A)
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Reading and Writing
Mathematics and Science Education
Cognition and Student Learning
Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning
Education Technology
Effective Teachers and Effective Teaching
Improving Education Systems: Policies, Organization,
Management, and Leadership
• Postsecondary and Adult Education
• Early Learning Programs and Policies
• English Learners
Research Goals within Topics
Solution Driven Research
Research intended to contribute to the
solution of practical education problems:
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Exploration
Development and Innovation
Efficacy and Replication
Scale-up
Measurement
Goal One
Goal Two
Goal Three
Goal Four
Goal Five
Exploration
• Explore the association between malleable factors and
education outcomes
– A malleable factor can be changed by the education
system be it a characteristic of students (e.g., skills,
behaviors), teachers (e.g., credentials, practices) or school
(e.g., climate, size), or an education program or policy
• Underlying processes that enhance or inhibit learning
• Aspects of a school, district, or community associated with
beneficial education outcomes
• Education interventions associated with beneficial education
outcomes (e.g., professional development, curricula, policies)
• Explore factors that mediate or moderate the relationship
between malleable factors and student outcomes
Development and Innovation
• Develop new interventions (e.g., instructional
practices, curricula, teacher professional
development)
• Demonstrate the feasibility of the intervention for
implementation in an authentic education delivery
setting
• Collect pilot data on promise of intervention to
achieve intended outcomes
Efficacy and Replication
• Causal test of whether or not a fully developed
intervention has a beneficial impact on student
outcomes relative to a counterfactual in an
authentic educational setting
• Takes place under “ideal” conditions
– Homogenous sample of students/schools
– Extra assistance to support high implementation
fidelity
Scale-up Evaluation
• Independent causal test of whether or not a
fully developed efficacious intervention has a
beneficial impact on student outcomes relative
to a counterfactual in an authentic educational
setting under routine implementation
– Independent: evaluation team has no financial
interest in intervention
– Efficacious: evidence of intervention’s efficacy
– Routine implementation: as implemented by
practitioners with expected level of support if
adopted by a school or district
Goal 5: Measurement
• Develop and validate assessments or
other measurement tools
Overview of Efficacy and Replication Grant
Applications
Efficacy
• Efficacy is the degree to which an
intervention has a net positive impact on
the outcomes of interest relative to the
program/practice to which it is being
compared
Replication
• Replication projects determine if an
intervention that has produced a positive
impact under one set of conditions will
produce a positive impact under different
conditions (e.g., the same intervention with
different populations of students, different
educational settings, or different levels of
support)
Purpose of Efficacy and Replication Projects
• To estimate the strength or potency of the
impact of the intervention
• To inform the degree to which the
intervention can be feasibly or practically
implemented
• To assess implementation fidelity
Appropriate Interventions for Efficacy and
Replication Projects
• Interventions that are widely used but have
not been rigorously tested
• Interventions that are fully developed, have
evidence of their feasibility and promise, but
are not widely used
• Interventions that have a positive effect under
one set of conditions
Efficacy and Replication Projects
• Use experimental or quasi-experimental
research designs that minimize selection bias
or allow it to be modeled
• Employ a limited set of conditions
• Often involve more support from the
intervention developer/researcher than is
typically available
What percentage of research grants are
Efficacy and Replication projects?
• 22 to 23 percent of the research
projects funded by IES are Efficacy and
Replication projects
Efficacy and Replication
Applications
Research Narrative
Components of the Research Narrative
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Significance
Research Plan
Personnel
Resources
Significance
• Describe fully-developed intervention
• Provide rationale for why testing the efficacy
of this intervention is important
• Present a clear theory of change to guide the
understanding of the intervention and
expected outcomes
Research Plan (1)
• Clearly articulate all research questions
– Does the intervention lead to a meaningful
improvement in education outcomes?
– What are the conditions that support or hinder the
implementation of the intervention?
– What processes mediate the relation between the
intervention and student outcomes?
Research Plan (2)
• Define sample (include size
requirements, exclusion rules, and
discussion of attrition issues)
Research Plan (3)
• Research Design
– Use a randomized controlled trial (RCT)
whenever possible
– Clearly justify the use a quasi-experimental
design and address internal validity threats
Research Plan (4)
• Describe the power analysis
- Provide rationale for assumptions
- If subgroups are integral to your
study, consider whether you have
sufficient power to address the
relevant research questions
Research Plan (5)
• Provide detailed description of the chosen
measures (include information on
appropriateness, reliability, validity)
– Don’t forget to detail any researcher-developed measures
• Provide clear description of data collection
procedures and timing of data collections
Research Plan (6)
• Describe how fidelity will be assessed
• Clearly describe the comparison
condition
• Identify mediating and moderating
variables and how they will be collected
• Detail the plan for analysis of qualitative
and quantitative data
Personnel
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Content domain experts
Methodological expertise
Statistical expert
Staff experienced in conducting research in
chosen setting and with population
Personnel (2)
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Qualifications
Roles and Responsibilities
Percent of time devoted to the project
DON’T FORGET to address the issue of the
objectivity of the evaluation if the intervention
developer is part of the team
Resources
• Address institutional resources
• Document the support of those in the
research setting (e.g., letters from
school districts or schools, preschools)
Efficacy and Replication
• Typical award: $250,000 to $650,000 per
year
• Maximum of 4 years and $3,500,000
Efficacy Follow-up Studies
• Examine the sustainability of the impacts of
an intervention after the original study on:
- students that received the intervention
and have moved on
- a new group of students in the same
setting when additional resources are no
longer provided for the intervention
Efficacy Follow-up Studies
• Emphasis in narrative on previous study,
including sample and effects
• Typical award: 150,000 to $300,000 per year
• Maximum of 3 years and $1,200,000
Preparing and Submitting an
Application
Getting Started
Request for Applications
IES Grants.gov Application Submission Guide
Application Package
Relevant Requests for Applications (RFAs)
• Education Research Grant Program
(84.305A)
• Special Education Research Grant
Program (84.324A)
Documents on the IES Website
FY 2012 Requests for Applications and the Grant Submission
Guide are available on:
http://ies.ed.gov/funding
Sign up for the IES Newsflash:
http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash/
http://ies.ed.gov
Finding Application Packages
• FY 2012 Application Packages are available
on www.grants.gov
• June Application Package available on April
21, 2011
• September Application Package available on
July 21, 2011
Letters of Intent
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For June competition, due 4/21/2011
For September competition, due 7/21/2011
Non-binding, but strongly encouraged
Submitted electronically
Instructions at iesreview.ed.gov
Receipt via e-mail
IES assistance
• Read the Request for Applications carefully.
• Call or email IES program officers early in the
process.
• As they have time, IES program staff will
review draft proposals and provide feedback
to applicants.
Follow Directions and Attend to Details
Read Program Announcements and
Application Instructions carefully
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Eligible Applicants
Special Requirements
Content and Formatting Requirements
Application Submission and Processing
Application Due Dates
Application Due Dates in 2011
• Education and Special Education Research:
June 23 and September 22
At 4:30:00 p.m. (EASTERN)
What Happens Next?
Peer Review
• Proposal is reviewed for compliance.
• Compliant proposals are assigned to a review
panel.
• For Goal 3, three panel members conduct
primary review of each application.
• Most competitive applications are reviewed by
full panel at the panel meeting.
Notification
• All applicants will receive email notification of the
status of their application.
• All applicants receive copies of reviewer
comments.
• Applicants who do not receive an award should
consider revising and resubmitting their
application. Applicants are encouraged to
contact the program officer about the
resubmission.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
• Advantage of June vs September
submission? No.
• Possible start dates?
For June submission: 3/1/12 – 9/1/12
For September submission: 7/1/12- 9/1/12
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
• Can I plan to resubmit in the next competition
if I don’t get funded? There is generally not
enough time for you to get the reviews, attend
to the comments and resubmit.
• How long does the review process take?
About 8 months.
Special Education Research queries:
Joan McLaughlin
[email protected]
Education Research queries:
Elizabeth Albro
[email protected]