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Connecting Research,Policy and Practice

Grant Writing Workshop forMinority Serving Institutions

Katina Stapleton, Ph.D. Program Officer

National Center for Education Research

Meredith Larson, Ph.D.Program Officer

National Center for Education Research

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Purpose of this Presentation

• Increase awareness of researchers at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) of research grant funding at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

• Provide tips to MSI researchers on the grant application process

• Increase the number of successful MSI applicants

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Connecting Research,Policy and Practice

Raising MSI Awareness of Funding Opportunities at IES

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Quick Overview of IES

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Legislative Mission of IES

• Describe the condition and progress of education in the United States

• Identify education practices that improve academic achievement and access to education opportunities

• Evaluate the effectiveness of Federal and other education programs

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Organizational Structure of IES

National Board for Education

SciencesStandards &

Review Office

Office of the Director

National Center for Education Evaluation

National Center for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Research

National Center for

Special Education Research

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Missions of the Research Centers

• NCER– Supports rigorous research that addresses the nation’s

most pressing education needs, from early childhood to adult education

• NCSER– Sponsors a rigorous and comprehensive program of special

education research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers and students with or at risk for disabilities from birth through high school

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NCER

NCSER

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IES Grant Programs: Research Objectives

• Develop or identify education interventions (practices, programs, policies, and approaches) – that enhance academic achievement– that can be widely deployed

• Identify what does not work and thereby encourage innovation and further research

• Understand the processes that underlie the effectiveness of education interventions and the variation in their effectiveness

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NCER Investments by Competition

Program Number of Awards

2002-2012

Investment (in millions)2002-2012

Education Research 548 $897.2Research & Development Centers 20 $204.7Postdoctoral Research Training 35 $22Predoctoral Research Training 26 $121.8Evaluation of State & Local Programs & Policies 13 $53.4Statistical & Research Methodology in Education 33 $23.9Reading for Understanding 6 $113.4Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research 12 $20.2Social & Character Development Research 7 $13.6Unsolicited 31 $44.9Small Business Innovation Research 58 $51

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NCSER Investments by Competition

Program Number of Awards

2006-2012

Investment (in millions)2006-2012

Special Education Research 233 $422.9

Research & Development Centers 6 $62.0

Postdoctoral Research Training 12 $7.8

Small Business Innovation Research 11 $7.9

Unsolicited Awards 3 $1.4

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A Quick Overview of MSIs

• Alaska Native-Serving Institutions • American Indian Tribally Controlled

Colleges and Universities • Asian American and Native American

Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

• High Hispanic Enrollment and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

• Native American-Serving, Nontribal Institutions

• Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions • Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs)

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IES Funding Opportunities for MSIs

• There are no targeted funding opportunities for MSIs.

• We encourage MSIs to apply for Education Research and Special Education Research grants and training grants.

• We encourage MSIs to take advantage of the technical assistance IES provides.

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How can researchers at MSIs get started?

• Recognize that completing a successful grant application is a process that begins before the initial application submission

• Also know that preparing a grant application is part of building your program of research

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Increase MSI Awareness of Available Funding Opportunities

At the Institutional Level . . .• Scan The Federal Register (

https://www.federalregister.gov), where funding opportunities are announced

• Become knowledgeable about IES funding priorities and competitive grant competitions (http://ies.ed.gov/funding)

• Identify researchers on campus who do work in education research (i.e., potential applicants)– They may come from outside your education

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Increase MSI Awareness of Available Funding Opportunities

At the Institutional Level . . .• Make sure potential applicants are

aware of available funding opportunities and IES program officers in their areas of interest

• Coordinate phone or in-person meetings with IES staff to discuss your institution’s research capacity and interests

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Strengthen Research Partnerships

• Research consortia and research networks– Available at the national, regional, and local levels

• Partnerships with LEAs, SEAs, and regional laboratories

• Partnerships with other research universities and firms

At the Institutional Level . . .

Make sure researchers on your campus are fully aware that these partnerships exist.

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Increase MSI-based Researchers’ Awareness of Available Funding Opportunities

At the Researcher Level . . .• Sign up for the IES Newsflash (

http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash) to be notified about new competitions

• Become knowledgeable about IES funding priorities and competitive grant competitions (http://ies.ed.gov/funding)

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Our Assumptions of You and What You Want

• We assume that you want…– to help improve education – to carve out your own research agenda– to get funding to conduct your research

• We assume that you have…– expertise in a wide range of topic areas and research

methods/analyses– varying levels of familiarity with grant writing

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Identifying the Appropriate Funding Opportunity

• Identify your own research interests and strengths and see if they overlap with current funding priorities

• Read the separate Requests for Applications (RFAs), which describe the application requirements

• Contact the relevant IES Program Officer to discuss your ideas (e-mail first)

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First Step? Identify Appropriate Research Program, Topic, and Goal

• Review the RFAs (http://ies.ed.gov/funding)• Identify a program (305A, 324B, etc.)• Identify a topic (Reading & Writing, Postsec, etc.)• Identify a goal (Exploration, Development, etc.)• Review abstracts of other projects within that topic

or goal:– http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects – http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects

• Talk to IES Program Officers

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NCER Research Programs

• Education Research Grants (84.305A)• Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences

(84.305B)• Education Research & Development Centers

(84.305C)• Statistical & Research Methodology in Education

(84.305D)• Partnerships & Collaborations Focused on Problems

of Practice & Policy (84.305H)

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Special Education Research

• NCSER will not hold research or research training competitions for FY 2014.

• If funds for research are available in FY 2014, NCSER will use these funds to make additional awards from the FY 2013 grant slates.

• NCSER anticipates being able to hold a grant competition for FY 2015.

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Opportunities for the Study of Individuals with Disabilities in NCER

• Partnerships & Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice & Policy grants program (84.305H)

• Postsecondary & Adult Education topic of the Education Research Grants program (84.305A)

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Connecting Research,Policy and Practice

A Closer Look . . .

Education Research Grants (84.305A)

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“Does IES fund the kind of research that I (we) do?”

1. What education problem do you want to solve? What question do you want to answer?

2. Does the underlying issue of this research question/problem fit within one of the IES grant topics?

3. What content will you address? What sample will you study?

4. Does your research method fit the requirements of one of the IES goals?

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NCER Ultimate Outcomes of Interest: Student Outcomes

Grade OutcomePrekindergarten School readiness (e.g., pre-reading, language,

vocabulary, early math and science knowledge, social and behavioral competencies)

Kindergarten – Grade 12

Learning, achievement, and higher-order thinking in reading, writing, mathematics, and science; progress through the education system (e.g., course and grade completion or retention, high school graduation, and dropout); social skills, attitudes, and behaviors that support learning in school

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NCER Ultimate Outcomes of Interest: Student Outcomes

Grade OutcomePostsecondary(Grades 13 – 16)

Access to, persistence in, progress through, and completion of postsecondary education; for students in developmental programs, additional outcomes include achievement in reading, writing, English language proficiency, and mathematics

Adult Education(Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, Adult ESL, and GED preparation)

Student achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics; access to, persistence in, progress through, and completion of adult education programs

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Identify Appropriate Topic and Goal

• Your research question(s) and research method(s) determine the topic and goal.

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Education Research Topics (84.305A)

• Cognition & Student Learning• Early Learning Programs & Policies• Education Technology• Effective Teachers & Effective Teaching• English Learners• Improving Education Systems: Policies, Organization,

Management, and Leadership• Mathematics & Science Education• Postsecondary & Adult Education• Reading & Writing• Social & Behavioral Context for Academic Learning

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Research Primarily Focused on Professional Development (PD) for K-12 Teachers

– Early Learning Programs & Policies– Effective Teachers & Effective Teaching

• Cognition & Student Learning• Education Technology• English Learners• Improving Education Systems: Policies,

Organization, Management, and Leadership• Mathematics & Science Education• Reading & Writing

– Postsecondary & Adult Education– Social & Behavioral Context for Academic Learning

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Effective Teachers topic now

consolidates teacher-related

research that used to be submitted to

these topics …

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FY 2014 Research Goals

• Exploration • Development & Innovation• Efficacy & Replication• Effectiveness• Measurement

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Exploration Goal

• Explore associations between education outcomes and malleable factors

• Identify factors and conditions that may mediate or moderate relations between malleable factors and student outcomes

• Possible methodological approaches– Analyze secondary data– Collect primary data– Complete a meta-analysis

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Development & Innovation Goal

• Develop an innovative intervention (e.g., curriculum, instructional approach, program, or policy)

• OR improve existing education interventions

• AND collect data on its usability, feasibility, and fidelity of implementation in actual education settings

• AND collect pilot data on student outcomes

Development process must be

iterative!

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Efficacy & Replication Goal

• Evaluate whether or not a fully developed intervention is efficacious under limited or ideal conditions

OR

• Gather follow-up data examining the longer-term effects of an intervention with demonstrated efficacy

OR

• Replicate an efficacious intervention varying the original conditions

OR

• Conduct retrospective analysis of secondary data collected in the past

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Efficacy & Replication Goal

• Ask what might be needed to implement intervention under routine practice

• Reduce appearance of conflict of interest for developer/evaluators

• Do not require confirmatory mediator analyses but recommend exploratory ones

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Effectiveness Goal

• Evaluate whether a fully developed intervention that has evidence of efficacy is effective when implemented under typical conditions through an independent evaluation

• Prior to submitting an Effectiveness proposal, at least two efficacy studies of the intervention with beneficial and practical impacts on student outcomes must have been completed

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Effectiveness Goal

• IES expects researchers to… – Implement intervention under routine practice– Include evaluators independent of development/distribution– Describe strong efficacy evidence for intervention

• IES does not expect wide generalizability from a single study– Expects multiple Effectiveness projects to this end– Sample size is not a key distinction from Efficacy

• IES does not require confirmatory mediator analyses but encourages exploratory ones

• Cost of implementation is limited to 25% of budget38

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Measurement Goal

• Development of new assessments or refinement of existing assessments, and the validation of these assessments

OR

• Validation of existing assessments for specific purposes, contexts, and populations

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The Goals Build on One Another

• Exploration could lead to…– Development or modification of an intervention– Efficacy evaluation of an intervention

• Development & Innovation could lead to an Efficacy evaluation, if the intervention is found feasible and pilot data is supportive

• Efficacy & Replication could lead to an Effectiveness study, if impact is found across multiple efficacy/replication studies

• Measurement could feed into the other goals

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What if My Project is “Between” Goals or Topics?

PICK ONE! – Read all of the goals in the RFA so that you

understand where your work falls along the continuum of goals. What should come before your project? What should come after it?

– Break the project down into smaller pieces– Don’t just go for the largest amount of money– Aim for a well-crafted project that will deliver

what it promises– Discuss your ideas with a Program Officer

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Goal Max. Duration & Award (direct + indirect)

Exploration• With secondary data• With primary data

2 years, $700,0004 years, $1,600,000

Development & Innovation 4 years, $1,500,000

Efficacy & Replication• Follow-up study

4 years, $3,500,0003 years, $1,200,000

Effectiveness• Follow-up study

5 years, $5,000,0003 years, $1,500,000

Measurement 4 years, $1,600,000

Maximum Award Amounts (84.305A)

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Connecting Research,Policy and Practice

The Application’s Research NarrativeKey part of your application

4 Sections:Significance

Research PlanPersonnelResources

Requirements vary by topic and goal25 pages, single-spaced

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Read the RFA Very Carefully

• See pages 11-13 for highlights of changes in the FY 2014 RFA.

• Pay attention to all topic and goal requirements to avoid making errors that will keep your application from being reviewed.

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Significance

• Describes the overall project– Your research question(s) to be answered, or– Intervention to be developed or evaluated, or– Measure to be developed and/or validated

• Provides a compelling rationale for the project– Theoretical justification

• Logic models, change models– Empirical justification– Practical justification

• Justifies the overall importance of the work

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Research Plan

• Describe the work you intend to do– How you will answer your research question, or– Develop your intervention, or– Evaluate the intervention, or– Develop and/or validate your assessment

• Make certain Research Plan is aligned to Significance section– All analyses should have justification in Significance (i.e.,

answer the research questions)• Step-by-step process

– Timeline to show when everything will be done

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Dissemination Plan Now Required

• Part of the Research Plan• Should identify…– the audience– how you intend to reach this audience– the products you will develop

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Build a Good Team

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Personnel

• Convince reviewers that your team has the skills and experience to implement the proposed work.

• If all the expertise required for your project is not available on your campus, consider partnering with another institution.

• Demonstrate your productivity.• Make sure the team includes a senior researcher with

a strong grant record.

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Personnel

• Link each person and their expertise to their role in the project:– Qualifications– Roles– Responsibilities– Percent of time devoted to the project

• Show every aspect of project has person with expertise and time to do it.

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Personnel Strategies for Principal Investigator (PI)

• Senior Researcher as PI– Show adequate time to be PI– Make credentials clear; not all reviewers may know

• Junior Researcher as PI– Show you have adequate expertise not only to do work but to manage

project• Continuation of graduate research

• Management skills as graduate student

– Reviewers more comfortable if you have senior person(s) on project to turn to for advice• Co-PI, Co-I, contractors, advisory board

• Have them on for enough time to be taken seriously

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Resources

• Show the institutions involved have the capacity to support the work– Don’t use university boilerplate

• If your institution lacks a strong research or grant management record…– Consider partnering with an experienced institution for initial

research grant submissions

• Show that all organizations involved understand and agree to their roles– Describe the responsibilities of each institution, including schools, to

the project– Show strong commitment of schools and districts—have

alternatives in case of attrition52

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Resources

• Data issues– Document permission to use and access confidential data– Show familiarity with data and show that it can be used to

do the proposed work– If merging datasets, show that it can be done

• Proof of access to data and schools is required

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Connecting Research,Policy and Practice

Additional FY 2014 Funding Opportunities

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FY 2014 Research & Research Training Grant Programs

• Education Research Grant Programs (84.305A)

• Education Research & Development Centers (84.305C)

• Statistical & Research Methodology in Education (84.305D)– Statistical & Research Methodology Grants – Early Career Statistical & Research Methodology Grants

• Partnerships & Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice & Policy (84.305H)– Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research– Continuous Improvement Research in Education– Evaluation of State & Local Education Programs & Policies

• Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences (84.305B)– Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training – Methods Training for Education Research– Training in Education Research Use & Practice

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Education Research & Development Centers (84-305C)

• Developmental Education Assessment & Instruction (Postsecondary)– Current developmental education assessment and instructional

practices used by community colleges and other open-access institutions• Describe• Convene stakeholders• Identify and test promising reforms

• Knowledge Utilization– Develop better tools for observing and measuring research use in

schools– Identify strategies that researchers can adopt to make their work

more meaningful to and impactful on education practice

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Developmental Education Assessment & Instruction (84.305C)

• Research – Document current practices – Identify promising programs and support further

innovation– Assess the effectiveness and scalability of programs (e.g.,

cost-effectiveness, ease of implementation) • Leadership and outreach activities – Convene policymakers, practitioners, and researchers

interested in improving developmental education– Assist efforts by States, colleges, and universities to bring

effective models to scale

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R & D Center on Knowledge Utilization (84.305C)

• Research– Develop tools for observing and measuring research use in

schools – Describe the conditions that promote or inhibit research use in

schools– Identify strategies that researchers can adopt to make their

work more impactful on education practice

• Leadership and outreach activities– Demonstrate effective means of meaningful knowledge transfer

among researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to improve school performance and student outcomes

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Statistical & Research Methodology in Education (84.305D)

• Statistical & Research Methodology Grants– Wide range of methodological and statistical tools

that will better enable education scientists to conduct rigorous education research

• Early Career Statistical & Research Methodology Grants– Support high-quality work by relatively recent

graduates using a smaller grant award over a shorter time period

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Partnerships & Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice & Policy (84.305H)

• Improve the quality of education for all students through advancing the understanding of and practices for teaching, learning, and organizing education systems

• Build close collaboration among researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and education agencies

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• Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research – Support a new or existing partnership to carry out initial research – Develop a plan for further research

• Continuous Improvement Research in Education – Support well-established partnerships to adapt and revise an existing

approach (or approaches) using continuous improvement strategies

• Evaluation of State & Local Education Programs & Policies – Carry out rigorous evaluations of education programs or policies that are

implemented under routine conditions by State or local education agencies to improve student academic outcomes

Note: Use May 9 version posted on IES website

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Partnerships & Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice & Policy (84.305H)

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Research Training Grant Programs in the Education Sciences (84.305B)

• Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training– Increase the supply of scientists and researchers in education who

are prepared to conduct rigorous and relevant education research– Interdisciplinary programs with focus on education topics relevant

to education in the United States– Both new and renewal programs

• Methods Training for Education Research– Support training of current education researchers to maintain and

upgrade their methodological skills• Training in Education Research Use and Practice

– Ensure that researchers have the skills to produce relevant, rigorous, and accessible research

Note: Use May 9 version posted on IES website

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New Names

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Award Parameters (84.305 B-H)

Program Max. Duration

Max. Award(direct + indirect)

305B Research Training Programs• Predoctoral Training• Methods Training for Ed. Researchers• Training in Ed. Research Use & Practice

5 years3 years3 years

$4,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000

305C Research & Development Center• Dev. Educational Assessment & Instruction• Knowledge Utilization

5 years5 years

$10,000,000$5,000,000

305D Stats/Methods305D Early Career Stats/Methods

3 years1.5 years

$900,000$200,000

305H Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships305H Continuous Improvement Research 305H State/Local

2 years4 years5 years

$400,000$2,500,000$5,000,00063

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Next Steps?

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Talk to the Program Officer

• Call or e-mail IES Program Officers early in the process

• IES program staff can provide feedback on…– research idea– topic– goal– abstracts and draft proposals

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Application Deadline

Letter of Intent Due

Date

Application Package Posted

Start Dates

Sept 4, 20134:30:00 PM

DC Time

June 6, 2013 June 6, 2013 July 1, 2014to

Sept 1, 2014

Important Dates and Deadlines

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Download Required Documents

Request for Applications• Currently available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding

Grants.gov Application Submission Guide• Will be available June 6, 2013 at http://ies.ed.gov/funding

Application Package• Will be available June 6, 2013 at http://www.Grants.gov

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Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI)

• LOIs are optional but strongly encouraged• Submit LOI through https://iesreview.ed.gov• Contents

1) Descriptive title 2) Topic and goal that you will address 3) Brief description of the proposed project 4) Name and contact information for PI and Co-PIs 5) Name and institutional affiliation of any key collaborators and

contractors 6) Duration of the proposed project 7) Estimated total budget request

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Peer Review Process

• Applications are reviewed for compliance and responsiveness to the RFA

• Applications that are compliant and responsive are assigned to a review panel

• Two or three panel members conduct a primary review of each application

• At the panel meeting, the most competitive applications are reviewed by the full panel

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Notification Process

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• All applicants will receive e-mail notification that the following information is available via the Applicant Notification System (ANS):• Status of award• Reviewer summary statements

• If you are not granted an award the first time, plan on resubmitting and talk to your Program Officer

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Connecting Research,Policy and Practice

Additional Resources

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Additional FY 2014 Funding Opportunities Webinars Available

http://ies.ed.gov/funding/webinars/index.asp

• Application Submission Process• Overviews of specific funding opportunities

(84.305B-H)

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Research Training Institutes & Workshops

Information available at http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences

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Resources for Researchers

http://ies.ed.gov/resourcesforresearchers.asp74

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Tips for Grant Writing

• Reviewers focus on significance of work, research method, personnel, and resources

• Write for education specialist/generalist • Write for substantive person and methodologist• Panel has expert in every component of your study

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Tips for Grant Writing

• Punchline up front: “Say what you are going to say. Say it. Say what you said.”

• Clear description of intervention• Consistency throughout application• Evidence that work can be done

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Help Us Help You

• Read the Request for Applications (RFA) carefully

• Call or e-mail IES Program Officers early in the process

• As time permits, IES program staff can review draft proposals and provide feedback

Don’t be afraid to contact us!

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Remember…

• You can’t get funded if you don’t submit an application

• Revise and resubmit is the rule, not the exception• Persistence (often) pays off

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Connecting Research,Policy and Practice

http://ies.ed.gov/funding

Katina.Stapleton@ed.govMeredith.Larson@ed.gov

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