Connecting Research,
Policy and Practice
Funding Opportunities at the Institute of Education Sciences
Elizabeth R. Albro, Ph.D.
Acting Commissioner
National Center for Education Research ies.ed.gov

Organizational Structure
Office of the
Director
Standards &
Review Office
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 ies.ed.gov
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Legislative Mission of IES Drives Priorities
• 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 ies.ed.gov
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• The Institute will encourage researchers to develop partnerships with stakeholder groups to advance the relevance of the Institute's work, the accessibility of its reports, and the usability of its findings for the day-to-day work of education practitioners and policymakers. ies.ed.gov

• maintain rigorous scientific standards for the technical quality of its … research….activities
• ensure that the methods applied are appropriate to the questions asked and the results are valid and reliable
• include a variety of research and statistical methods ies.ed.gov

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 ies.ed.gov
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QUICK OVERVIEW OF CURRENT
RESEARCH INVESTMENTS ies.ed.gov
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Program
*Education Research
Research & Development Centers
*Postdoctoral Research Training
Predoctoral Research Training
*Evaluation of State & Local Programs & Policies
Number of Awards
2002-2012
548
20
35
26
13
*Statistical and Research Methodology in
Education
Reading for Understanding
Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research
Social and Character Development Research
*Unsolicited
33
6
12
7
31
58
Investment
(in millions)
2002-2012
$897.2
$204.7
$22
$121.8
$53.4
$23.9
$113.4
$20.2
$13.6
$44.9
$51

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NCER Awards (2002-2012)

NCER Awards Made (2002-2012) ies.ed.gov

NCSER Investments by Competition
(RFA)
Program
Special Education Research
Number of Awards
(2006-2012)
233
Investment
(in millions)
(2006-2012)
$422.9
Research & Development
Centers
Postdoctoral Research Training
Small Business Innovation
Research
Unsolicited Awards
11
3
6
12
$62.0
$7.8
$7.9
$1.4
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• An increase of $12.5 million over 2012 level for our Research, Development, and
Dissemination line.
• Enable IES/NCER to award up to $30 million in new research and development grants in early learning and elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education.
• $49.9 million for Research in Special Education to support new and ongoing projects.
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WHAT WERE THE FY 2013 FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES AND WHAT DO WE
ANTICIPATE FOR FY 2014?
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• Early March: Requests for Applications are released
• Typical timeline after RFA release
Letters of Intent Due
Applications Due
Peer Review Meeting
Awards Announced
June Deadline mid-April mid-to-late June late October early March
September Deadline mid-July mid-to-late September late February early July ies.ed.gov
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How to Identify Funding Opportunities
• Begin at the IES website ( http://ies.ed.gov/funding )
• Sign up for the IES Newsflash
• Funding Opportunities are announced in The Federal
Register
• Review current Requests for Applications
• Contact relevant Program Officer(s) for the topic(s) of interest in the relevant Center ies.ed.gov
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http://ies.ed.gov

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How to Identify
Appropriate Grant Programs
• Read the Request for Applications
• Review announced topics and methodological requirements
• Look at abstracts of projects funded under a research topic or program
– http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects
– http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects ies.ed.gov
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CFDA Number Program Title
84.305A
Education Research Grants
84.324A
84.305D
84.324D
Special Education Research Grants
Statistical and Research Methodology in Education
Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning
Disabilities Research Initiative
84.305E
84.305H
Evaluation of State and Local Programs and Policies
Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research ies.ed.gov
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CFDA Number Program Title
84.305A
Education Research Grants
84.324A
84.305D
84.305?
Special Education Research Grants
Statistical and Research Methodology in Education
Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or
Policy
Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research
Continuous Improvement in Education Research
Evaluation of State and Local Programs and Policies ies.ed.gov
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CFDA Number Program Title
84.305B
Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences
84.324B
Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education
Sciences
Researcher and Policymaker Training Program in the Education
Sciences
Research Training Program in Special Education
Early Career Development and Mentoring ies.ed.gov
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CFDA Number Program Title
84.305B
Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences
84.324B
Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education
Sciences
Researcher and Policymaker Training Program in the Education
Sciences
Research Training Program in Special Education
Early Career Development and Mentoring ies.ed.gov
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EDUCATION RESEARCH AND
SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH
PROGRAMS ies.ed.gov
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• Each application to the education research or special education research program must address one topic and one research goal.
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FY 2013 Education Research Topics
(84.305A)
• Cognition and Student Learning
• Early Learning Programs and Policies
• Education Technology
• Effective Teachers & Effective Teaching
• English Learners
• Improving Education Systems: Policies, Organization,
Management, and Leadership
• Mathematics and Science Education
• Postsecondary and Adult Education
• Reading and Writing
• Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning ies.ed.gov
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Education Research Grants by Topic
(2002-2012)

FY 2013 Special Education Research Topics
(84.324A)
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education
• Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education
• Families of Children with Disabilities
• Mathematics and Science Education
• Professional Development for Teachers and Related Service Providers
• Reading, Writing, and Language Development
• Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning
• Special Education Policy, Finance, and Systems
• Technology for Special Education
• Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities ies.ed.gov
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NCSER Research Investments by Topic ies.ed.gov
FY 2006 – FY 2012
% of Funds Expended
R & D Centers not included

• Exploration
• Development & Innovation
• Efficacy & Replication
• Effectiveness
• Measurement ies.ed.gov
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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 include:
– Analyze secondary data
– Collect primary data
– Complete a meta-analysis ies.ed.gov
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Development & Innovation Goal
• Develop an innovative intervention (e.g., curriculum, instructional approach, program, or policy)
• OR improve existing education interventions
Development process must be iterative!
• AND collect data on its feasibility and usability in actual education settings
• AND collect pilot data on student outcomes.
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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 ies.ed.gov
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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 ies.ed.gov
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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 ies.ed.gov
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NCER Grants by Goal (2004-2012) ies.ed.gov

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NCSER

NCER Grants Funded by Developmental
Level ies.ed.gov

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Connecting Research,
Policy and Practice

Goal
FY 2013 Maximum Award Amounts
(84.305A & 84.324A)
Maximum
(direct + indirect)
Exploration
With secondary data
With primary data
Development & Innovation
2 years, $700,000
4 years, $1,600,000
4 years, $1,500,000
Efficacy & Replication
Follow-up study
Effectiveness
Follow-up study
4 years, $3,500,000
3 years, $1,200,000
5 years, $5,000,000
3 years, $1,500,000
4 years, $1,600,000
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Connecting Research,
Policy and Practice
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Research Training Programs in the
Education Sciences (84.305B)
• Postdoctoral Research Training Program
• Researcher & Policymaker Training Program in the Education Sciences ies.ed.gov
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Postdoctoral Research Training Program
• For institutions to establish postdoctoral training programs to train researchers in the skills necessary to conduct the type of research that the Institute funds ies.ed.gov
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Researcher and Policymaker Training
Program in the Education Sciences
• Researcher Training
– To provide opportunities for current education researchers to maintain and upgrade their methodological skills
• Policymaker Training
– To share evidence from rigorous education research with education practitioners and policymakers working on a specific program or policy ies.ed.gov
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Research Training Program in Special
Education (84.324B)
• Early Career Development and Mentoring
– Provides new investigators support to further develop methodological, content, and grant writing expertise needed to develop a strong line of research that includes federal funding
– Requires identification of mentor at time of application
– Requires a research plan and career development plan ies.ed.gov
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Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities Research Initiative (84.324D)
• To develop and evaluate interventions (e.g., instructional approaches, curricula, technology) to accelerate reading and math achievement of students with or at risk for reading and math disabilities in Grades 3 through 8
• Will create tightly linked network of researchers across variety of disciplines who will work collaboratively to address problem ies.ed.gov
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Statistical and Research Methodology in
Education (84.305D)
• Research projects intended to expand and improve the methodological and statistical tools available for education researchers
• These tools will be used to improve the design of research studies, analysis of research data, and interpretation of research findings ies.ed.gov
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Evaluation of State and Local Education
Programs and Policies (84.305E)
• Support for rigorous evaluations of education programs or policies that are paid for and implemented by State or local education agencies
• Evaluations are to determine both the overall impact of the programs/policies and the impact across a variety of conditions ies.ed.gov
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Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in
Education Research (84.305H)
• Intended to support the partnering of researchers with State and local education agencies in the development of joint research projects ies.ed.gov
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Program
Award Parameters
(84.305B-H & 84.324B-D)
305B Postdoc Training
Maximum
Number of Years
5 years
Maximum Award
(direct + indirect)
$687,000
305B Researcher & Policymaker
Training
324B Early Career
324D A3
305D Stats/Methods
305E State/Local
305H Partnerships
3 years
4 years
5 years
3 years
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5 years
2 years
$1,000,000
$400,000
$10,000,000
$900,000
$5,000,000
$400,000

NOW THAT YOU’VE DECIDED TO
APPLY, WHAT’S NEXT?
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Contact Relevant Program Officers
•
Program Officers are associated with competitions and/or topics
• Contact information is included at the end of each
RFA
• Contact information is also available on each of the program pages on the IES website ies.ed.gov
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Submit a Letter of Intent
• Letters of Intent (LOIs) are important, but not required
• LOIs are submitted electronically
– https://iesreview.ed.gov
• We encourage all researchers to submit LOIs
– April 2013 for June applications
– July 2013 for September applications ies.ed.gov
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Application Due Dates
• Applications are accepted twice a year.
• For FY 2014, applications will be due:
– June 2013, date TBD
– September 2013, date TBD
• We do NOT accept late applications
• The authorized representative at your institution (not the PI) actually submits the grant to IES ies.ed.gov
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Finding Application Packages
• FY 2014 Application Packages will be available on www.grants.gov
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Review Application Requirements
 Request for Applications
 Currently available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding
 Grants.gov Application Submission Guide
 Will be available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding
 Application Package
 Will be available on Grants.gov
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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 panel meeting, the most competitive applications are reviewed by full panel ies.ed.gov
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Resources for Researchers
• Visit links for faculty and researchers on IES website
• Review past webinars, and participate in future webinars for the FY 2014 competitions ies.ed.gov
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http://ies.ed.gov/resourcesforresearchers.asp
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Help Us Help You
• Read the Request for Applications 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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Notification Process
• All applicants will receive e-mail notification of the status of their application
• All applicants receive copies of reviewer comments via e-mail
• If you are not granted an award the first time, plan on resubmitting, and talk to your Program Officer ies.ed.gov
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For More Information http://ies.ed.gov/funding
Elizabeth Albro
Elizabeth.albro@ed.gov
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