Research Training Program in Special Education: Early Career Development and Mentoring Amy Sussman, Ph.D. Program Officer National Center for Special Education Research Amanda Hoffman, Ph.D.

Agenda Introduction to IES and NCSER Early Career Program Purpose Eligibility Requirements Components: Career Development and Research Overview of Topic and Goal Structure for Research Component Application Submission and Review

Organizational Structure Office of the Director National Board for Education Sciences Standards & Review Office National Center for Education Statistics National Center for Education Evaluation National Center for Education Research National Center for Special Education Research

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) Mission 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

Agenda Introduction to IES and NCSER Early Career Program Purpose Eligibility Requirements Components: Career Development and Research Overview of Topic and Goal Structure for Research Component Application Submission and Review

Request for Applications Research Training Program in Special Education: Early Career Development and Mentoring (CFDA #84.324B) New competition for FY2013

Purpose of Early Career Program Develop and maintain a strong cadre of researchers interested in addressing the needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, and their families and teachers Support for an integrated research and career development plan for investigators in the early stage of their academic careers

Purpose (cont) More specifically… Support to further develop methodological, content, and grant writing expertise needed to develop a strong line of research Ensure that the research and training be guided closely by a scientist experienced in the study of children with or at risk for disabilities (mentorship) Provide new investigators with protected time, if needed, to concentrate on developing research skills and a program of research

Awards Maximum Awards Award will be a Cooperative Agreement 4 years $400,000 total (direct plus indirect) Award will be a Cooperative Agreement Involves partnership between PI and IES

Principal Investigators Eligibility Focus of research on infants, toddlers, children, or youth with or at risk for disabilities Need for additional research training Completed doctoral degree or postdoctoral training within 3 years of the application due date Tenure-track position at an Institution of Higher Education (IHE) No previous IES award as PI or co-PI

Requirements for Proposal Significance Research and Career Development Plans Personnel Resources

Significance Justify and describe… Need for further career development (esp. if received postdoc training) Planned program of research (from prior through future) Significance of proposed research project Significance of the career development plan (including mentor’s role and additional training opportunities) How will research and career development activities enhance your knowledge and skills?

Research and Career Development Plans Research and career development plans designed to enhance knowledge and skills of early investigator Plans must be integrated: Career development plan must support the research plan

Research Plan Major Elements Research Questions/Aims Methodology Sample Research design Measures/data sources Data analysis Expectation of further research plan development with guidance of mentor

Research Plan What education problem do you want to solve? What question do you want to answer? Does the underlying issue of this research question/problem fit within one of the IES grant topics? What content will you address? What sample will you study? Does your research method fit the requirements of one of the IES goals?

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

FY2013 Research Goals *Exploration *Development & Innovation Efficacy & Replication Effectiveness *Measurement RFA for Special Education Research Grants found at http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2013_84324a.pdf

Exploration Goal Explore associations between education outcomes and malleable factors Identify factors and conditions that may mediate or moderate the relations between malleable factors and student outcomes Possible methodological approaches include: Analyze secondary data Collect and analyze primary data Complete a meta-analysis

Development & Innovation Goal Development process must be iterative! Develop an innovative intervention (e.g., curriculum, instructional approach, program, or policy) OR improve existing education interventions AND collect data on its feasibility and usability in actual education settings AND collect pilot data on student outcomes

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

Career Development Plan Two components of career development plan Mentoring plan Additional training plan Both components of career development plan must be integrated with (and support) the research plan

Career Development: Mentoring Plan One primary mentor is required Co-mentors are allowed Eligibility requirements Relevant expertise Tenured positions at IHE Not the PI’s graduate school/dissertation advisor or postdoctoral supervisor Proposal requires detailed description of mentoring process Expectation that mentor will work with you in developing career development plan

Career Development: Additional Training Plan Educational opportunities (examples): IES Summer Institute (e.g., RCT or single-case design) Grant-writing workshop Advanced statistical coursework to learn new analysis skill (e.g., SEM) How will training activities help reach concrete training goals and support the proposed research?

Personnel Focus is mainly on you as the PI and your mentor(s), though you may have other key personnel listed as well (e.g., consultant) How does research expertise of each of you reflect the foci of IES – content and methodology? Time commitment of mentor must be clear Outside of narrative, there is space for: Brief CVs / biosketches (4 pages) plus research support pages Appendix A requires letter of support from each mentor, and description of each mentor’s research projects

Resources Show the institutions involved have the capacity to support the work Do not use university boilerplate Describe institutional training supports (e.g., workshops, research groups on campus) Include start-up packages Outside of narrative, show that all organizations involved understand and agree to their roles Appendix A requires letter of support from your institution Letters of agreement are eventually needed from schools/districts that are participating in research

Additional Requirement for Early Career Program Evaluation Plan Timeline of activities to support research and training goals Outcomes for both research and career development plans (examples): Completion of workshop to obtain necessary data analysis skills Manuscripts submitted for publication Grant proposals submitted

FAQ: Am I eligible to apply? Q: I received my PhD 3 years ago in May 2009. Am I eligible to apply? Q: I recently received my PhD and am working full-time as a Research Scientist at a university. It is a non-tenure-track position, but it is a stable appointment in a research center. Am I eligible to apply?

FAQ: Am I eligible to apply? Q: Although I recently received my PhD, I already had a faculty position, non-tenured and at the level of Associate Professor. Because I just finished my PhD, I am a junior researcher. Am I eligible to apply? Q: I am an Assistant Professor at a university, and I received my PhD less than 3 years ago. However, my department does not offer tenure, and therefore I am not technically in a “tenure-track” position. Am I eligible to apply to the Early Career competition?

FAQ: Can this person be my mentor? Q: Can my mentor be someone from my dissertation committee who was not directly my advisor? Q: My primary mentor will be at a different institution. Can my co-mentor be on a different campus of the same university system? Does this count as the same institution?

Agenda Introduction to IES and NCSER Early Career Program Purpose Eligibility Requirements Components: Career Development and Research Overview of Topic and Goal Structure for Research Component Application Submission and Review

Writing the Proposal: Narrative Key portion of your application Comprised of four sections: Significance (of research and career development) Research & Career Development Plans Personnel Resources

Appendices Appendix A (10 page limit) Appendix B (10 page limit) Figures, charts, and tables Examples of measures to be used in research Letter of Agreement from each mentor and the Institution Summary table of special education research projects of each mentor Appendix B (10 page limit) Examples of materials used in an intervention or assessment Appendix C (no page limit) Letters of Agreement (districts, schools, data providers, other partners, consultants) Clearly state responsibilities of the writer

Budget and Budget Narrative Provide a clear budget and budget narrative for overall project IES Grants.gov Application Submission Guide describes budget categories Ensure agreement among Research Narrative, Budget, and Budget Narrative

Budget for Early Career Program Salary: Up to 50% of academic year salary Can be used for protected time (or “buy out”) to concentrate on research Honoraria for mentor(s) up to $3000 total per year Costs directly associated with research project and career development plan Travel Meet with primary mentor (if different institution) Travel to workshops available at other institutions Travel to professional conferences (including IES PI meeting in Washington, DC)

Letter of Intent Due Date Important Dates and Deadlines FY 2013 Program Application Deadline Letter of Intent Due Date Application Posted Start Dates 324B: Early Career Program 9/20/12 7/19/12 7/1/13 to 9/1/13

Review Application Requirements Request for Applications Currently available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding Grants.gov Application Submission Guide Will be available 7/19/12 at http://ies.ed.gov/funding Application Package Will be available on Grants.gov on 7/19/12

Information Sources Begin at the IES website (http://ies.ed.gov/) Sign up for the IES Newsflash Look at the IES funding webpage Review current Requests for Applications Look at the abstracts of projects funded under a research topic or program Contact relevant program officer

http://ies.ed.gov

Resources for Researchers Visit links for researchers on IES website Review past webinars Participate in future webinars for the FY 2013 competitions Watch methodology videos

Resources for Researchers Visit links for faculty and researchers on IES website Review past webinars, and participate in future webinars for the FY 2013 competitions

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

Submit a Letter of Intent LOIs are submitted electronically using the instructions provided at: https://iesreview.ed.gov We encourage all researchers to submit Letters of Intent 7/19/12 (after due date, email LOI directly to the program officer)

Grant Submission Make sure your institution is registered on Grants.gov Complete your online forms and upload PDFs Authorized representative completes the process Submit by 4:30:00pm DC time on deadline – earlier is safer If problems uploading Contact Help Line 1-800-518-4726 and get a case number

Verification of Submission You should receive three e-mails Grants.gov will say they have received your submission and assign you a number that starts with GRANT Grants.gov will say your application is validated or rejected due to errors. If the latter, resubmit until validated. Department of Education will assign you a grant number starting with R324

Application Review (Standards & Review Office) Compliance screening for format requirements Responsiveness screening to program requirements Assigned to review panel 2-3 reviewers (substantive and methodology) If scored high enough, application is reviewed by full panel Many panelists will be generalists to your topic There should be an expert in every procedure you use Overall score plus scores on Significance, Research & Career Development Plans, Personnel, and Resources So far, all applications with overall score of Outstanding and Excellent have been funded

Peer Review Process Information http://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/index.asp

Notification Process All applicants will receive email notification of the status of their application All applicants receive copies of reviewer comments via email If you are not granted an award, talk to your program officer about next steps

For Further Information Amy Sussman Amy.Sussman@ed.gov