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Connecting Research,Connecting Research,Policy and PracticePolicy and Practice

Deborah Speece, Ph.D.Commissioner

Jacquelyn Buckley, Ph.D.Research Scientist

Webinar conducted May 9, 2012

National Center for Special Education Research: Overview

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• IES Organizational Structure• NCSER Mission & Duties• Current Goals & Activities• Current Status

InvestmentsFindings

• New Opportunities & Future Directions• Questions

Outline for Today’s Webinar

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• IES Organizational Structure• NCSER Mission & Duties• Current Goals & Activities• Current Status

InvestmentsFindings

• New Opportunities & Future Directions• Questions

Outline for Today’s Webinar

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Organizational Structure

Office of the Director

National Board for Education

Sciences

National Center for Education Research

National Center for Education Evaluation

National Center for Education Statistics

National Center for

Special Education Research

Standards & Review

Office

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• IES Organizational Structure• NCSER Mission & Duties• Current Goals & Activities• Current Status

InvestmentsFindings

• New Opportunities & Future Directions• Questions

Outline for Today’s Webinar

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NCSER’S Mission per IDEA

To sponsor research to expand knowledge and understanding of the needs of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities in order to improve the developmental, educational, and transitional results of such individuals;

To sponsor research to improve services provided under, and support the implementation of, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.); and

To evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in coordination with the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

Source: http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/pl108-446.pdf

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Statutory Duties (18)

• Examples:– Identify scientifically based educational practices…– Examine the special needs of preschool aged

children, infants, and toddlers with disabilities…– Improve the alignment, compatibility, and

development of valid and reliable assessments…– Examine and improve secondary and

postsecondary education and transitional outcomes…

Source: http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/pl108-446.pdf

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Statutory Duties, Cont’d

– Examine and incorporate universal design concepts…

– Improve the preparation of personnel…– Help parents improve educational results…– Address the unique needs of children with

significant cognitive impairments…– Examine the special needs of limited English

proficient children with disabilities

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• IES Organizational Structure• NCSER Mission & Duties• Current Goals & Activities• Current Status

InvestmentsFindings

• New Opportunities & Future Directions• Questions

Outline for Today’s Webinar

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Commissioner’s Goals

• Identify pressing, researchable issues

• Increase the number of funded grants

• Improve communication with the field

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Identify pressing, researchable issues

• Technical Working Group• Pacific Coast Research Conference• US Dept. of Ed/Council for Exceptional

Children (CEC) Teacher Roundtable• CEC Division Meetings• American Educational Research Association

invited panel on policy and research

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Increase the number of funded grants

• FY12 1st Round Award abstracts now on web

• 28 awards: 26 research; 2 postdoctoral

• 10 Development, 8 Efficacy

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Improve communication with the field

• Within Gov’t: Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services; National Science Foundation; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

• Across Field:– CEC: national conference, Division leaders, teacher

roundtable– Met with a number of organizations: AERA Policy

Forum, HECSE, NASDSE, CCD

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• IES Organizational Structure• NCSER Mission & Duties• Current Goals & Activities• Current Status

InvestmentsFindings

• New Opportunities & Future Directions• Questions

Outline for Today’s Webinar

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NCSER Investments by Competition (RFA)

Program Number of Awards Investment (in millions)

Special Education Research 188 $333.0

Research & Development Centers

4 $40.0

Postdoctoral Research Training

10 $6.5

Small Business Innovation Research

7 $7.3

Unsolicited Awards 3 $1.4

FY 2006-2011

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Research & Development Centers

– Improving Mathematics Instruction for Students with Mathematics Difficulties (FY 2010)

– Assessment and Accountability in Special Education (FY 2011)

– Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (FY 2008)

– Serious Behavior Disorders at the Secondary Level (FY 2008)

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• Next set of slides refer to our main special education research competition held twice per year (84.324A)

• Investments from 2006-2011

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Structure of the Competition

• 5 Goals

• 11 Topics

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FY2013 Research Goals

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

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Special Education Research Topics

• 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 Services 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

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NCSER Projects by Goal

FY 2006 – FY 2011

% of Funds Expended

R & D Centers not included

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NCSER Topics by GoalsPortfolio Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3 Goal 4 Goal 5

Autism 1 3 6 0 0

CASL 3 3 1 0 0

Early Int 2 19 17 0 5

Math/Sci 2 10 1 0 4

Rdg/Write 0 13 4 0 7

Prof Dev 3 12 1 0 0

Soc/Behav 0 22 9 2 5

Plcy/Fin/Sys 0 7 2 0 8

Transition 5 8 4 0 1

FY 2006- FY2011

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NCSER Research Investments by Topic

FY 2006 – FY 2011

% of Funds Expended

R & D Centers not included

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NCSER Investments by Developmental Level

FY 2006 – FY 2011

% of Funds Expended

R & D Centers not included

Middle School.... 12%

Middle School.... 12%

High School…..... 10%

Middle & High School…………….. 4% hool…..... 10%

Middle & High School…………….. 4%

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NCSER Investments by At Risk or Identified Disability

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NCSER Investments by Special Education Categories

FY 2006 – FY 2011

% of Funds Expended

R & D Centers not included

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• IES Organizational Structure• NCSER Mission & Duties• Current Goals & Activities• Current Status

InvestmentsFindings

• New Opportunities & Future Directions• Questions

Outline for Today’s Webinar

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Connecting Research,Connecting Research,Policy and PracticePolicy and Practice

Examples of Research Findings by NCSER Investigators

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ExplorationWhat Goes With What?

• Preservice teacher preparation in special education is uniquely related to children’s reading performance (Sass, GSU)

• Early and persistent mathematics difficulty robustly predicts children’s math growth over 5 years of schooling (Morgan, PSU)

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Development & InnovationWhat Interventions Have Promise?

• A newly developed summer employment program showed promise of increasing community-based work experiences for youth with intellectual disabilities (Carter, Vanderbilt)

• Targeted (vs. comprehensive) kindergarten literacy intervention yields better student outcomes for children at risk of disability at the end of second grade especially if implemented in kindergarten (vs. first grade); ELL children (vs. English only children) who are at risk appear to benefit the most two years after intervention ended. (O’Connor, UC-Riverside)

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Efficacy & ReplicationWhat Works?

• Multiple investigators demonstrated that children with intellectual disabilities can improve their reading skills using instructional techniques that are effective for typically developing youngsters (e.g., Browder, UNCC)

• Preschoolers with autism who were in classrooms implementing a peer-based communication program had better outcomes than children in control classrooms: cognition, language, social skills, autism symptom severity (Strain, CU-D)

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What Works? (cont’d)

• First Step to Success, a program for students with emotional disturbance, has positive effects on external behavior, and potentially positive effects on emotional/internal behavior, social outcomes, and ratings of academic performance. Meets evidence standards as reviewed by the WWC. (Walker, ORI)

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Projects Under Construction

• Intervention to assist middle school youth with emotional disturbance transitioning from alternative schools to general education home schools (Buchanan, OR Soc Lrng Cntr)

• Multimedia intervention to assist hearing parents of deaf toddlers in their children’s rehabilitation; low SES families (Suskind, U Chicago)

• Computer based test delivery platform to increase accessibility of state tests for students with visual impairments (Laitusis, ETS)

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• IES Organizational Structure• NCSER Mission & Duties• Current Goals & Activities• Current Status

InvestmentsFindings

• New Opportunities & Future Directions• Questions

Outline for Today’s Webinar

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What’s Next?

• Summer Institutes– Single-case experimental designs– Randomized controlled trials– Quasi experimental designs

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NCSER New Initiatives for FY13

• Early Career Development and Mentoring Program

• Research Initiative: Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities (A3)

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FY 2012 NCER (305) & NCSER (324)Grant Programs

Application Deadline

Letter of Intent Due

Date

Application Posted

Start Dates

305A: Ed Research324A: Sp Ed Research305D: Stats/Methods

6/21/12 4/19/12 4/19/12 3/1/13 to

9/1/13

305A: Ed Research324A: Sp Ed Research305B: Research Training324B: Sp Ed Research Training324D: A3 Initiative305E: State/Local305H: Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships

9/20/12 7/19/12 7/19/12 7/1/13 to

9/1/13

Important Dates and Deadlines

38

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For Further Information

http://ies.ed.gov/funding

•Contact the program officer for the topic under which you intend to apply:

– Available in the Request for Applications:– http://ies.ed.gov/funding/ncer_progs.asp– http://ies.ed.gov/funding/ncser_progs.asp

• Sign up for IES News Flash to receive latest information:– http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash/

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Additional Webinars Available

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

•Basic Overview•Application Process•Grant Writing Workshops for each goal•Grant Writing Workshops for early career researchers and minority serving institutions•Overviews of research training programs•Overviews of NCSER funding opportunities

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Questions??

• deborah.speece@ed.gov• jacquelyn.buckley@ed.gov

• http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/