Dissertation Grants
Call for Proposals

Next deadline March 6, 2009

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Institute of Education Sciences, the AERA Grants Program announces its Dissertation Grants Program. The program's goals are: (1) to stimulate research on U.S. education policy-related issues using data from NCES, NSF, and other federal agencies; (2) to improve the education research community's firsthand knowledge of the range of data available at federal agencies and how to use the data; and (3) to increase the number of education researchers using the data sets. The program supports research projects that are quantitative in nature, include the analysis of existing data from NCES, NSF or other federal agencies, and have U.S. education policy relevance.

Description
AERA invites education policy- and practice-related dissertation proposals using NCES, NSF, and other national data bases. Dissertation Grants are available for advanced doctoral students and are intended to support the student while writing the doctoral dissertation. Applications are encouraged from a variety of disciplines, such as but not limited to, education, sociology, economics, psychology, demography, statistics, and psychometrics.

Although research topics may cover a wide range of education policy-related issues, research projects related to science and/or mathematics education are especially encouraged. Other topics of interest include teachers and teaching, including supply, quality, and demand; policies and practices related to student achievement and assessment; policies and practices that influence student and parental attitudes; contextual factors (individual, curricular, and school related) in education; educational participation and persistence (kindergarten through career entry); at-risk students; early childhood education; postsecondary education; US education in an international context; school finance; the quality of educational institutions; and methodological studies. The research project must include the analysis of data from at least one NSF, NCES, or other nationally or internationally representative data set such as those supported by the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the National Institutes of Health. Additional data sets may be used in conjunction with the obligatory federal data set. If international data sets are used, the study must include U.S. education.

Eligibility
Applicants for Dissertation Grants may be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or non-U.S. citizens. Applicants should be advanced doctoral students at the dissertation writing stage. Underrepresented minority researchers are strongly encouraged to apply.

Award amount
Awards for Dissertation Grants are up to $20,000 for 1-year projects. Grants are not renewable. In accordance with AERA's agreement with the funding agencies, institutions may not charge indirect costs on these awards.

In addition to the dissertation grant award, grantees will be invited to participate in a 2-day conference in Washington, DC. The conference will provide unique professional development experiences for grantees, including highly qualified speakers on topics of education policy and career development, presentations of dissertation research by former grantees, and interaction with the Governing Board and federal agency staff. This conference is specifically for AERA dissertation grantees, and travel expenses will be paid by AERA.

Application Requirements
All applications for Dissertation Grants must include:

• Information on the applicant (contact and background information, current curriculum vitae)
• Research proposal (limited to 4 single-spaced pages) that addresses the following:
  • Brief review of relevant research/policy literature
  • Policy issue and its importance
  • Description of methodology including proposed data set and criteria for selecting data file, sample (e.g., groups used, exclusions to sample, and estimated sample sizes),variables (including selection of variables and rationale for, using them), and analytic techniques
  • Importance of findings to the policy issue.
  • How does this research advance the current state of knowledge in the field, substantively or methodologically?
• Conceptual or figural model outlining the framework or design of the study
• Statistical model or formulas, appropriately defined, that are connected to the conceptual model
• Variables list (one page, categorized) to include the NSF/NCES data set variables to be used
• Proposed budget
• Substantive letter of support from applicant's faculty dissertation advisor that includes an indication of the student's current progress toward the degree and expected date of completion. If the applicant is from a discipline other than education, a second letter of support from a faculty sponsor with an education research background is also required. Note that letters may be sent electronically or in hard copy but must be received by the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to ask their advisors early for letters of recommendation.

Application Deadlines
Proposals for Dissertation Grants will be reviewed three times a year, with funding decisions made within a month of the review date. Upcoming deadlines for proposals are:

March 6, 2009 to be reviewed in April
September 1, 2009 (tentative date) to be reviewed in October
January 6, 2010 (tentative date) to be reviewed in February

Application Submission
Proposals must be submitted electronically. Applicants should read carefully the entire Call for Proposals and the Submission Instructions prior to starting the online submission process. Applicants will be asked to enter specific information in text boxes and upload documents (such as the applicant's curriculum vitae, proposal, budget, models, etc.) that have been prepared in MS Word, Excel, or saved in pdf. Documents in .pdf are preferred. The deadline for submission is 11:59pm EST on Friday, March 6, 2009. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals in advance of the deadline. Submission must be made electronically on the AERA Dissertation Grant submission web page.

Contact Jeanie Murdock (phone 805-964-5264 or email jmurdock@aera.net) if you have questions regarding the program or the application/submission process. All awards are contingent upon AERA's receiving continued federal funding.

Important Additional Information Regarding Dissertation Grants

Considerations in the development of the proposal
Applicants are strongly encouraged to read Estimating Causal Effects: Using Experimental and Observational Designs, by B. Schneider, et.al. prior to submitting a dissertation grant proposal.

Selection bias is a recurring issue during the review process and should be addressed in the proposal.

All proposals must include the analysis of data from at least one of the large-scale, national or international data sets supported by NCES, NSF, or other federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Census Bureau, or the National Institutes of Health. Additional data sets may be used in conjunction with the obligatory federal data set. If international data sets are used, the study must include U.S. education.

Applicants should choose research topics that can be supported by the samples and variables contained in the proposed NCES or NSF data set(s). Applicants should also be familiar with the specific data set's User Guides and/or Manuals (e.g., use of design weights and design effects).

Applicants should be familiar with statistical methods and available computer programs that allow for sophisticated analyses of the selected data.

The proposed topic must have education policy relevance, and the models to be tested must include predictor variables that are manipulable (e.g., course work in mathematics, instructional practices used by teachers, parental involvement).

Applicants who plan to model achievement test data should define the achievement construct and identify the kinds of items to be used to operationalize the research project. Also, when planning to use existing subscales, the applicant should describe why these subscales are appropriate and how they will be applied. Existing subscales provided by NCES may not be appropriate for the proposed construct.

Applicants should adequately deal with the curricular content when it applies.

Applicants are encouraged to capitalize on the capacity of large-scale data sets to look at diverse populations.

The AERA Grants Program has funded 400 grant proposals to date. Applicants are encouraged to review the lists of Funded Research Grants and Funded Dissertation Grants to ensure that their proposed project has not already been done.

Proposal specifics
The proposal text should be no more than four pages in length, single-spaced, in 12 point type with 1" margins. Approximately one page should be devoted to an introduction and literature review, including only those references that are directly relevant to the proposed policy issue. One page should clearly define the policy issue and discuss how the variables selected are under the control of policymakers. Two pages should describe the methodology which lays out the variables that define the construct. The methodology section should describe the proposed data set and criteria for selecting the data file, sample (e.g., groups used, exclusions to sample, and estimated sample sizes),variables (including selection of variables and rationale for using them), and analytic techniques. Applicants must present a clear and well thought out model that identifies the selected variables and specifies the analysis to be done.

A researcher may submit only one dissertation grant proposal per review deadline.

AERA is flexible on research project dates, depending on what is best for the applicant. The earliest date a grant may start is approximately 2 months following the application submission. Alternatively, an award start date of several months after the review date may be requested.

Conceptual model
The conceptual or figural model is usually a boxes and arrows diagram of the framework or design of the study.

Statistical model
The statistical model will include the formulas, appropriately defined, that are connected to the conceptual model and will be used in the proposed study.

Variables list
Provide a one-page, categorized list of the variables from the NCES or NSF data set(s) that will be used in this research project.

Budget
There is no specific format for the budget section. Funds may be used for tuition and/or institutional fees, books, living expenses, equipment, professional travel, supplies, computing time, etc. Institutions may not charge overhead on AERA Grants Program awards. Please be advised that if equipment is included in the budget and it will be purchased entirely with AERA funds, AERA will retain ownership of this equipment for the duration of the grant period. When the awardee's final report is submitted, the AERA Grants Program Governing Board will decide on the disposition of any equipment. Possible disposition could include AERA donating the equipment to the individual awardee, AERA requesting the equipment returned to AERA, or AERA donating the equipment to the awardee's institution.

Institutions may not charge overhead or indirect costs on AERA Dissertation Grants.

Letters of reference
One substantive letter of support is required from the applicant's primary faculty dissertation advisor that includes an indication of the applicant's current progress toward the degree and expected date of completion. If the applicant is from a discipline other than education, a second letter of support from a faculty advisor who has an education research background is also required. Although this second letter should focus mainly on the applicant's qualifications, research experience and potential, it should also include a brief paragraph on the advisor's own education research experience. An exception to the second letter requirement will be made if the applicant's primary faculty dissertation advisor is very experienced in education research. In that case, one letter from the primary faculty dissertation advisor is required, and it should include a brief paragraph on the advisor's own education research experience.

Letters may be sent electronically or in hard copy but must be received by the deadline. Letters sent electronically must be sent separately by the advisor or departmental staff, not by the applicant. Letters must be on institutional letterhead with the author's signature. Note that applicants are responsible for making sure their letters of reference are received by the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to ask advisors early for letters of reference.

Funding restrictions
Dissertation Grantees may not accept concurrent grant or fellowship awards from another agency, foundation, institution or the like for the same dissertation project that is funded by the AERA Grants Program. If the awardee receives more than one major grant or fellowship for the same project for the same time period, in order to accept the AERA Grants Program Dissertation Grant, the other award(s) must be declined. Awardees may accept RA or TA appointments at their doctoral institutions and may have additional employment.

If the applicant is employed by a contractor of NCES or NSF, the dissertation project must not be directly related to the applicant's work responsibilities. An additional letter from the applicant's employer is required as part of the application submission, stating that the dissertation project is separate from the applicant's job duties.

Evaluation criteria
Evaluation criteria will include the importance of the proposed policy issue, the strength of the methodological model and proposed statistical analysis of the study, and relevant experience and research record of the applicant. Additionally, the review criteria will include the following: Is the policy issue clearly defined? What is already known on the issue? How does the methodology relate specifically to the policy question? Does the applicant know the data set? Does the analytic plan fit the question and the data? Is the applicant qualified to carry out the proposed study? Reviewers will be members of the AERA Grants Program Governing Board.

Reporting requirements
All Dissertation Grantees will be required to submit a brief (3-6 pages) progress report mid-way through the grant period. A final report will be submitted at the end of the grant period. The final report may be either a copy of the dissertation or an article based on the dissertation research. The article must be of the quality and in the format for submission to a journal for publication.

Funding disbursement
Funding will be linked to the approval of the progress report and final report. Grantees will receive two-thirds of the total award at the beginning of the grant period, one-sixth upon acceptance of the progress report, and one-sixth upon acceptance of the final report. In most cases awardees may choose whether to have funds sent directly to them or have the funds channeled through their institutions.

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AERA Dissertation Grant submission instructions

AERA Dissertation Grant submission web page

Updated Feb-25-2009