AERA Research Grants

	Research Grants Program Updated: Jun-19-2003 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 Research Grants Program. The program's goals are: (1) to stimulate quantitative policy- and practice-related research on U.S. education using large-scale, nationally- representative NCES and NSF data sets; (2) to improve the U.S. educational research community's firsthand knowledge of the range of data available at the two agencies and how to use them; and (3) to increase the number of U.S. educational researchers using the data sets. Minority researchers are strongly encouraged to apply.
	Background The ability to monitor the status of our education systems throughout the country is a crucial and unique responsibility of the federal government. Federal legislation (PL-103-382) continues Congress' strong support for NCES "...to ensure the continuation of an effective mechanism for collecting and reporting statistics and information showing the condition and progress of education in the U.S. and other nations in order to promote and accelerate the improvement of American education." NCES looks to the education research community as both a source of talent to help it pursue its mission and as clientele for the use of the data sets it produces. Similarly, the NSF has been charged by Congress to produce a biannual indicators volume on the status of the nation's mathematics and science education. Large-scale longitudinal studies available at NSF provide data for analyses that inform the indicator report. Consequently, an exceptional opportunity exists for the educational research community and NCES and NSF to work together in improving the quality of education data available and in improving the quality and quantity of research conducted with these data.
	Description AERA invites education policy- or practice-related research proposals using NCES, NSF, and other national data bases. Research Grants are available for faculty at institutions of higher education, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctoral-level researchers. Applicants must have received the doctoral degree by the start date of the grant. Awards for Research Grants are up to $20,000 for 1-year projects, or up to $35,000 for 2-year projects. In accordance with AERA's agreement with the funding agencies, institutions may not charge indirect costs on these awards. Successful principal investigators will consult with NCES or NSF staff regarding their proposed research projects and the handling of NCES, NSF, and other federal agency data sets pertinent to their projects. Successful applicants will be expected to submit for review a progress report and a final report. Research grantees' final reports should be of a quality and in a format suitable for publication in a scholarly journal. In addition, NCES will consider publication in its Working Paper series. Research topics may cover a wide range of policy- and practice-related issues that include but are not limited to: school persistence and career entry; teachers and teaching, including supply, quality, and demand; policies and practices related to achievement; policies and practices that influence student and parental attitudes; contextual factors (individual, curricular, and school related) in education; education in middle schools; educational participation and persistence (kindergarten through graduate school); at-risk students; early childhood education; US education in an international context; school finance; materials (curriculum) development, research and informal science education; undergraduate science, engineering, and mathematics education; the supply (pipeline) of students taking mathematics and science courses from K-12; career development; the quality of educational institutions; and methdological studies. Researchers must utilize at least one NSF or NCES data set in the study. Additional large-scale nationally representative data sets may be used in conjunction with the obligatory NSF or NCES data set. If international data sets are used, the study must include U.S. education.
	Applications All applications for Research Grants must include: An AERA Research Grants Program cover sheet Research proposal (limited to 7 single-spaced pages) that addresses the following: Policy issue and its importance Brief review of relevant research/policy literature 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 Symbolic or figural model outlining the framework for the study Proposed budget Current curriculum vitae for principal investigator(s) Brief list of current other support (grants, awards, etc.) Evaluation criteria include the importance of the proposed policy issue, the strength of the methodology, and relevant experience and research record of the applicant. It is expected that applicants are familiar with the data set they plan to use in their study. Applicants must show that the specified data set can be used to address the research proposed.
	Additional Information Regarding Research Grants Applicants for Research Grants may be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or non-U.S. citizens. The AERA Grants Program's goal is to improve the infrastructure for conducting quantitative policy- and practice-related education research using large-scale, national or international data sets. Applicants should choose research topics that can be supported by the samples and variables contained in the proposed data set. Applicants should be familiar with statistical methods and available computer programs that allow for sophisticated analyses of the selected data. It is also important to select a topic that has policy relevance and that models to be tested include predictor variables that are manipulable (e.g., course work in mathematics, instructional practices used by teachers, parental involvement). 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 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. The AERA Grants Program has funded over 250 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. Applicants may also search the AERA Grants Program website for projects that use the same data set or cover the same topics. 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 questions? Does the applicant know the data set? Does the analytic plan fit the questions and the data? Is the applicant qualified to carry out the proposed study? A researcher may submit only one proposal to the AERA Grants Program for review at any one time. If a researcher has a currently funded grant through the AERA Grants Program, he/she may not submit another proposal until the grant is completed. The maximum number of times a researcher may be funded for a research grant is two. The proposal should be no more than 7 pages, single-spaced, in 12 point type with 1" margins. Roughly 2 pages should be devoted to an introduction, the problem statement, background information, and current relevant literature. The remaining 5 pages should include the methodology and policy relevance. Attachments such as a bibliography, variables list, diagrams, and tables are allowed, and are not counted in the 7 page proposal limit. There is no specific format for the budget section. Funds may be used for summer salary, release time, RA support, equipment, 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. All Research 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. Funding will be linked to the approval of the progress report and final report. Grantees will receive one-third of the total award at the beginning of the grant period, one-third upon acceptance of the progress report, and one-third 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.
	Application Submission Detailed submission information.
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