March 2026
The AERA–NSF Grants Program has announced a new cohort of Dissertation and Research Grant recipients, supporting studies that leverage large-scale federal, district, and State Longitudinal Data System data to advance education research.
Selected through a highly competitive process, the newly funded projects examine a range of pressing issues—particularly in STEM education—including student achievement, the connections between STEM course-taking and career and technical education, and the psychometric properties of reading assessments. A full list of grantees and their study titles appear in Table 1.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the AERA–NSF Grants Program supports both emerging and established scholars. Dissertation Grants provide a $27,500 one-year stipend along with professional development and training opportunities. Recipients will convene this fall for a methods-focused research conference and present their work at a poster session during the 2027 AERA Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada.
Research Grants, ranging from $25,000 to $35,000, support one- or two-year projects led by doctoral-level scholars. These awards are designed to facilitate the implementation of rigorous studies and the development of peer-reviewed publications.
“We are thrilled to support such outstanding and promising studies,” said Barbara Schneider of Michigan State University, chair of the AERA–NSF Grants Program Governing Board. “This research has the potential to advance methods for analyzing large-scale data, deepen understanding of key education issues, and inform policy and practice.”
The next proposal deadline for Dissertation and Research Grants is May 20, 2026. Additional information is available on the Grants Program webpage or by contacting grantsprogram@aera.net.
AERA-NSF Dissertation Grantees
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Name
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Institution
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Title
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Aaron Ainsworth
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University of California - Irvine
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The causal effect of teacher-led policy reform on short- and long-term student outcomes: Evidence from the Oregon CLASS program
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Marco Badilla Maroto
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University of California - Berkeley
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Skill Measurement, Returns and Mismatch: Evidence from Narrative Evaluations
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Madeline Brighouse Glueck
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University of Wisconsin - Madison
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A tale of two trends: The growth of graduate degrees and the rise of women
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Patrick Gipson
|
University of Washington
|
Examining the Predictive Validity of Two Universal Screening Measures of Reading
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Matthew Guzman
|
Michigan State University
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The Relationship between Local Property Taxes and Special Education Services: Evidence from Michigan
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Katherine Leu
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University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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Weed-Out Courses and Major Tracking: How College Curriculum Contributes to STEM Inequality
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David Loeb
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University of Pennsylvania
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The Impact of the Medicaid “Free Care” Reversal on Students and School Districts
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Mindy Rosengarten
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Teacher’s College, Columbia University
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Effects of Classroom Quality on Students’ Long-Term Outcomes
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Josefina Senese
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Boston University
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How Do Schools Support English Learners? Insights from School Placement Patterns in Indiana
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Jeneve Swaby
|
Boston College
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From Print to Pixels: Reimagining Reading Literacy in the Digital Age
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De’Ja Wood
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Vanderbilt University, Peabody College
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“We Don’t Have a Lot of Choice in the City of St. Louis”: Racialized Risk Assessments in Black Families’ School Choice
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Yerin Yoon
|
Boston College
|
Does Career and Technical Education Serve as a Safety Net at the Academic Threshold?
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Jingru Zhang
|
University of Wisconsin - Madison
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Harnessing individual participant data and aggregated data in meta-analysis for better evidence in education
|
AERA-NSF Research Grantees
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Name
|
Institution
|
Title
|
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Steven Alvarado
|
University of Notre Dame
|
Danger in the Halls of Science: Deadly Weapons in Indiana & Wisconsin Schools and STEM
|
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Rafael Aparicio
|
University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
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Social Determinants of STEM Pathways and Academic Performance: A Ten-Year Longitudinal Study at the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
|
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Claire Cahen
|
Occidental College
|
Linking School District Debt Issuance to Fiscal and Curricular Outcomes in U.S. Public Schools
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Megumi Hine
|
Washington University in St. Louis
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Examining the Impacts of the 2025 St. Louis Tornado
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Sooji Kim
|
University of Florida
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High school calculus and the engineering pipeline
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Elise McCarren
|
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
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Concurrent Enrollment in Gateway STEM Courses & STEM Bachelors Degree Attainment
|
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Sophie McGuinnes
|
Florida State University
|
Understanding Transitions to and Through College for Career and Technical Education Students
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Gianna Rea-Sandin
|
University of Minnesota
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Understanding the Protective Role and Potential Causal Effects of Adolescent Sleep on Academics Using the Minnesota Student Survey and Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study
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