Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences

1. Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences Corinne Alfeld Phill Gagné Meredith Larson Katina Stapleton National Center for Education Research • Note: Additional information is available in the slide notes of some slides.

2. Organization of Webinar • Overview of the Department of Education and IES • Purpose of the Training Grant Program • FY 20 Funding Opportunities • Predoctoral Training (slides 12 - 24) • Postdoctoral Training (slides 25 - 35) • Methods Training (slides 36 - 44) • Next Steps • Application Submission Process • Application Review Process

3. Introduction Overview of IES and the IES Training Programs

4. Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education

5. Organizational Structure of IES

6. Purpose of NCER’s Grant Programs NCER supports field-initiated, innovative solutions to improve education research and inform policy and practice. This requires • Rigorous, relevant research • Dissemination to stakeholders (policymakers, practitioners, researchers, the public) • Researchers prepared to conduct such research and dissemination activities

7. NCER Training Programs NCER training programs prepare individuals to conduct rigorous and relevant education research. This includes • Fellowship-based training • Undergraduate pathways programs • Predoctoral interdisciplinary programs • Postdoctoral programs • Methods training “workshops” for practicing researchers. https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/research/researchTraining.asp

8. Research Training Grant Programs for FY 2020 For FY 2020, NCER is competing three training program topics: • Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in the Education Sciences • Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education Sciences • Methods Training Program for Education Researchers 8

9. Training Grant Applications: The Key Components Each Training Program Application must include a project narrative that has four major sections: • Significance • Research Training Plan • Personnel • Resources Each topic will have different requirements and recommendations for what goes into each section. The RFA contains details on these items.

10. Training Grant Applications: The Importance of Recommendations The Requirements determine which applications will go forward to peer review. The Recommendations are what reviewers use when scoring applications. Thus, please read and follow the Recommendations section for your topic area closely.

11. FY 2020: The Training Topics Purpose and Requirements

12. Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in the Education Sciences Prepares doctoral students to be interdisciplinary researchers able to conduct the type of research IES funds under its research grant programs and address issues important to education leaders and practitioners.

13. Predoctoral Training Program: Requirements In order for an application to be forwarded for peer review, it must meet NCER’s requirements for • Eligible Applicants • The Training Program Focus • Key Personnel • Training Program Narrative

14. Eligibility Requirements for Institutions

15. Only One Predoctoral Application Allowed per Institution An academic institution may host no more than one IES-supported predoctoral training program at a time. Therefore • An academic institution may submit only one application. • Academic institutions that currently have a IES-funded predoctoral training program that will still be operating in August 2020 can apply only to renew the existing training program.

16. Predoctoral Training Program Focus, pt. 1 Parameters: • You must propose a focused training program that addresses U.S. education (prekindergarten through high school and postsecondary and adult education). • Your training program focus must include a content area based on the research programs identified in the Education Research Grants program (84.305A) RFA. • Your training programmust include amethodological focus based on the project types identified in the Education Research Grants program (84.305A) RFA and the Research Grants Focused on Systematic Replications (84.305R) RFA.

17. Predoctoral Training Program Focus, pt. 2

18. Creating a Cohesive Training Program Focus • Your Training Program Theme should be cohesive while meeting requirements: • Predoctoral Training Program on Rural Education (spans age ranges, content, and methods) • Adult Literacy Predoctoral Training Program (addresses adult education and reading/writing, spans methods) • Predoctoral Training Program on Educating Homeless & Highly Mobile Populations (addresses education systems and other content areas, spans age ranges, content and methods) • Predoctoral Training Program on Designing Education Interventions (spans age ranges and content, but focuses of development).

19. Key Personnel Requirements • Principal Investigator (AKA Program Director) is required • Has overall responsibility for the award • Interacts with IES • Co-Principal Investigators are allowed but not required. • Core Faculty (5 or more required) • Conduct training activities including teaching courses, mentoring fellows, supervising research, and monitoring fellows’ progress • Key Personnel can be from any discipline • Must be able to provide intensive training in the education sciences and are expected to have expertise in the theme you propose.

20. Describing Your Research Training Plan Employed Education Researcher Training Fellow Fellows’ backgrounds, pre-existing knowledge, home departments, interests, etc. • What fellows will learn to do over the course of the fellowship • A person with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be employed as an education researcher (in various contexts)

21. Predoctoral Fellow Requirements • Predoctoral fellows must be enrolled full-time in a doctoral program for each term during which they receive fellowship support. • Predoctoral fellows’ research (including dissertations) must be relevant to practical issues in U.S. education. • Predoctoral fellows must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

22. Predoctoral Program Structural Requirements Designs of training programs may vary • 2-year, 3-year, or 4-year fellowships (or combinations) are allowed • Fellowship length should reflect the amount of time needed to adequately provide training Restrictions • Total number of fellowship years: 30 (minimum) to 68 (maximum) • Maximum number of fellowship years per fellow: 4 • Minimum number of fellows: 15 at (2 years each)

23. Predoctoral Program: Award Time and Cost Considerations • Duration Maximums: no more than 5 years long • Cost Maximums: no more than $4,600,000 (total cost = direct costs + indirect costs). • Maximum of 68 fellowship years total and up to 4 fellowship years per fellow

24. Participant Costs vs. Program Support Costs Trainee/Participant Support Costs: • $34,000 in stipend per fellow per year (12 months) for 2 to 4 years; • Up to $12,000 per fellow per year for tuition, health insurance, and normal fees; and • Up to $2,000 per fellow per year in support of research, travel, and conference attendance. Program Costs: • Maximum of $1,336,000 (direct plus indirect costs) • Includes recruitment of fellows, a limited set of personnel costs to develop and run the training program, additional training activities, recruitment, tracking of fellows, and program success, a program website, PI attendance at annual meeting, and indirect costs.

25. Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education Sciences Prepares researchers to conduct the type of research IES funds under its research grant programs and that is important to practitioners and policymakers.

26. Postdoctoral Training Program: Goals NCER’s Postdoctoral Training • Prepares researchers with a doctoral degree to conduct high-quality, relevant education research and to disseminate findings appropriately • Aims to identify and support researchers who have high potential but may need more experience and mentoring • Gives fellows opportunities for independent research, leadership experience, and hands-on work with stakeholders

27. Postdoctoral Training Program: Requirements In order for an application to be forwarded for peer review, it must meet NCER’s requirements for • The Training Program Focus • Eligible Applicants • Key Personnel • Training Program Narrative

28. Requirements: Training Program Focus Training Program Focus: Topic and Methodological Foci • Must focus include one of four IES-identified content areas. • Must propose one or more methodological areas that align with the types of research projects IES funds

29. Training Program Focus: Content Area Must focus on one of the following content areas: • Adult Learners with Low Skills • Career and Technical Education • Education Leadership • English Learners

30. Training Program Focus: Methodological Focus Must propose a methodological focus (one or more): • Exploration • Development and Innovation • Efficacy • Replication

31. Postdoctoral Training Program: Eligible Applicants Eligible Applicants • Academic institutions in the U.S. or its territories that confer doctoral degrees in fields relevant to education. • May hold more than one IES Postdoctoral Training Program if each has a different training focus and no overlap of key personnel. • May partner with other institutions (including non-academic) that will provide fellows with research opportunities aligned with the training program focus.

32. Postdoctoral Training Program: Key Personnel • All key personnel must be on one or more new or ongoing education research projects currently supported by the IES or another funding source. • Key personnel on a postdoctoral training grant can take part in only one IES-funded postdoctoral training grant at a time.

33. Postdoctoral Training Program: Narrative Requirements • Significance: The content/methodological foci of the program • Research Training Plan: recruitment plan, research training activities, the financial support for fellows and the program, and a plan for tracking fellows’ and the program’s success • Personnel: all key personnel (PI, Co-PI, mentors) • Resources: the institutional resources of both the primary applicant institution and any subaward institutions

34. Who Can Be an IES Postdoc Fellow • Programs should consider recruiting fellows from less well-known doctoral programs, minority-serving institutions, and diverse disciplines. • Fellows will have to meet the following IES requirements: • Their research must be relevant to education in the U.S. • They must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and • They must have received their doctorate prior to beginning the fellowship.

35. Postdoctoral Program: Award Time and Cost Considerations • Duration Maximums: no more than 5 years long • Cost Maximums: no more than $766,000 (total = direct + indirect) • Costs can support a maximum of 8 fellowship years • Trainee Support Costs: Covers stipend of up to $60,000 (max) per year for up to 3 years and up to $25,000 per fellow, per year for other expenses • Program Costs: Covers up to $16,000 per program year (not fellow year) to cover program costs such as recruitment, honoraria for guest speakers, administrative support, and indirect costs.

36. Methods Training for Education Researchers Helps current education researchers and practitioners to expand and upgrade their research and analysis skills

37. Methods Training Program: Goals NCER’s Methods Training Grants… • Support researchers and state and local education agency staff to acquire skills necessary to obtain and generate the evidence needed for policy and programmatic decisions • Ensure that education researchers keep up with advances in the field • Provide researchers and practitioners with targeted, relevant training which they can immediately apply in their work • Do not support broad methodological education of the type provided by certificate or degree programs

38. Methods Training Program: Requirements In order for an application to be forwarded for peer review, it must meet NCER’s requirements for • Eligible Applicants • Training Program Narrative

39. Methods Training Program: Eligible Applicants Eligible Applicants • Applicants located in the territorial United States that have the ability and capacity to conduct training in scientific research methods are eligible to apply • One institution can apply for and house more than one Methods Training grant, as long as the material is clearly different across grants and as long as there is no duplication of the key personnel

40. Methods Training Program Narrative Requirements: Significance Your Methods Training Program Narrative must include four sections. (1) Significance • Describe the focus of your training program (the methodological training to be provided) and justify why this focus is important to improving the fields of education research and practice. You must include: • The specific methodologies that will be the focus of your training program, and • The intended participants

41. Methods Training Program Narrative Requirements: Research Training Plan (2) Research Training Plan • Describe the training to be provided, including recruitment for and outcomes of the training. You must include: • The recruitment plan; • The training content, format, and activities; and • A plan for tracking participants’ progress and the program’s success

42. Methods Training Program Narrative Requirements: Personnel (3) Personnel • Describe the relevant expertise of your research team, the responsibilities of each team member, and the time commitments of each team member. You must include: • All key personnel on the project team, including the PI, Co-PIs, and additional instructors/trainers • The proposed experts who will provide the training for each specific topic to be covered • Letters of Agreement from relevant training personnel in Appendix E IES will not accept applications that propose to hire methods experts once the grant is received

43. Methods Training Program Narrative Requirements: Resources (4) Resources • Describe both how you have the institutional capacity to complete a project of this size and complexity and your access to the resources you will need to successfully complete this project. You must include: • The institutional resources of both the primary applicant institution and any subaward institutions.

44. Award Time, Cost, and Participants • Duration Maximum: 3 years • Cost Maximum: $800,000 total budget for all 3 years • Note that the maximum indirect cost rate for Methods Training grants is 8%, even if an institution has a negotiated indirect cost rate higher than 8%. • Participants • Participants in the proposed training should demonstrate a need for the skills being taught and an adequate foundation of knowledge/experience to learn the material • Participants must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

45. Next Steps Technical Assistance and Application Process

46. Important Dates 46

47. Working with Program Officers • Discuss your training idea with a program officer • Email a synopsis and schedule a time for a call • Email short questions • You will hear from us if you submit a letter of intent • If we have time, we will review draft of or sections of applications 47

48. Submitting an LOI LOIs are non-binding, optional documents that tend to be about a page or so long. https://iesreview.ed.gov/LOI/LOISubmit LOIs contain seven elements: • Descriptive title • Research Training Program topic • Brief description • Name and contact information for PI and Co-PIs • Name and affiliation of other key collaborators • Duration of the project • Estimated total budget

49. Reference Documents:The RFA and Submission Guide Read the Request for Applications • See the IES Funding Opportunities (https://ies.ed.gov/funding) and the full list of RFAs (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/20rfas.asp). • See Part 1 of the FY 2020 84.305B RFA for a summary of changes to the RFA from the previous year. Read the Application Submission Guide For FY 2020 • This is now a separate document and is no longer embedded in the RFA. • You can find it here: https://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/submissionguide.pdf. 49

50. Other Places to Find Assistance • Look at abstracts of funded projects • NCER Projects • View IES on-demand webinars • Funding Opportunity Webinars • We encourage you to view the Basic Overview webinar for general information. • Review Resources for Researchers