{"id":127641,"date":"2017-07-12T09:31:53","date_gmt":"2017-07-12T13:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?post_type=school-college-post&p=127641"},"modified":"2017-07-13T15:38:06","modified_gmt":"2017-07-13T19:38:06","slug":"ies-awards-neag-school-researchers-8m-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2017\/07\/ies-awards-neag-school-researchers-8m-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"IES Awards Neag School Researchers More Than $10M in Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ThinkStock
(ThinkStock image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seven faculty members across the Neag School of Education have recently been awarded funding \u2014 totaling more than $10 million \u2014\u00a0by the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Institute of Education Sciences<\/a> (IES) for a range of education research projects. <\/strong>In addition, two Neag School alumni are part of grant projects newly funded by IES. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Writing and Language Experiences of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students<\/h3>\n
\"Hannah
Hannah Dostal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hannah Dostal<\/a>, associate professor of reading education, is co-principal investigator on a project that has been awarded $3.3 million<\/a> as part of a four-year research grant in collaboration with the University of Tennessee. The project, titled \u201cAn Efficacy Study of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI): Teacher Development and Student Outcomes,\u201d focuses on writing instruction for deaf and hard of hearing (d\/hh) students. According to the researchers, the project seeks to \u201cbuild teacher capacity to provide instruction that draws upon evidence-based literacy practices while accommodating individual language differences of the d\/hh.\u201d Funding begins this August.<\/p>\n

The research, involving several dozen third- through sixth-grade teachers and several hundred d\/hh students diverse by hearing loss, language, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, will seek to determine what impact professional development in Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) has on the knowledge, instruction, and efficacy of teachers in this area, and will also examine the impact of SIWI on d\/hh students\u2019 writing and language outcomes.<\/p>\n

The SIWI professional development program is an approach to writing instruction that \u201cincorporates cognitive strategy instruction for writing processes, apprenticeship through interactive and guided writing instruction, and strategies for responding to d\/hh students\u2019 specific language needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about this project<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Career and Technical Education Program Impact in New York City<\/h3>\n
\"Shaun
Shaun M. Dougherty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shaun M. Dougherty<\/a>, assistant professor of education and public policy, is co-principal investigator on a project titled \u201cAssessing the Implementation, Impact, & Variation of CTE Innovation: NYC as a Lab for Rigorous CTE Research,\u201d which has been awarded $3.1 million<\/a> over four years. James Kemple, Meryle Weinstein, and Sean Corcoran of New York University; and Adriana Villavicencio of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools; and Rebecca Unterman of MDRC (Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation)\u00a0are also co-principal investigators on the project.The project is focused on estimating the causal impact of New York City\u2019s career technical education (CTE) programs on students\u2019 career and work-related learning experiences; social and behavioral competencies; high school diploma receipt; and transitions to college and the labor market.<\/p>\n

Encompassing a total of three studies, the research will include about 60,000 New York City students who enrolled in one of more than 200 CTE programs as first-time ninth-graders between 2014 and 2016, with a similar number of students who enrolled in other high school options serving as a control group. In addition, long-term outcomes of another 120,000 students who enrolled in CTE programs between 2008 and 2013 will be tracked by the research team.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the proliferation of CTE programs, only a few studies can make causal claims about the impact of CTE participation on student outcomes,\u201d according to the research team. \u201cFindings from this study will inform CTE policy and practice for New York City, New York state, the federal government, and other states about the direction and evolution of urban educational reforms focused on leveraging CTE as a mechanism to improve college and career readiness while aligning with labor market needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about this project<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Research on Gifted\u00a0Education<\/h3>\n
\"Del<\/a>
Del Siegle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The National Center for Research on Gifted Education<\/a> (NCRGE), led by Del Siegle<\/a>, Neag School Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs, has received through IES a $2 million grant for two additional years<\/a> of research. The grant will fund continuation of research work by the Center, which was initially launched in 2014 with funding authorized through the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act. NCRGE is the only national center on gifted education funded by the federal government.<\/p>\n

With this additional funding, the Center will investigate the effect of attending dedicated gifted classes in core content areas on underserved students\u2019 academic achievement in reading\/language arts and mathematics. The Center will compare the reading\/language arts and mathematics achievement of gifted students in three different settings:<\/p>\n