Active Grants

Academic Year 2021-22

Learn more about our current active grants.

A-L

CAREER DBER: The Role of Internal Attention in Undergraduate Biology Learning

Description

Attention is dynamic and tends to fluctuate between external and internal states, and thus focusing attention on an instructor in undergraduate science courses for a long period of time is extremely taxing. While external attention, the selection and modulation of sensory information (e.g., focusing on an instructor’s voice while ignoring background noise), has been studied extensively, very little is known about the functional significance of internal attention, the selection and modulation of internally generated thoughts (e.g., quietly thinking about a prompt while ignoring distracting thoughts). Some researchers and practitioners have suggested that “thinking” periods can promote the development of student ideas, while others argue that internally-generated thoughts are primarily off-task and lead to poor learning. The current CAREER project at the University of Connecticut will attempt to reconcile these competing claims by exploring how opportunities to focus attention internally during a biology lecture can support or jeopardize student learning. More info

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,325,817 — National Science Foundation, Division of Research on Learning

Dates

1/1/2022 to 12/31/2026

College and Career Readiness for Transition (CCR4T): Development and Validation of a Student Measure

Description

This study will provide high school educators in Connecticut, Arkansas, Delaware, Massachusetts, and North Carolina with a validated tool for assessing college and career readiness (CCR) for students with disabilities. More info

Principal Investigators

Allison Lombardi, Hariharan Swaminathan; Jane Rogers; Jennifer Freeman

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,398,298 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities

Dates

7/1/2019 to 6/30/2023

Connecticut Noyce Math Teacher Leaders (MTL) Program

Description

The Connecticut Noyce Math Teacher Leaders (MTL) Program aims to support the development and retention of exceptional math educators in Connecticut’s highest-needs school districts — while also building these districts’ future leadership capacity in math education. More info

Principal Investigators

Megan Staples (PI); Gladis Kersaint

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$1,499,875 — National Science Foundation, Division of Undergraduate Education

Dates

7/1/20121 to 6/30/2026

COVID Connects Us: Nurturing Novice Teachers’ Justice Science Teaching Identities

Description

This project will develop and implement a unit on the science of COVID-19 through a social justice lens, while also supporting groups of teachers to develop, test, and refine justice-centered instructional practices in local schools. More info

Principal Investigators

Todd Campbell

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$1,492,218 — National Science Foundation, Division Of Research On Learning

Dates

7/1/20121 to 6/30/2024

Cross-Battery Cognitive-Achievement Relations

Description

Children’s performance across several tests, including multiple cognitive and achievement tests, is often analyzed together to better understand their learning. Research studies of children’s cognitive-achievement relations are often limited to particular tests. Some inconsistencies were found across tests and thus some results may not generalize. Research that incorporates multiple intelligence and achievement tests simultaneously, known as cross-battery analyses, can better address questions about the broader influences of children’s cognitive abilities on their academic achievement. Cross-battery research can extend our understanding of how intelligence and achievement relate not just at the test-level, but at the broader construct level. Whether or not cognitive-achievement relations are reproducible across several test batteries has both theoretical and clinical implications. This study will include 3,930 children aged 6 to 18 collected by Pearson Assessments. The influence of cognitive abilities on children’s reading, writing, and math skills will be compared for consistencies and differences.

Principal Investigator

Jacqueline Caemmerer

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$15,000 — Woodcock Institute for the Advancement of Neurocognitive Research and Applied Practice

Dates

11/1/2020 to 12/31/2021

Deaf Students’ Literacy Development in Jamaica: Developing a Knowledge Base and Sustainable Teacher Training Experience

Description

International deaf education is an area that is in deep need of both high-quality research and opportunities to develop teacher practice. Through assessments of key literacy skills of deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) elementary school students, interviews with and observations of teachers and other professionals working with d/hh students, and collaborative planning and feedback from faculty with the Jamaican Association of the Deaf, the authors will develop and implement a professional development that will support the literacy needs of d/hh students in Jamaica. Additionally, this project has the potential to further our understanding of the current state of deaf education in Jamaica and inform future research within this setting. The grant will support Dostal’s project titled “Deaf Students’ Literacy Development in Jamaica: Developing a Knowledge Base and Sustainable Teacher Training Experience,” which seeks to create and test a sustainable and replicable professional development program for supporting educators of the deaf in Jamaica, including designing and coordinating a literacy camp for Deaf and hard of hearing children. More info

Principal Investigator

Hannah Dostal

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$2,000 — International Literacy Association Constance McCullough International Research Grant

Dates

2020-21

Early Childhood Personnel Center

Description

The purpose of the Early Childhood Personnel Center is to facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of integrated and comprehensive systems of personnel development (CSPD) for the early childhood workforce serving infants and young children with disabilities eligible for Part C and Part B(619) programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ECPC generates knowledge, provides technical assistance, and facilitates leadership collaboration. More info

Principal Investigator

George Sugai

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$34,555 — U.S. Department of Education

Dates

1/1/2018 to 12/31/2022

Educating Educators to Help Children With High-Intensity Special Needs

Description

This grant will fund the development of a doctoral leadership program to train 28 future faculty. These trainees will then design and teach courses and programs of study designed to prepare teachers, social workers, and therapists to provide specialized interventions to infants and young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. More info

Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator

Mary Beth Bruder and Michael Coyne

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$6,500,000 — U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/19/2020-

An Efficacy Study of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Description

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of the Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) professional development (PD) program for improving the knowledge and instructional practices of teachers and the writing and language outcomes for students in third through sixth grade who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). More info

Principal Investigator

Hannah Dostal

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$335,324 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences

Dates

8/1/2017 to 7/31/2021

Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Behavior and Reading Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Elementary School

Description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how integrated behavior and reading practices impact outcomes for K-Grade 2 students at 25 schools. Previously conducted research has shown certain reading and behavior practices to be effective for students with learning disabilities or those who are at risk for developing them. This project aims to examine how resources could be employed more efficiently to address the common co-occurrence of reading and behavior difficulties. More info

Principal Investigators

Michael Coyne, Brandi Simonsen, D. Betsy McCoach

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$3,999,589 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)

Dates

7/1/2019 to 6/30/2024

Exploring Relationships Between College and Career Readiness, Self-Determination, and Transition Planning Among Adolescents With and Without Disabilities

Description

The purpose of this project is to establish measurable constructs of college and career readiness (CCR) using extant data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS2012). More info

Principal Investigator

Allison Lombardi

Co-Principal Investigators

Graham Rifenbark; Eric Loken

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$817,548 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)

Dates

7/1/2021 – 6/30/2023

Fostering Computational Thinking Through Neural Engineering Activities in High School Biology Classes

Description

Computational thinking (CT) is a set of processes to identify and solve problems using algorithms or steps, and can be applied not only in computer science but in other disciplines. This project will develop and study a curriculum and app that support CT in a high school biology unit. More info

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Co-Principal Investigators

Christopher H. Rhoads; Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead; John H. Settlage

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,451,850 — National Science Foundation

Dates

9/1/2021 – 8/31/2025

Health Policy Research Scholars Cohort One – 2016

Description

The funding supports a Health Policy Research Scholar. The goal of Health Policy Research Scholars is to create a large cadre of diverse doctoral students from multiple (nonclinical, research-focused) disciplines — students whose research, connections, and leadership will inform and influence policy toward a culture of health. The program aims to recruit doctoral students from a variety of social sciences (e. g., urban planning, health, economics, ethnography, education, social work, etc.) who are trained to be researchers. More info

Principal Investigator

D. Betsy McCoach

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$120,000 — Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Dates

9/1/2016 to 8/31/2021

Husky Programs

Description

Two long-running educational programs at UConn for Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) recipients are combining under a new $4.2 million USDA grant. The grant will combine Husky Sport and Husky Nutrition. Husky Sport is a UConn Storrs-based program that works with community partners to encourage physical activity and healthy eating, and Husky Nutrition is a UConn Health-based initiative focused on decreasing disparities in food and nutrition-related conditions through nutrition education and environmental change around access to healthy foods. More info

Principal Investigator

Jennifer McGarry

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

$4.2 million — USDA

Dates

10/2021 to 10/2024

Inclusive Environments and Metrics in Biology Education and Research (iEMBER): Novel Networking Fostering Interdisciplinary Communities and New Research Collaborations

Description

This project ultimately seeks to improve the inclusion and retention of students in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, with a focus on broadening inclusion in the area of biology education research. More info

Co-Principal Investigator

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo

Funding

$499,999 — National Science Foundation

Dates

8/15/2019 to 7/31/2024

Intensive Intervention Course Development

Description

We are developing a sequence of four courses on intensive intervention for in-service special education teachers. The courses involve online components that involve the use of the Lightboard technology to increase the clarity and teacher interest. The courses also have aligned coaching supports that involve the use of technology to make it possible to do observations without constant travel. More info

Principal Investigator

Devin Kearns

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$402,638 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences

Dates

2/1/2017 to 9/30/2021

Interdisciplinary and Integrated Training for Intensive Behavior

Description

The Interdisciplinary and Integrated Training for Intensive Behavior (I-3 PREP) program is a master’s training program, wherein the goal is to increase the number of master’s-trained special educators and school psychologists with the capacity to provide high-quality integrated services for school-age students with developmental disabilities, such as autism, who have high-intensity behavioral needs. The project is a multidisciplinary effort supported by UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), the Neag School, and the UConn School of Medicine. Learn more

Co-Principal Investigators

Lisa Sanetti, Sandra Chafouleas, and Mary Beth Bruder

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,000,000 — U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education

Dates

10/2020 to 9/2025

Learning Informs Focused Teaching: Project LIFT

Description

Project LIFT (Learning Informs Focused Teaching) focuses on teacher perceptions of advanced academic potential and the use of instructional practices that may encourage and develop students’ potential. The project engages teachers at grades 1-3 in infusing increased emphasis on questioning, and critical and creative thinking into language arts and mathematics lessons to promote student development of high-potential behaviors. More info

Principal Investigators

Catherine Little, Rebecca Eckert, Christopher Rhoads

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$2,406,770 — U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2017 to 9/30/2022

Professor Michael Coyne with schoolchildren
Michael Coyne, professor of educational psychology, will serve as principal investigator on an IES-funded research project entitled “Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Behavior and Reading Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Elementary Schools” with co-PIs Brandi Simonsen and D. Betsy McCoach.

From studying student outcomes to creating professional development programs for teachers, faculty engage in a broad range of research projects. Get a glimpse into a selection of Neag School research projects connected to the following areas of interest:

Literacy

STEM

M-O

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Research Network (MTSS-RN) Leadership Team

Description

The Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Network is examining MTSS that integrates both academic and behavioral support systems within elementary schools. There are four Research Teams and one Network Lead. Research Teams are conducting a variety of investigations that cover development, evaluation, and/or measurement activities. As the MTSS Network Lead, the UConn research team will provide the organizational structure needed to allow the Network to run smoothly, foster collaborative efforts across the Research Teams, and ensure that the Network achieves its research and leadership goals. More info

Principal Investigators

Michael Coyne, Brandi Simonsen

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,499,572 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)

Dates

7/1/2019 to 6/30/2024

 

National Center for Leadership in Intensive Interventions 2 (NCLII-2) Training Grant

Description

The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention 2 (NCLII-2) Training Grant will fund three doctoral students in special education for four years each. More info

Principal Investigator

Del Siegle

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,000,000 — Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education

Dates

11/1/2019 to 12/31/2023

National Center on Research for Gifted Education

Description

The National Center on Research for Gifted Education will fund work to examine and strengthen gifted education opportunities for underserved populations through four studiesMore info

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$5,000,000 — Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education

Dates

9/1/2020 to 8/31/2025

National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Description

The National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is established by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to define, develop, implement, and evaluate a multi-tiered approach to TA that improves the capacity of SEAs, LEAs, and schools to establish, scale-up, and sustain the PBIS framework to (a) improve supports and outcomes for students with or at-risk for disabilities (Priority 1) and (b) enhance school climate, school safety (Priority 2), and conditions for learning (Priority 3) to promote the well-being of all students. More info

Principal Investigators

Brandi Simonsen, Jennifer Freeman, and George Sugai

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$31,750,000 — Total award for Center to University of Oregon (prime); $4,424,903 — UConn subcontract with University of Oregon; U.S. Department of Education / Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Dates

10/15/2018 to 9/30/2023

Network to Advance the Study of Mechanisms Underlying Mind-Body Interventions and Measurement of Emotional Well-Being

Description

This project will illuminate the role of emotional well-being in mind and body interventions as both an outcome itself and as a mechanism in improving mental and physical health outcomes. More info

Co-Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$2,495,298 — National Institutes of Health

Dates

2/21/2021 to 1/31/2025

Bonnie Johnston ’18 MA, alum and former Noyce Scholar
Bonnie Johnston ’18 MA, alum of the Neag School’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates and former Noyce/HuskyTeach Scholar, leads a science class at Norwich Free Academy. (Stefanie Dion Jones/Neag School)

P-Z

Preparing Scholar Leaders to Study Interventions and Complex Systems (Project LINC)

Description

In partnership with Boston University, this project that will fully fund five doctoral scholars at each institution over the next five years in three key areas: 1) To understand interventions in literacy, social and behavioral skills, and transition; 2) To understand the complex educational systems that support students with disabilities, and 3) To conduct rigorous research related to these foci. More info

Project Organizer

Devin Kearns

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$2,500,000 — Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2019 to 9/30/2024

Project Building Up Mathematics Proficiency Utilizing Push-In (Project BUMP UP)

Description

The primary goal of this project is to ensure that talented math students, including students from underserved populations, receive services that allow them to make continuous progress and excel in math by using the pedagogy of advanced instructional practices in general education classrooms. More info

Principal Investigators and Co-Principal Investigators

Del Siegle (PI), and E. Jean Gubbins and D. Betsy McCoach

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$2,800,000 — Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program, U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2019 to 9/30/2024

 

Project NeXus II

Description

Project NeXus fully funds a cadre of Ph.D. level leaders in special education in the areas of (a) Literacy, (b) Positive Behavioral Supports, and/or (c) Secondary Transition. Project NeXus provides doctoral fellows with the opportunities and the support to develop Leadership Competencies organized around priority areas including (a) Research, (b) Personnel Preparation (University Teaching), and (c) Professional Practice (Policy/ Advocacy/ Technical Assistance/ Professional Development). More info

Principal Investigators

Michael Coyne, Brandi Simonsen, Allison Lombardi

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,250,000 — U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2017 to 9/30/2022

Project PRIME2: Planning Realistic Intervention implementation and Maintenance by Educators

Description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Planning Realistic Intervention implementation and Maintenance by Educators (PRIME2) for improving elementary school teachers' implementation of function-based behavioral interventions for students with and at risk for disabilities. PRIME2 is a theory-informed, consultation-based, individually tailored, tiered system of implementation support developed with previous IES funding. More info

Principal Investigator

Lisa Sanetti

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$3,769,253 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)

Dates

7/1/2021 – 6/30/2026

Project Twice Exceptional With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Project 2e-ASD)

Description

This project focuses on academically talented students with autism who are traditionally underserved in gifted programs. More info

Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator

Sally Reis and Joseph Madaus

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$2,600,00 — Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program, U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2019 to 9/30/2024

Reimagining Dual Language Education: Promoting Equitable Bilingualism and Biliteracy Outcomes through a Focus on Sociocultural Competence

Description

This research project has four major goals: 1) improve the equitable bilingualism and biliteracy attainment of all dual-language (DL) students through a greater focus on sociocultural competence (SCC); 2) improve the measurement of SCC; 3) foster SCC among DL students; and 4) enhance DL teachers’ professional competence related to SCC-focused language and literacy instruction. More info.

Principal Investigator

Elizabeth Howard

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$179,151 — U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, International Research and Studies Grants

Dates

10/2020 to 9/2023

 

Supported College and Career Readiness (SCCR) for Secondary Students With Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Description

Through a collaboration with Lehigh University, Neag School associate professor Jennifer Freeman will be developing an intervention to improve college and career readiness for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. This grant is sponsored by the Institute of Educational Sciences (IES). Freeman is a Co-PI with Lee Kern and Chris Liang at Lehigh University. More info

Co-Principal Investigator

Jennifer Freeman

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,374,356 — U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences - National Center for Special Education Research

Dates

9/1/2020 to 8/31/2023

TAGG-MS: Development and Validation of the Transition Assessment and Goal Generator (TAGG) for Middle School Students with Disabilities

Description

The purpose of this project is to develop the web-based transition assessment,Transition Assessment and Goal Generator-Middle School (TAGG-MS). More info

Co-Principal Investigators

Allison Lombardi (site PI); Tracy Sinclair

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,998,806 (subaward of $397,395 to UConn over four years) — U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences - National Center for Special Education Research

Dates

8/1/2021 – 7/31/2025

Think About the Link

Description

The Neag Foundation has provided the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH) with a two-year grant to facilitate work in the Think about the Link Project. Think about the Link offers practical tools to help schools enhance their work by incorporating the a whole school-whole community-whole child model in decision-making across academic, social, emotional, behavioral, and physical supports. More info

Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$100,000 for first year — Neag Foundation

Dates

6/16/20-

Thinking Like Mathematicians: Challenging All Grade 3 Students

Description

The grant focuses on implementing pre-differentiated and enriched grade 3 mathematics lessons in algebraic thinking, multiplication, and division. It will also explore teachers’ beliefs about their math teaching self-efficacy and recognizing the potential talent in academically, culturally, linguistically, or economically diverse communities. More info

Principal Investigators

E. Jean Gubbins, Tutita Casa, Aarti Bellara, Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$2,500,000 — U.S. Department of Education / Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Dates

10/1/2017 to 9/30/2022

Husky Sport mentors lead middle school students in exercise.

Husky Sport mentors lead middle school students in exercise in the gymnasium at the Journalism and Media Academy in Hartford, Conn. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Faculty also take part in any number of interdisciplinary research projects in partnership with other Schools and Colleges at UConn or at other universities, among them the following:

Academic Year 2020-21

Computer-Aided and Reading Intervention using Neuroimaging of Growth (CARING)

Description

This project utilizes cutting-edge research that will provide us with a better understanding about which areas of the brain are involved in successful reading development. It involves the implementation of a research-based reading intervention with strong evidence of increasing the achievement of children with reading disabilities. Before and after the intervention, we conduct fMRI neuroimaging scans to examine the cortical change resulting from intervention. In addition, we conduct scans every three weeks using functional near-infrared spectroscope (fNIRS) to examine how cognitive changes occur during the course of intervention. More info

Principal Investigator

Devin Kearns

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$144,305 — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Dates

8/23/2017 to 6/30/2021

Connecticut Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (LEND) Project

Description The purpose of the LEND training program is to improve the health of infants, children, and adolescents with disabilities by preparing trainees from diverse professional disciplines to assume leadership roles in their respective fields and by ensuring high levels of interdisciplinary clinical competence. Funding will support multi-disciplinary research, personnel preparation, outreach, and program development for individuals with disabilities and their families.
Principal Investigator George Sugai
Department Educational Psychology
Funding $119,832 — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / Health Resources and Services Administration
Dates 7/1/2016 to 6/30/2021

Husky Teach: Next Generation STEM Teachers

Description

The National Science Foundation and the Robert Noyce Foundation supports funding science teacher preparation for high-needs schools. Awards in the amount of $30,000 are granted each year to six future science teachers enrolled at the UConn Avery Point campus. In addition to defraying tuition costs, the awards compensate research projects with marine science faculty, underwrite professional conference travel, and provide $1,000 in science supplies. Recipients agree to take full-time teaching positions in high-needs schools or repay their scholarship. More info

Principal Investigators

John Settlage, Suzanne Wilson

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$1,199,568 — National Science Foundation / Directorate for Education and Human Resources

Dates

10/1/2014 to 9/30/2020

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Academy

Description

This contract supports development, implementation, and coordination of the Massachusetts Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Academy, which provides training, coaching, technical assistance, and evaluation support to more than 130 of the state’s lowest performing (levels 3, 4, and 5) schools during their participation in the three-year PBIS academy. More info

Principal Investigators

Adam Feinberg, Brandi Simonsen-Gaines, Jennifer Freeman

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$3,942,453 — U.S. Department of Education / Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Dates

5/1/2014 to 6/30/2021

 

Psychometric Analysis and Research for Student Assessment in Connecticut II

Description

The purposes of the project are to (a) conduct psychometric and statistical research to determine the best procedures for assessing student performance, and (b) serve as a resource to the Connecticut Board of Education by providing technical advice on psychometric issues in state testing programs as requested by the Connecticut State Board of Education staff.

Principal Investigators

Hariharan Swaminathan, Jane Rogers

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funding$1,264,738 — Connecticut State Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2017 to 9/30/2020

 

Academic Year 2019-20

The Development of Ambitious Instruction in Elementary Mathematics and English Language Arts

Description This longitudinal, mixed-methods study seeks to identify how teacher education programs can best support beginning teachers' enactment of ambitious instruction in elementary mathematics and English language arts. The study draws on survey, interview and classroom observation data to investigate the influence of 175 beginning teachers' individual characteristics, teacher education learning opportunities, and school contexts on their instruction. 
Principal Investigator Dorothea Anagnostopoulos
Funding $204,120 — Spencer Foundation
Dates 10/1/2015 to 9/30/2019

Exploring What Works: A Systematic Study of the Effectiveness and Power of Gifted Programs

Description The funding supports a National Center for Research on Gifted Education (NCRGE) at the University of Connecticut to address issues of underrepresented populations in gifted programs. The Center examines the extent of gifted programming and student participation; identifying districts and schools that show high achievement growth rates among gifted students, including those from underserved groups; and exploring how these sites successfully identified, served, and retained students from underserved populations in gifted programs. NCRGE is also examining gifted students’ mathematics and reading/language arts achievement under different service options with a focus on underserved populations. More info
Principal Investigator(s) Del Siegle, E. Jean Gubbins, D. Betsy McCoach, Christopher Rhoads
Funding $5,765,710 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences
Dates 10/1/2014 to 9/30/2019

GlobalEd2: Refinement of Curricular Intervention, Goal 2 Design and Development

Description This study focuses on optimizing the student learning impact of the GlobalEd 2 (GE2) curriculum while reducing the duration and conferencing to make it more applicable across the academic year. More info
Principal Investigator Scott Brown
Funding $189,635 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences
Dates 7/1/2017 to 6/30/2020

National Center for Leadership in Intensive Interventions (NCLII)

Description The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII) is a consortium of universities including Vanderbilt, Southern Methodist University, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Minnesota, University of Texas at Austin, and Virginia Commonwealth University. NCLII prepares and fully funds special education Ph.D. students to become leaders and experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral difficulties. More info
Principal Investigator(s) Michael Coyne, Brandi Simonsen, Jennifer Freeman, Natalie Olinghouse, Devin Kearns
Funding $571,978 — U.S. Department of Education
Dates 7/1/2015 to 12/31/2019

Paths and Influences on Persistence and Choices in Education, Aspirations, and Careers of Jack Kent Cooke Scholars

Description More info on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Principal Investigator Sally Reis Renzulli
Funding $54,685 — Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Dates 9/1/2018 to 12/31/2019

Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders for High Need Infants and Children and their Families

Description This project will prepare eight scholars in an early childhood intervention doctoral program to be faculty in institutions of higher education. More info
Principal Investigator George Sugai
Funding $1,077,680 — U.S. Department of Education
Dates 1/1/2013 to 12/31/2019

Project SPARK

Description Project SPARK (Supporting and Promoting Advanced Readiness in Kids) focuses on early identification of high potential and intervention to promote achievement among students in grades K-2, particularly those students from groups traditionally underserved in gifted programs. Project SPARK follows the Young Scholars Model, an approach specifically designed to promote increased identification of these students and support for their potential in ways that will make them more ready for increasing levels of challenge across the grade levels. More info
Principal Investigator Catherine Little
Funding $2,500,784 — U.S. Department of Education
Dates 10/1/2014 to 9/30/2019

Teacher Professional Development for Embedding Computational Thinking in Mathematics and Science High School Classes

Description The project will partner researchers from the Neag School and the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science at Rutgers University to develop a comprehensive online professional development program for high school science and mathematics teachers. More info
Principal Investigator Suzanne Wilson, Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead
Funding $140,365 — National Science Foundation / Directorate for Education and Human Resources
Dates 6/15/2018 to 9/14/2019

Writing for English Language Learners (WELLs): Exploring Instruction and Outcomes

Description Project WELLs focuses on the English persuasive writing of Latino fourth-grade students who are, or were, identified as English learners (ELs), with Latino students who were never identified as ELs included as a reference group. The project’s specific aims are to: (a) describe the quality of writing instruction and quality of sheltered instruction among participating teachers; (b) explore both the global and academic-language-specific English persuasive writing outcomes of current EL and former EL students, and determine the extent to which academic language features predict global writing outcomes; and (c) investigate the relationship between quality of writing instruction and English persuasive writing outcomes, and the extent to which the relationship may be moderated by key student-level factors. More info
Principal Investigator Elizabeth Howard
Funding $90,823 — U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences
Dates 10/16/2016 to 8/31/2019