Description

The ICARE4Justice 2023 summit was funded by the American Educational Research Association and brought together scholars and practitioners from across the Caribbean, Brazil, the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Botswana. The purpose of the Global Summer Summit is to bring together a group of transnational critical scholar-practitioners to analyze, assess and design important considerations for establishing a global strategy and framework for advancing equity for racially and ethnically minoritized communities in education research, praxis and policy. The Summit has three aims: first, to connect researchers, policy makers, administrators and students who engage in transnational approaches to decolonization and anti-Blackness in higher education. Second, we aim to analyze, collate, and design innovative global strategies for advancing decolonization and dismantling anti-Blackness in higher education. Third, we aim to examine and advance research and transnational understandings of decolonization and anti-Blackness in higher education research, praxis, and policy. The summit will also result in several conference deliverables to support the development of research, policy, and praxis. The proposed deliverables include a conference report; participation in policy and public forums at national levels; symposia panels at globally recognized peer reviewed conferences; and a white paper framework outlining tenets and areas for further research.

Principal Investigator

Franklin Tuitt

Co-Principal Investigators

Milagros Castillo-Montoya, Saran Stewart

Departments

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by American Educational Research Association for $35,000

Dates

12/15/2022 to 12/31/2023

Principal Investigator

Saran Stewart

Departments

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by NSF; awarded by Florida State University for $109,173

Dates

9/1/2023 to 8/31/2024

Description

Brain Healthy will engage students from diverse backgrounds in citizen science investigations of their own brain health and wellness, which is particularly relevant given COVID-related increased concern about mental health and well-being.

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Co-Principal Investigators

Todd Campbell, Sandra Chafouleas, Noah Glaser, Eric Loken

Departments

Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Psychology

Funding

 $1,336,626 —Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Dates

8/5/2022 to 7/31/2027

Description

Across the U.S. Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA), many Veterans with Chronic Kidney Disease are identified too late to benefit from Comprehensive Patient Education (CPE); and even for those identified and under renal care, the availability of CPE is limited. This results in suboptimal pre-End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) care and preparation, and continued low Home Dialysis utilization. Thus, there is an urgent systemic need to provide CPE to all pre-ESRD (stage 4 and 5 CKD) Veterans and study its effectiveness prospectively within the VHA. We propose such a systemic strategy that meets the needs of the Veterans with advanced CKD for CPE and investigates its effects on high-impact outcomes for Veterans and health services, across a local Veterans Healthcare System (VHS). We will compare the impact of CPE (intervention), delivered either in-person or through telemedicine, with the usual care (control) enhanced by the provision of the self-learning CKD information among Veterans with advanced CKD across the North Florida/South Georgia VHS.

Principal Investigator

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo

Departments

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System for $21,450

Dates

8/1/2022 to 9/30/2023

Description

This project aims to serve the national need to increase the persistence of science and mathematics teachers in teaching careers, particularly in schools designated as high need. A distinctive feature of this project is its application of ecological theory to examine why science or math teachers in the state of Connecticut decide to remain in or to leave their teaching position. The project will also use innovative statistical analyses to identify factors from the individual classroom to the entire school system that affect the teachers’ decisions. The research will be based on data from local, state, and federal educational agencies, together with qualitative information collected within specific settings. This research has the potential to improve understandings and explanations of STEM teacher retention and loss. In addition, the statistical modeling approaches and associated analyses could be transferable for similar investigations in other settings.

Principal Investigator

John Settlage

Co-Principal Investigator

Robert Bagchi

Departments

Curriculum and Instruction, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Funding

Funded by NSF/EHR for $799,495

Dates

7/1/2020 to 6/30/2024

Description

Despite decades of research demonstrating that students benefit from integrated learning environments (Johnson, 2019; Mickelson, 2016; Wells et al., 2016), school districts have largely failed to create and sustain schools that are racially diverse schools. That failure has only been magnified as the U.S. school-aged population rapidly diversifies (NCES, 2022), making past enrollment and diversity plans insufficient for our multiracial realities. This project brings researchers and leaders in three multiracial school districts together in a research-practice partnership based on deliberative approaches for developing district diversity and enrollment plans. This project will use enrollment planning processes as a catalyst to (1) reconceptualize diversity and racial justice for a multiracial democracy; (2) address political problems at the heart of structural inequality; and (3) expand opportunities for multiracial publics to influence design of district enrollment policy. We situate our theory of action within a deliberative vision of American education that seeks reform not by establishing “the answer” to difficult questions, but by democratizing the development of solutions in a multiracial society (Guttman, 1990; Valadez, 2001).

Principal Investigator

Alexandra Freidus

Departments

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by Spencer Foundation; awarded by University of California, Irvine for $11,754

Dates

6/1/2023 to 5/31/2024

Description

Brain Healthy will engage students from diverse backgrounds in citizen science investigations of their own brain health and wellness, which is particularly relevant given COVID-related increased concern about mental health and well-being.

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Co-Principal Investigators

Todd Campbell, Sandra Chafouleas, Noah Glaser, Eric Loken

Departments

Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Psychology

Funding

 $1,336,626 —Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Dates

8/5/2022 to 7/31/2027

Description

This project focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of BrainWaves, a semester-long neuroscience high school course, where students learn to design and carry out original brain experiments using brainwave scanning equipment.

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Departments

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by NIH for $561,242

Dates

7/2/2020 to 7/31/2023

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

Description

This study will examine advanced course taking among high school students in Connecticut, with attention to changes in supply and demand following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work will begin with a thorough census to identify all relevant advanced course enrollments and the associated providers, from 2017 to present. We will summarize the longitudinal data by course, district, and student groups, allowing us to identify distinct patterns and profiles. Subgroup analyses will address groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We will conduct interviews and surveys with students, school counselors, district decision makers. We will also interview institutional providers of dual-enrollment classes to explore reasons for changes in supply in demand since the pandemic, and conduct a statewide survey of counselors.

Principal Investigator

Eric Loken

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ESSER; awarded by CSDE for $113,646

Dates

1/6/2023 to 9/30/2024

Description

This project aimed to understand the theories of action embedded in the ARP-ESSER proposals submitted by districts. The study had three goals: (1) identify the strategies proposed across districts for determined priority areas; (2) create a meta-theory of action per each priority area through an examination of the most frequently proposed strategies and outcomes; (3) conduct focus groups with district leaders and plan implementers to understand how these theories of action are implemented.

Principal Investigator

Jennie Weiner

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED; awarded by CSDE for $48,711

Dates

1/6/2023 to 6/30/2024

Description

 The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the socio-emotional wellbeing of students, teachers, administrators, and communities in deep and ongoing ways. Isolation, trauma, challenge, and loss defined much of 2020 and 2021 for many and has had broad and not yet fully understood impacts. The purpose of this mixed methods project is to explore these issues, with the overall aim to identify how districts are supporting equitable socio-emotional outcomes. This aim will be addressed through the following research questions: (1) What do districts report as planned socio-emotional supports?; (2) What do districts and schools report as the socio-emotional supports actually being delivered, for whom and under what conditions?; (3) How do districts and schools report that the pandemic generally, periods of isolation due to remote learning, and return to in-person schooling have influenced the socio-emotional wellbeing of students, teachers, and administrators?; (4) How are school district and building leaders supporting teachers and other school staff to promote equitable socio-emotional outcomes for students?; and (5) How do key groups perceive effectiveness of the supports being delivered?

Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Co-Principal Investigators

Latoya Haynes-Thoby, Lee Morgan, Michael Strambler

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ESSER; awarded by CSDE for $146,599

Dates

1/6/2023 to 12/31/2024

Description

 In response to disruptions brought about the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has distributed over $122 billion to states, districts, and schools. This unprecedented investment has served varied aims, including upgrading physical facilities and technological support for the nation’s schools, addressing learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic, and bolstering connections between families, communities, and schools. American Rescue Plan-Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ARP-ESSER) is the largest single injection of funds in schools in recent memory, but to date there is little systematic research on these investments at the district level. What have they targeted? Are there differences by district and school type? What are the implications for teaching and learning? For equity?

Principal Investigator

Morgaen Donaldson

Co-Principal Investigators

Samuel Kamin,  Alexandra Lamb

Department

Deans Office, Educational Leadership

Funding

 $250,000 — U.S. Department of Education, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund

Dates

1/6/2023 to 9/30/3024

Description

 This study will examine Connecticut public school educators’ perceptions regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, sources of strain and support in their current positions, and broad patterns of educator certification, shortage, and mobility across school districts in Connecticut. It will take a mixed methods approach, including surveys, interviews with teachers and administrators and quantitative analyses of certification, shortage, and turnover data.

Principal Investigator

Morgaen Donaldson

Co-Principal Investigator

Lisa Sanetti

Department

Deans Office, Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ESSER; awarded by CSDE for $152,540

Dates

1/6/2023 to 12/31/2024

Principal Investigator

Casey D. Cobb

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ESSER; awarded by CSDE for $80,629

Dates

5/23/2023 to 8/22/2024

Description

The CSDE Summer Enrichment (SE) program aims to support “high-quality and accessible summer enrichment opportunities to children across Connecticut.” This study uses mixed methods to assess students’ experiences in SE programming and its effects on their social, emotional, and behavioral well-being. Site visits to a representative sample of Innovation and Expansion sites will provide a rich understanding of various programming activities and include interviews with students, camp staff, and site directors. The study also will examine the relationship between program features, activities and policies and students’ well-being and satisfaction. End-of-program surveys will be administered to students in grades 3-12. A site supervisor survey will also be administered to all sites. Finally, student intake data collected by camps and sent to CSDE will be linked to CSDE student administrative data; statistical modeling of these data will be explored to examine the impact of camp participation on measures of student engagement in school.

Principal Investigator

Casey D. Cobb

Co-Principal Investigator

Dorothea Anagnostopoulos

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ESSER; awarded by CSDE $405,000

Dates

7/1/2021 to 1/5/2025

Description

The Connecticut COVID-19 Education Research Collaborative (CCERC) will bring together researchers from across Connecticut and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) to conceptualize and coordinate COVID-related research in K-12 education in the state. CSDE currently operates task forces on accelerating learning but there is no parallel research arm. CCERC will fill this void, coordinating the development and enactment of research on COVID related educational issues and ensuring strong connections between the research and Connecticut’s districts and schools.

Principal Investigator

Morgaen Donaldson

Department

Deans Office, Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ESSER; awarded by CSDE for $2,841,660 and $100,000 

Dates

7/1/2023 to 1/31/2027 and 7/1/2023 to 6/30/2024

Description

Creating and justifying mathematical claims is an essential learning goal and valued outcome of a mathematics education. To advance equitable learning outcomes, it is essential that teachers pursue this goal in ways that ensure every student has opportunities to develop and share justifications in their classrooms. The intended outcomes of this pilot study are: (1) practice-grounded, foundational knowledge about how students’ participation in mathematical justification can advance equity outcomes, and (2) an initial framework for design principles and teaching moves that engage students in mathematical justification to advance equity goals. To date, we collaborated with a team of Algebra II teachers at a CT high school to develop strategies for enhancing justification activity in secondary classrooms. We further engage them in bi-monthly meetings to discuss the role of justification in promoting equitable interactions and outcomes, as well as challenges in pursuing and achieving such goals.

Principal Investigator

Megan Staples

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

Funding

Funded by NSF for $174,378

Dates

7/15/2022 to 12/31/2024

Description

This project aims to serve pre-service science teachers and K-12 students nationally by positively impacting the ability of science teacher educators to support undergraduate pre-service science teachers in implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) through the construction and testing of an innovative unit planning tool. The tool will provide a research-based structure to the unit design process while also providing "just-in-time" resources for pre-service teachers as they learn to merge ambitious science instruction with curriculum design. These efforts are timely as national, state, and district leaders are rapidly identifying the robust demands placed on educators and learners by the new standards. This Level 1 Engaged Student Learning IUSE project employs design-based research. By preparing and disseminating the ongoing work and results of the project at state and national levels, this project intends to contribute to the ongoing nationwide effort to generate a concrete model of research-based strategies to support pre-service science teachers to engage all students in the practices of science through model-based inquiry that are well aligned with the NGSS and supportive of students' engagement in rich representations of science in classrooms.

Principal Investigator

Todd Campbell

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

Funding

$203,878 — National Science Foundation

Dates

10/1/2021 to 9/30/2025

Description

This project 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.

Principal Investigator

Allison Lombardi

Co-Principal Investigators

Hariharan Swaminathan, H. Jane Rogers, Jennifer Freeman

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED /IES, Special Education Research Grant for $1,398,298

Dates

7/1/2019 to 6/30/2024

Principal Investigator

Adam McCready

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by NACA for $1,250.

Dates

1/1/2024 to 12/31/2024

Description

The Connecticut COVID-19 Education Research Collaborative (CCERC) will bring together researchers from across Connecticut and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) to conceptualize and coordinate COVID-related research in K-12 education in the state. CSDE currently operates task forces on accelerating learning but there is no parallel research arm. CCERC will fill this void, coordinating the development and enactment of research on COVID related educational issues and ensuring strong connections between the research and Connecticut’s districts and schools.

Principal Investigator

Morgaen Donaldson

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

$3,000,000 - Connecticut State Department of Education, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, U.S. Department of Education

Dates

8/23/2021 to 9/30/2025

Description

UConn will design and support professional learning activities for K-3 reading instruction to support the implementation of the CSDE’s State Systemic Improvement Plan(SSIP). These professional learning activities shall include the implementation of the Connecticut Intensive Intervention Implementation Initiative (CONNi4) project to increase the reading performance of all 3rd grade students with disabilities statewide measured by Connecticut’s ELA Performance Index.

Principal Investigator

Devin Kearns

Co-Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED; awarded by CSDE for $2,629,145

Dates

10/1/2021 to 9/30/2025

Description

The goal of the Connecticut K-3 Literacy Initiative is to build state capacity to support schools and districts implement the systems and practices that are necessary to narrow the achievement gap in reading within a multi-tiered or RTI framework. CK3LI   includes a model that incorporates a school-wide reading improvement plan, a comprehensive literacy assessment system, high-quality classroom reading instruction (Tier 1), evidence-based supplemental intensive reading interventions (Tier 2 & 3), ongoing coaching, targeted professional development for teachers, and partnerships with parents. Through CK3LI, CBER has supported over 70 schools across 19 districts in CT.

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by CSDE for $7,853,758

Dates

11/30/2021 to 6/30/2025

Description

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing highly effective mathematics teacher leaders (MTLs) who can address the mathematics-specific instructional needs of the 33 high-needs and low-performing school districts in Connecticut, collectively dubbed the Alliance Districts. Alliance Districts serve over 40% of the state’s student population and most of its students of color, low-income students, and English learners. To support these districts, we will implement a 5-year mathematics leadership development program for MTLs, bolstered by, and to advance, the growing body of research on teacher leadership and its impact on supporting equitable outcomes in mathematics education. Participants will engage in workshops, a graduate certificate program, and a mathematics leadership academy. This program will augment the skills MTLs need to serve as mentors, coaches, and professional development providers for pre- and in-service mathematics teachers and enhance the state’s capacity to deliver ongoing mathematic teacher professional development.

Principal Investigator

Megan Staples

Co-Principal Investigators

Gladis Kersaint, Fabiana Cardetti, Jennifer Michalek

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

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

Dates

7/1/20121 to 6/30/2026

Description

The purpose of this 5-year cooperative agreement is to support schools and districts in using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model to protect and improve the health and well-being of school-age children and adolescents.

Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Co-Principal Investigator

Jessica Koslouski

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$2,028,508— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services

Dates

6/30/2023 to 6/29/2028

Description

This project relates to two contemporary concerns in the US: the devastation felt by racial and ethnic minoritized communities during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the challenges states face as they strategically navigate the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. These concerns necessitate a shift in the culture of science classrooms to align with the following findings from current research on learning. (a) Students are best motivated when they need to explain real world events and solve problems that are meaningful to them. (b) When students develop explanations of these real-world events or societal problems and are allowed to participate in creative ways, they can develop deep understandings of core science ideas similar to that of scientists and engineers. (c) Students need to develop a critical lens about what science is studied, how it is studied, and who is left out of what is studied to understand how science is impacted by issues of power and to engage in more just forms of participation. Realizing these cultural transformations in science classrooms will require teachers to develop professional identities that are justice-, student- and culture-centered. In COVID Connects Us, the project team investigates the challenges of learning how to support justice-centered ambitious science teaching (JuST). The project team will partner with networks of secondary science teachers as they first implement a common unit aimed at engaging youth in science and engineering practices in ways that are culturally-sustaining, focused on explanation-construction and intentionally anti-oppressive. The teachers will then use their shared experiences to revise future instruction in ways that are justice-centered and that engage students in the ways research suggests is important for their learning.

Principal Investigator

D. Todd Campbell

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by NSF; awarded by University of Rochester for $423,529

Dates

7/1/2021 to 6/30/2024

Description

This innovative student-teacher-scientists partnership program allows students to both participate and help design online citizen science experiments related to brain and behavior research.

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by NSF/EHR; awarded by New York University for $79,604

Dates

8/1/2020 to 7/31/2023

Description

This project invites a board of Girls of Color to engage a radical curatorial praxis in order to investigate how other Girls of Color use multimodal arts to critique school injustice and to envision the schooling they deserve and desire. This project will explore both how radical curatorial praxis can be leveraged as a community-engaged research method, while also co-creating knowledge alongside Girls of Color about their educational needs and theories of justice.

Principal Investigator

Grace D. Player

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

 $74,397- Spencer Foundation

Dates

1/1/2023 to 12/31/2024

Description

This project develops the Objective Awareness and Mindfulness Measure (OAMM) for teachers which will provide a much-needed tool to better understand how teacher mindfulness programming translates into beneficial teacher and student outcomes. For this project, we collect written introspective recall of classroom interactions from 432 teachers. Eight diverse contemplative experts with K-12 experience will score these interactions for evidence of mindfulness (e.g., present-focused orientation, empathy, nonjudgment, self-compassion). These expert scores will be used to train a computer to directly score future teacher recall of classroom interactions using machine learning, creating a new and efficient assessment of mindfulness.

Principal Investigator

Kylie Anglin

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by Mind and Life Institute/Yale University; $16,735

Dates

1/1/2023 to 12/31/2024

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Co-Principal Investigators

Craig Kennedy, Bernard Grela, Cristina Wilson

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED; awarded by UConn Health for $38,300

Dates

11/1/2022 to 10/31/2024

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Co-Principal Investigators

Craig Kennedy, Bernard Grela, Cristina Wilson

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED; awarded by UConn Health for $498,900

Dates

11/1/2019 to 10/31/2024

Description

Early childhood intervention (ECI) combines efforts across early childhood special education and early intervention services to refer to the field of services provided to children birth through age 5 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The newly funded Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Center for Equity (ECIPC-E) has five goals: (i) increase the capacity of institutions of higher education (IHEs) with early childhood intervention (ECI) preparation programs to develop, implement, and sustain a program of study centered within an equity framework that is aligned with national professional organization personnel standards, state personnel standards, and evidence-based practices; (ii) increase the capacity of States to revise and implement State personnel standards so that they are aligned to national professional organization personnel standards and define the knowledge, skills, competencies, and dispositions that early childhood intervention personnel need to deliver equitable interventions and services for young children with disabilities and their families; (iii) increase the capacity of IHEs at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels to attract, prepare, and graduate scholars from racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse backgrounds that will lead to an ECI workforce that is more diverse; (iv) increase the capacity of states to address personnel shortages by partnering with IHEs to develop an infrastructure and implement programs and incentives that attract, prepare, and graduate scholars from racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse backgrounds at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels and support them to enter and stay in the ECI profession; and, (v) increase the capacity of IHEs to recruit and retain faculty from racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse backgrounds to improve scholar engagement and retention in ECI preparation programs. The ECIPC-E is the first center the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has funded where racial, ethnic, and linguistic equity are a priority.

The external evaluation design is mixed methods and uses a combination of thematic analysis design, survey research, and most significant change case studies to answer key evaluation questions. Data analysis methods include descriptive statistics, construct validity assessment, inferential statistics, qualitative analysis, systems mapping, and ripple effect mapping. Aligned with the Center’s focus on equity, each of these analyses will be done with an equity-lens (e.g., We All Count Data Equity framework, QuantCrit, QualCrit).

Principal Investigator

Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$394,074— U.S. Department of Education

Dates

9/1/2022 to 8/31/2027

Description

This project involves conducting a research synthesis of contemporary innovations in early childhood science, technology, and engineering education.

Principal Investigator

Kathleen Lynch

Co-Principal Investigator

John Settlage

Department

Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$598,586  — National Science Foundation

Dates

7/15/2022 to 6/30/2025

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-

Description

The purpose of this project is to conduct an efficacy trial of the Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered (Ci3T) model of prevention for elementary schools. In addition, the research team will further develop systems-level professional learning modules necessary for moving the Ci3T model to scale.

Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by IES; awarded by University of Kansas for $572,850

Dates

7/1/2019 to 6/30/2024

Description

This grant is for an external evaluation regarding NEtworkED's continuous improvement model in Northeast Ohio and is meant to build capacity across the system (i.e., human, material, organizational and structural) and will include both formative and summative data.

Principal Investigator

Jennie Weiner

Co-Principal Investigator

Alexander Freidus

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

$358,150 — U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2021 to 9/30/2024

Description

Career Readiness, Self-Determination, and Transition Planning among Adolescents with Disabilities. 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). Although CCR is identified as a necessary outcome of secondary special education and transition, is not well defined for adolescents with disabilities. The research team will explore the interrelationships with previously established constructs of self-determination and transition planning, as well as school counselor supports, to confirm a proposed conceptual framework of CCR for students. The project will also help determine how these relationships differ by disability status and category, race/ethnicity, and economic hardship. The ultimate goal is for the CCR framework to promote successful transition from adult life for diverse secondary students with disabilities and have meaningful implications for practitioners, researchers, district and state administrators, and students and their families.

Principal Investigator

Allison Lombardi

Co-Principal Investigator

Eric Loken

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/IES for $817,548

Dates

7/1/2021 to 6/30/2024

Description

The project will engage high school biology students in rich data practices by gathering, manipulating, analyzing, simulating, and visualizing data of bioelectrical signals from neural sensors, and in so doing give the students opportunities to apply computational thinking principles. The project will produce curriculum materials for the neural sensors and associated data practices. It will develop an app to help students design and construct a brain-computer interface (BCI), including computational elements like coding blocks, sensor and data simulation, and connecting to external devices.

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

8/1/2021 – 8/31/2025

Description

The purpose of the project is to provide graduate fellowships with the aim to increase the number of highly skilled school psychologists who can foster equitable and effective school environments through coordination of services across learning and health domains.

Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Co-Principal Investigators

Lisa Sanetti, Jacqueline Caemmerer

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED for $763,455

Dates

10/1/2022 to 9/30/2025

Description

The Connecticut State Department of Education G4EPP Grant is a $2 million grant for two years ($1 million disbursed each year, July 1-June 30) for Connecticut educator preparation programs. The grant award was based on current teacher education program enrollment. The purpose of the grant was to defray costs of certification for teacher candidates (including edTPA, licensure tests, fingerprinting/background checks). The Neag School of Education received $74,634 for the first year of the grant, which was used for edTPA (a performance assessment that all teacher candidates submit during the student teaching semester -$300 fee) and Foundations of Reading (a required test for elementary and special education teacher candidates - $139 test fee) fees.

Principal Investigator

Ann Traynor

Department

Dean's Office

Funding

Funded by CSDE for $152,544

Dates

7/1/2022 to 9/30/2024

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

Description

This grant provides funding for personnel, materials/supplies,and travel to support physical activity and nutrition programming for North Hartford youth who are eligible for SNAP benefits.

Principal Investigator

Jennifer McGarry

Co-Principal Investigators

Justin Evanovich

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by USDA/Food and Nutrition Service; awarded by CTDSS for $4,347,105

Dates

10/1/2021 to 9/30/2024

Description

The major goals of this project are to address the improvement of mathematics teaching in grades 4-7 and to study how the knowledge and skills teachers acquire by analyzing video segments of classroom teaching translate into more conceptually oriented teaching and, in turn, into increased student learning, in particular students’ mathematics learning. Additionally, we hope to help Professional Development providers anticipate obstacles teachers are likely to face so they can build supports into their programs that help teachers surmount these obstacles.

Principal Investigator

Zachary Collier

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by NSF; awarded by University of Delaware for $18,238

Dates

9/1/2023 to 8/31/2025

Description

The Alliance of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and Intersectionality for Inclusion, Networking, and Transition Opportunities in STEM (TAPDINTO-STEM) consisting of colleges and universities, organizations, and government and corporate partners. Colleges and universities are grouped into 6 hubs. Under the leadership of PI Allison Lombardi, UConn is part of the Northeast Hub led by Ohio State University.

Principal Investigator

Allison Lombardi

Co-Principal Investigator

Erin Scanlon

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by NSF; awarded by Ohio State University for $105,352

Dates

9/1/2022 to 7/31/2024

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

Description

One year grant for the planning of full activities for the International Technical Assistance Center for Research Informed Best Practices in Higher Education and Disability. Activities include conducting an international needs assessment of researchers and practitioners in higher education and disability, the submission of two research based articles for publication, the convening of an advisory committee at the 2024 Postsecondary Disability Training Institute, and the development of a full grant for 5-years of activities.

Principal Investigator

Joseph Madaus

Co-Principal Investigator

Nicholas Gelbar

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by MOH Foundation for $334,071

Dates

4/1/2024 to 3/21/2025

Description

The assumption that online courses enable non-traditional students with work and family responsibilities to enroll in more courses has never been rigorously tested. This project is: 1) exploring the relationship between online course availability and STEM persistence, with a focus on "non- traditional" students; 2) exploring the role of student time poverty (i.e. quantity and quality of time available for college) in mediating these patterns; and 3) exploring scarcity of alternate course sections as a potential moderating variable in explaining these patterns.The project is collecting data on 22,000 City University of New York (CUNY) students. CUNY's student population mirrors the groups traditionally under-represented in STEM: largely non-white, female, and low income, as well as a large proportion who are non-native English speakers and first-generation college students.

Principal Investigator

Christopher Rhoads

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

 $164,417- National Science Foundation

Dates

10/1/2019 to 9/30/2024

Description

This project 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.

Principal Investigator

Catherine Little

Co-Principal Investigators

Rebecca Eckert, Christopher Rhoads

Department

Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED for $2,406,770

Dates

10/1/2017 to 9/30/2023

Description

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) is actively scaling up the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) throughout districts and schools within the state through a 5-year State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG). As a result, leadership, training, and coaching support are needed. Karen Robbie played an integral role in the MDOE's PBIS program prior to joining UConn and continued to provide consultation support after joining UConn. Once SPDG funds became available, Karen entered a contract for .5 FTE to serve as a state leadership team member, trainer, and coach with the MDOE's PBIS project. The project aims to build sustainable implementation support systems and increase the number of schools/districts implementing PBIS within the state.

Principal Investigator

Karen Robbie

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

 $384,714 — U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2022 to 9/30/2026

Description

As the MTSS the goal of the I-MTSS Network Lead is to (a) move the field forward with regard to implementation of integrated MTSS approaches and (b) improve outcomes for all students, especially students with and at-risk for disabilities, in our nation’s schools. The I-MTSS Network Lead coordinates activities across the network and its four research teams and ensures that the overall impact of the Research Network is greater than the sum of its parts. To develop a strong and cohesive network among distinct research teams nationwide, the I-MTSS Network Lead engages in network administration and coordination including leading the development of a shared vision of integrated MTSS, supporting aligned and complementary methodological and assessment approaches, and mentoring early career researchers. The I-MTSS Network Lead also coordinates the communication and dissemination of network findings.

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Co-Principal Investigators

Brandi Simonsen, George Sugai

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/IES for $1,499,572

Dates

7/1/2019 to 6/30/2025

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 ofTexas at Austin, and Virginia Commonwealth University. NCLII prepares and fully funds special education PhD students to become leaders and experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severeacademic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral difficulties.

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Co-Principal Investigators

Brandi Simonsen, Jennifer Freeman, Devin Kearns

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED; awarded by Vanderbilt for $1,071,573

Dates

11/1/2019 to 10/31/2024

Description

The purpose of the Center on PBIS is 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.

Principal Investigator

Brandi Simonsen-Gaines

Co-Principal Investigators

Jennifer Freeman, Susannah Everett

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by DOE/OSEP & OESE; awarded by University of Oregon for $4,424,903

Dates

10/15/2018 to 9/30/2023

Principal Investigator

Brandi Simonsen-Gaines

Co-Principal Investigators

Jennifer Freeman, Susannah Everett

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED; awarded by University of Oregon for $3,32,500

Dates

10/1/2023 to 9/30/2028

Description

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

Description

The funding supports a National Center for Research on Gifted Education at the University of Connecticut to address issues of under representative 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 students 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.

Principal Investigator

Del Siegle

Co-Principal Investigators

D. Betsy McCoach,  E. Jean Gubbins, Christopher Rhoads, Catherine Little

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$5,000,000 — Institute of Education Sciences

Dates

9/1/2020 to 8/31/2025

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

Description

The goal of I-MTSS Research Team is to rigorously evaluate the impact of integrated behavior and reading practices in kindergarten through Grade 2 within a comprehensive, multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework. The I-MTSS Research Team will examine the impacts of integrating reading and behavior support at Tiers 1, 2 and 3 of an MTSS framework on students' reading and behavior outcomes as well as teachers' practice. This I-MTSS Research Team involves a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of integrated tier 1 classroom instruction; a regression discontinuity study to evaluate the impact of integrated tier 2 supplemental intervention; and a series of single case design studies to evaluate the impact of individualized integrated Tier 3 behavior and reading intervention on students’ behavior and reading outcomes. The project will also examine whether there are school, teacher/classroom, or student factors that moderate outcomes. Finally, the I-MTSS Research Team will support schools and districts build their capacity to implement integrated school-wide MTSS leadership team trainings, professional development, and coaching.

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Co-Principal Investigators

Brandi Simonsen, D. Betsy McCoach, Jennifer Freeman, Devin Kearns

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/IES for $3,999,589

Dates

6/17/2019 to 6/30/2024

Description

Computer-based intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) provide students with a personalized learning experience that is tailored to their prior knowledge and learning progression. ITSs have been shown to support student learning and are implemented widely in classrooms, but not all students engage effectively with ITSs, leading to varying learning outcomes. Prior research primarily relied on data that is automatically collected by tutors (e.g., How many errors a student makes, how fast students answer a question posed by the tutor), but this data cannot provide sufficiently detailed information about learner engagement. For example, students might be slow in responding to a question either because they are distracted or because they are thinking deeply about the problem. In this proposed project, log-data will be complemented with an array of physiological measures, consisting of eye gaze, Electroencephalography (EEG), and heart rate, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of when and why students get disengaged with ITSs. Neurophysiological data is typically acquired in controlled laboratory environments, but this project will leverage recent technological developments in portable and wearable technologies to study student engagement with ITS in school environments. Additionally, the investigators will experimentally manipulate the level of tutor assistance (e.g., whether hints are provided automatically or on-demand) and measure its impact on student engagement. The proposed studies will be conducted concurrently in two countries - the U.S. and Israel which will contribute to the ability to generalize results to a wider range of students. The results of this project will support the design of more engaging and effective tutors, which could improve the learning experience of tens of thousands of students each year.

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$849,999— National Science Foundation

Dates

8/1/2022 to 7/31/2026

Principal Investigator

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by NSF; awarded by Texas University for $338,483

Dates

8/1/2023 to 7/31/2028

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

Principal Investogator

Devin Kearns

Co-Principal Investigators

Allison Lombardi, Michael Coyne, Jennifer Freeman

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED; awarded by Boston University for $1,249,257

Dates

11/1/2019 to 10/31/2024

Description

This project examines the impact of a responsive parenting intervention. Parents of newborns were trained to manage feeding and sleep patterns. BMI growth rates from birth to three years showed a difference between the intervention and control groups. The project has been extended to follow the children into middle childhood, and also to study the growth rates of younger siblings.

Principal Investigator

Eric Loken

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by NIH; awarded by Penn State University for $145,757

Dates

6/1/2018 to 3/31/2024

Description

Using the pedagogy of advanced instructional practices in general education classrooms, the researchers are developing a collaborative push-in model designed to effectively meet the needs of mathematically advanced elementary students in the general education classroom and help them reach their full potential. The program is designed to increase the identification of gifted students from underrepresented/underserved groups; to increase the math achievement of gifted students from underrepresented/underserved groups; to develop talents of high achieving students not identified as gifted; and to improve student motivation and attitudes toward school and math.

Principal Investigators and Co-Principal Investigators

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

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for $3,378,230

Dates

10/1/2019 to 9/30/2024

Description

English learners (ELs) are among the most underidentified of underserved populations, while being the fastest growing population. Static assessment measures (e.g., IQ and achievement tests) have not been effective in identifying the broad range of gifts evident across diverse populations, including ELs. Project EAGLE addresses this problem by refining and validating a dynamic identification approach that involves teachers reviewing a list of characteristics that mathematically talented students in Grades 3 and 4 exhibit while they interact with and observe the students engaging in problem-based activities.

Principal Investigator

Del Siegle

Co-Principal Investigators

D. Betsy McCoach, Susan Langley

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for $2,963,958

Dates

(9/1/2023 to 8/31/2025)

Description

The purpose of the project is for researchers to develop and establish initial psychometric evidence for a school-based screening instrument designed to assess both child- and environmentally-focused indicators: the Comprehensive and Contextual Child Screener in Schools (C3SS). Screening assessments serve as a primary data driver in multi-tiered systems of support as data are provided to efficiently and effectively deliver information needed to direct supports. Psychometrically-sound screening assessments for social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) domains have proliferated over the past two decades; however, the promise of these screeners has yet to be fully realized for multiple reasons. First, uptake of SEB screeners has not been widespread, with resource demands and capacity for data use as primary barriers. Second, although the rise in available SEB screening tools is promising, concerns about the narrow focus and potential rater bias of these screeners have been raised. That is, the vast majority of SEB screening tools are comprised of items that reinforce a child deficit view. A within-child perspective that does not also attend to contextual factors is problematic for many reasons, particularly with regard to its potential contribution to reinforcing bias and ultimately disproportionality. Equitable SEB screening must incorporate data collection that can efficiently screen across multiple independent risk factors and data use that incorporates contextually relevant information and addresses personal biases. In sum, SEB screening assessments offer critical information within integrated multi-tiered systems of support, but current iterations are inadequate at providing contextualized information about the whole child.

Principal Investigator

Sandra M. Chafouleas

Co-Principal Investigator

Jacqueline Caemmerer

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

 $1,924,244  — U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences

Dates

7/1/2022 to 6/30/2026

Description

Project Focus uses professional learning to increase access to advanced learning for all and to assist schools in providing services for gifted learners, particularly those from traditionally underserved groups. The project builds on previous work in gifted education and professional learning to (a) increase teacher awareness of behaviors that may indicate high potential, particularly in traditionally underserved populations; (b) equip teachers with resources and strategies for supporting higher-level thinking; (c) develop new information about the linguistic features that characterize high-quality questioning and discussion; and (d) disseminate findings to support use of evidence-supported approaches.

Principal Investigator

Catherine Little

Co-Principal Investigator

Kylie Anglin

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for $3,446,835

Dates

10/1/2023 to 9/30/2028

Description

Project NeXus II is a five year doctoral leadership grant funded by the U.S.ED’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to the Neag School’s Special Education program for a project that will fully fund five doctoral students in the areas of literacy, positive behavioral supports, and transition, with four-year competitive fellowships for each student. The project, titled Project NeXus II, seeks to “serve as a means of connection between the most promising future scholars and the field of special education.”

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Co-Principal Investigators

Brandi Simonsen-Gaines, Allison Lombardi, Joseph Madaus

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED for $1,127,452

Dates

10/1/2017 to 9/30/2024

Description

 Project I3-PREP will develop, implement, and evaluate an interdisciplinary master's level program of study to increase the number of master's trained special educators and school psychologists trained to provide integrated, high-intensity services. The 2-year program will result in supporting 10 graduate students through the successful completion of a master's degree in educational psychology at the University of Connecticut. Students will complete individual sub-field credit requirements in either special education or school psychology while additionally completing joint coursework and related experiences to develop interdisciplinary competencies focused on integrated and intensive practices that successfully meet the complex needs of school-age children with disabilities who have high-intensity needs. Project I3-PREP will increase the number of highly-skilled specialized personnel with capacity to deliver evidence-based integrated services for school-age children with disabilities who have high-intensity needs.

Principal Investigator

Lisa Sanetti

Co-Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,051,645 — U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Dates

10/1/2020 to 9/30/2025

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

Co-Principal Investigators

Melissa Collier-Meek, Nedim Yel

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

Description

Project Twice Exceptional With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Project 2e-ASD) focuses on academically talented students with autism who are traditionally underserved in gifted and advanced academic programs. This grant is examining how to identify and teach academically talented students who are on the autism spectrum. We are focusing on the academic and learning strategies, personal skills, and enrichment strategies that can be used by teachers and students themselves as they learn to achieve academic success.

Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigators

Sally Reis, Joseph Madaus, Nicolas Gelbar,  Susan Baum

Department

Educational Psychology, Comm Med and Health Care

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for $2,587,924

Dates

10/1/2019 to 9/30/2024

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Department

Educational; psychology

Funding

Funded by NSF for $16,000

Dates

2/1/2023 to 1/31/2024

Principal Investigator

Ido Davidesco

Department

Educational; psychology

Funding

Funded by NSF for $16,000

Dates

2/1/2023 to 1/31/2025

Description

The purpose of the project is to provide graduate fellowships with the aim to increase the number of highly skilled school psychologists who can foster equitable and effective school environments through coordination of services across learning and health domains.

Principal Investigator

Sandra Chafouleas

Co-Principal Investigators

Melissa Bray, Lisa Sanetti, Jacqueline Caemmerer

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

 $763,455 — U.S. Department of Education

Dates

10/1/2022 to 9/30/2025

Description

The Inclusive Environments and Metrics in Biology Education and Research (iEMBER) Network aims to improve the inclusion and retention of students in STEM fields. iEMBER aims to create a framework that will provide opportunities for researchers from different fields including biology, education, and the social sciences to work together. This is done through networking workshops, conferences, and the development of community resources and an online collaboration platform. As a part of their work, the network's research teams will examine educational environments to determine how they impact inclusion and retention. The goals of the network include creating a robust community of practice and hubs of research innovation and finding partners who share our vision of expanding the reach of diverse and effective STEM environments. Members of the network will use these resources to develop new knowledge, theories, and practices around issues of inclusion in STEM that would not have been possible without them. Furthermore, iEMBER will promote the training of a new generation of researchers that has the broad expertise needed to continue to tackle problems in STEM Education.

Principal Investigator

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by NSF; awarded by Harris Stowe State University for $46,026

Dates

9/1/2019 to 8/31/2024

Description

The Equity-Based Teaching Collective (EBTC), composed of faculty from American University, Florida International University, and the University of Connecticut, is developing a policy playbook for broad-scale change of teaching in higher education. Specifically, the policy playbook will support organizational change to improve the use of equity-based teaching practices for Black, Latinx, Indigenous students, and those from low-income backgrounds (BILLI) in highest-enrolling gateway courses. As part of this collective, UConn has supported various aspects of the project and led the development of framework for equity-based teaching and a systematic review of higher education literature focused on organizational levers and stakeholders for supporting equity-based teaching.

Principal Investigator

Milagros Castillo-Montoya

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; awarded by American University for $282,724

Dates

9/1/2022 to 10/31/2024

Description

This research project has four major goals: 1) improve the equitable bilingualism and biliteracy attainment of all DL students through a greater focus on SCC, 2) improve the measurement of SCC, 3) fostering SCC among dual language students, and 4) enhance dual language teachers’ professional competence related to SCC-focused language and literacy instruction. Using a mixed methods research design that incorporates qualitative thematic analysis and multiple regression, the researchers will collect and analyze data from PLC activities and student outcomes. Project findings will be disseminated to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers through conference presentations and publications.

Principal Investigator

Elizabeth Howard

Co-Principal Investigator

Manuela Wagner

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED, Office of Postsecondary Education, International and Foreign Language Education for $179,690

Dates

10/1/2020 to 9/30/2023

Description

Clinicians often analyze children’s performance on intelligence and achievement tests together, along with other assessments, to better understand children’s learning. Theory and research evidence suggest children’s broad cognitive abilities may differentially influence their academic domains. Evidence for cognitive-achievement relations is typically based on the examination of a single intelligence test with a single achievement test and the studies predominantly analyze the Woodcock Johnson tests. These single test cognitive-achievement findings are narrowly focused, and some findings are inconsistent across different tests. These inconsistencies are problematic because it is unclear which cognitive-achievement relations transcend tests. In practice, clinicians assess children with a variety of tests, thus generalizable cognitive-achievement relations could better inform their practice. In this study six popular intelligence tests and three popular achievement tests were included in cross-battery cognitive-achievement structural equation models. Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory will guide the analyses. General intelligence and six CHC broad abilities will be used to predict children’s basic reading skills. Then, children’s basic reading skills will be used to predict their broad writing skills. Developmental differences in the cognitive-achievement relations will also be tested.

Principal Investigator

Jacqueline Caemmerer

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by Texas Woman's University for $15,000

Dates

5/15/2023 to 1/31/2025

Description

. This contract funded by the State Departments of Education supports professional development and coaching for teachers and administrators in schools across Connecticut on effective reading instruction and leadership to support all students.

Principal Investigator

Michael Coyne

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/ESSER; awarded by CSDE for $495,400

Dates

8/1/2023 to 6/28/2024

Description

The purposes of this conference are to organize scholarly work about equity in science education and to broaden the set of scholars in science education who have equity as a focus. Equity has become a niche focus for many science education scholars, but the idea that science education should reach all students should be fundamental to all high quality teaching and learning. Scholars have documented policies and strategies that expand the diversity of individuals engaging in science. In turn, practitioners have incorporated these advances into science classroom practice. Better science learning opportunities can occur without diminishing expectations. However, many important projects are only known to local participants and a few outsiders. The conference will gather these scattered materials into a centralized collection. Producing consensus documents about equity-centered science education will provide a common body of knowledge. Having these shared referents will help to consolidate and coordinate research activity. Such documents will also have value for science education stakeholders engaged in professional development, policy enactments, and instructional reforms. The second purpose of this project is to plan for sustaining these efforts beyond the time of the conference. Because of current societal and educational dynamics, it is important to be strategic and planful about subsequent and synchronized ventures within an ongoing campaign for equity centered science education.

Principal Investigator

John Settlage

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by NSF/EHR for $99,746

Dates

8/1/2020 to 7/31/2023

Description

The purpose of the study is to examine and explore how social media and technology use affect the mental health of public school students in Connecticut. In addition, we are investigating the policies implemented within school districts to address students’ social media and technology use, and exploring stakeholders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of these policies. We aim to use our findings to provide the State of Connecticut with recommendations for policy and practice.

Principal Investigator

Adam McCready

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by CT/OPM for $500,000

Dates

7/1/2022 to 6/30/2024

Description

The external evaluation design is mixed methods and uses a combination of thematic analysis design, survey research, and most significant change case studies to answer key evaluation questions. Data analysis methods include descriptive statistics, construct validity assessment, inferential statistics, qualitative analysis, systems mapping, and ripple effect mapping. Aligned with the Center’s focus on equity, each of these analyses will be done with an equity-lens (e.g., We All Count Data Equity framework, QuantCrit, QualCrit).

Principal Investigator

Grace Player

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; awarded by University of New Hampshire for $3,000

Dates

11/1/2022 to 7/31/2023

Description

The Sueños Scholars Program, through UConn Stamford and the Neag School of Education’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates, prepares underrepresented students for careers as educators. It provides community-based internship experiences in partner Alliance districts, specifically those with teacher shortages in the key areas of special education and other secondary content areas, to undergraduate and graduate students.

Principal Investigator

Katie Nagrotsky

Co-Principal Investigators

Tracy Sinclair, Alyssa Hadley Dunn, Jason Irizarry, Laura Tropp, Jennifer Orlikoff

Departments

UConn Stamford; Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by United States Department of Education; $2,812,638.00

Dates

10/1/2024 to 10/1/2029

Description

This project will develop and evaluate an intervention package that will augment school-based activities in order to better prepare students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral problems for college and/or career.

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Freeman

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/IES; awarded by Lehigh University for $497,173

Dates

9/1/2020 to 8/31/2024

Description

The goal is to enhance existing academic and social practices to produce a more robust framework that also addresses bias and discrimination in STEM disciplines to widen pathways for persons with disabilities. Programs will include the following interventions: mentoring, internships, research experiences in STEM, social science research, conferences, graduate fairs, professional development, capacity building institutes, consulting, advocacy student organizations, evaluation, and high school academic enrichment activities.

Principal Investigator

Allison Lombardi

Co-Principal Investigator

Tracy Sinclair

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by U.S.ED/IES; awarded by University of Oklahoma for $399,715

Dates

8/1/2021 – 7/31/2025

Description

The BOLD Women’s Leadership Network is a pioneering program cultivating courageous leadership in young women during the college years and beyond. BOLD focuses on facilitating opportunities for women’s career development and networking through scholarship funding, programming, and post- graduation fellowships. Ultimately, the program will empower young college women to become leaders in their life and careers after college. The BOLD Network was launched at various institutions of higher education led by women presidents who have demonstrated their commitment to collaboration, innovation, diversity, and inclusion: California State University, Fullerton; Ithaca College; Middlebury College; Smith College; and Rutgers University—Newark. The University of Connecticut, The College of Saint Rose, and Colby-Sawyer College joined BOLD in 2018. Dr. Sally Reis is the UConn lead for the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network.

Principal Investigator

Sally Reis

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$1,725,000 -Helen Gurley Brown Fund, Hearst Foundation

Dates

7/1/2022 to 6/30/2026

Description

This project follows engineering graduate students, professors, and those in industry to learn about their experiences when it comes to the climate they face in engineering and the factors that relate to their persistence. The project revisits approximately 2,100 participants from 11 universities who were enrolled in their first year in an engineering degree program in 2014. We follow the large cohort again using two more surveys, and also conduct interviews this time expanded to a total of 120 interviewees. Altogether, the new project expands the dataset into what will become a 12-year longitudinal project that began with students reflecting on their last year of high school to then following them into their first few years of graduate school or engineering occupations. Further, the new project introduces added dimensions of identity measures (beyond binary gender as well as sexuality) to further capture how diversity is likely subsequently tied to climate and persistence. Using Ego Network Analysis, Logistic Regression, and Reflective Thematic Analysis, findings from this work can show how institutional climate intersects with cultural models and social networks to impact persistence in ways that likely vary for engineers with a range of identities, including those of race/ethnicity, binary gender, gender diverse, and sexuality.

Principal Investigator

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by NSF/EHR for $911,180

Dates

9/1/2023 to 8/31/2025

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-

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.

Principal Investigator

E. Jean Gubbins

Co-Principal Investigators

Tutita Casa, Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead

Department

Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

Funded by ED/Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for $2,500,000

Dates

10/1/2017 to 9/30/2023

Description

The Total Teach Health (TTH) research project is a large and multi-phase research and intervention study focusing on the well-being of teachers in the pubic eduation system. There are more that 3.5 teachers in the U.S., and U.S. teachers are at high risk of stress, depression, and anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced even greater stressors for teachers as essential workers. The overall objective of our project is to generate actionable knowledge and tools, developing a process that school districts can use to promote and protect the well-being of their teachers.

Principal Investigator

Lisa Sanetti

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

$514,276 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Dates

9/1/2021 to 8/31/2026

Description

In-depth case studies of the parents of academically talented college students with autism spectrum disorder will be conducted.  Personal, familial factors and educational practices that led to success in high school and college will be identified. An extensive literature review will be conducted, electronic resources will be developed and shared with students, families, and secondary schools regarding strategies to prepare for success in college.

Principal Investigator

Joseph Madaus

Department

Educational Psychology

Funding

Funded by Neag Foundation for $90,000

Dates

5/1/2020 to 4/30/2024

Description

The CSDE Regional School Choice Office contracted with us to conduct a mixed method study of transportation issues associated with RSCO school choice programs. Methods of data collection include interviewing 40-50 parents to ask about their experiences with RSCO transportation and whether and to what extent transportation has affected their decision making with regard to participation in choice programs. We will also a survey to a larger sample of parents. We will also conduct a quantitative analysis of the administrative data relating to RSCO transportation for the years 2017-2022. We will generate a summary report of findings for submission to the CSDE by April 1, 2023. The report shall provide details regarding the study methodology; patterns, trends and correlations in demographic data relative to decision making related to transportation experiences; survey results and analyses; and conclusions. We will include in the summary report such other additional statistical and analytical evaluations required to assess patterns, trends, correlations and other conclusions relative to the impact of transportation programs on school choice participation.

Principal Investigator

Casey Cobb

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by CSDE for $100,000

Dates

10/25/2022 to 12/31/2023

Description

The study adopts an approach of ethnographic site observation in order to gain insight on how the tensions and “frictions” in the “contact zone” are manifested in the professional sport organizational site of the Connecticut Sun. In order to better understand the culture of a particular setting, this study adopts site observation as a method. The principal investigator plans to attend the Connecticut Sun’s games hosted at the Mohegan Sun Arena to take notes about the operation of the arena pre-game, during the game, and after game. The period is from September 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, which includes parts of two different WNBA seasons (2023- 2024).

Principal Investigator

Chen Chen

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by North American Society for Sport Management for $1,430

Dates

8/1/2023 to 7/31/2024

Description

All humans grieve. Strikingly though, most bereavement science and grief research offer race, gender, and socioeconomic class “neutral” grief experiences and resources. In other words, grief research lacks much-needed race, gender, and class specific analysis and resources. Also, university bereavement policies and practices are severely detached from the daily and long-term realities of grief—for all people. This 4-phase sequential mixed-methods national study was designed to investigate and center the experiences of grieving tenure-track Black women faculty who often experience amplified “intersectional impacts” of racism, sexism, classism, and occupational vulnerability (rank) in addition to their grief. At the request of grieving Black women faculty across the ranks (assistant, associate, full, and administrators) in higher education, within the first few months of this 3- year project, this work has expanded to include Black women faculty across the ranks. Creating space for grief among Black women faculty in higher education directly benefits Black women faculty. At the same time, this study also expects to create shifts in grief research, policies, and practices for all faculty.

Principal Investigator

Sakeena Everett

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Funding

$74,999 - Spencer Foundation 

Dates

7/1/2022 to 8/31/2025

Description

The KickStarter (KS) program was originally developed to aid cross-functional, cross-disciplinary STEM teams at Hispanic Serving Community Colleges in receiving NSF funding to accelerate Latinx student success in STEM through planning, concept development, proposal preparation and submission. The framework was updated (KickStarter 2.0 or KS2) to include a variety of interventions used in the original KS framework integrated with a STEM Evidence-based Student Serving (STEM-ESS) assessment and evidence-based practices. Previous iterations of this program pointed to the building of a Community of Practice (CoP) as an unanticipated and unstudied, yet promising element of the KS program leading to institutional transformation. The goal of this study is to examine how CoPs on STEM teaching and learning transform the institution and signal intentionality to improve outcomes for Latinx STEM students across 2-yr HSIs.

Principal Investigator

Milagros Castillo-Montoya

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

 $267,822, National Science Foundation 

Dates

5/1/2022 to 4/30/2026

Principal Investigator

Casey Cobb

Co-Principal Investigator

Richard Gonzales

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by Wallace Foundation/Winston-Salem School District – ASU; awarded by Appalachian State University for $100,000

Dates

9/1/2021 to 6/30/2024

Description

The Wallace Foundation is funding eight school districts from across the country to help develop principal pipelines for equity-centered leaders. Each district is partnered with one or more university leadership preparation programs. The universities each work with a “partner provider” that has successfully redesigned its program to be responsive to the on-the-job realities of the principal’s job and the needs of the district. UCONN was selected as one of nine university partner providers and will assist the University of North Carolina Greensboro in their quest to develop aspiring building leaders for the Winston-Salem School District.

Principal Investigator

Casey Cobb

Co-Principal Investigator

Richard Gonzales

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by Wallace Foundation /Winston-Salem School District/UNCG; awarded by University of North Carolina Greensboro for $99,979

Dates

9/22/2021 to 6/30/2024

Description

This project closely examines the implications of young people’s efforts to interpret, negotiate, and interrupt racialized inequality within diverse learning environments. I will collect and analyze longitudinal data with youth activists for school integration to examine how these movements might expand or foreclose struggles for educational justice. This study will build on a previous ethnographic study of Teens Take Charge, a racially, socioeconomically, and academically diverse group of high school students organizing for school integration in New York City. I will conduct follow-up interviews and focus groups to explore participants’ evolving identities as activists and students, as well as their current perceptions of diversity, segregation, and integration. I will then merge these data with previously collected field observations and interviews, allowing for a longitudinal analysis. My analysis will approach young people as actors, rather than objects, of educational policy. By examining the longer-term implications of young people’s engagement in segregated schools and a multiracial movement for educational equity, this study will complicate current understandings of who can do integration policy and what integration policy can do.

Principal Investigator

Alexandra Freidus

Department

Educational Leadership

Funding

Funded by Spencer Foundation for $74,932

Dates

1/1/2023 to 6/30/2024