National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships

The NAEd/Spencer Foundation is accepting applications for their non-residential Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which supports early career researchers working to address critical areas of educational research. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program will fund 25 individual fellows, each receiving $70,000 for one academic year of research, or $35,000 for two contiguous years, working half-time. Professional development retreats will also be held, along with mentorship from current NAEd members or senior scholars in their fields. To be eligible, candidates must have earned their PhD, EdD, or equivalent research degree between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021, and should have experience in educational research. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, November 16, 2022. 

 

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New Automated Determination Tools for UF Researchers

On October 18th, 2022, Dr. David Norton, the Vice President for Research at UF, announced the launch of the new online automated determination tools for nonhuman research, exempt research, and non-medical quality improvement (QI) projects. These tools work by asking yes/no or multiple-selection questions to determine if an activity meets nonhuman, exempt, or QI requirements. If the activity meets these requirements, researchers can submit the form and receive immediate determination approval rather than submitting these projects through UF IRB for review or approval.

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IES Announces New Research and Development Center Competition

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) released a funding announcement for the 2023 fiscal year inviting applicants to submit research proposals to the new Research and Development Center (R&D) Center on Supporting Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education – the Postsecondary Center. The competition is working to establish the Postsecondary Center as a program of exploratory research and conducting national leadership and capacity-building activities, seeking to provide an evidence base and the research capacity capable of addressing the most pressing needs of postsecondary students with disabilities. More information regarding the IES programs, application process, and deadlines can be found here.

 

  • Applications are available Friday, September 30, 2022
  • Letters of intent are due Friday, October 21, 2022
  • The application deadline is Thursday, January 12, 2023

 

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UF Research Promotion Initiative

UF’s Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing (SCM) is accepting submissions for its Research Promotion Initiative (RPI). The RPI supports researchers by sharing works that have been accepted but not yet published to be featured on UF news and social media platform, as well as pitched to external media organizations. Additionally, winners of the RPI will receive a funding award of $1,000 for research-related activities. Research from all areas is invited to apply, and research related to artificial intelligence is strongly encouraged to enter. Every two weeks, the RPI committee selects a winner to be highlighted on UF news and marketing channels. Entries that are not selected for the funding award may still be considered to be promoted by SCM and/or the applicant’s college or unit communications office.

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Research Spotlight: Elizabeth Washington

Q & A with Elizabeth Washington, Ph. D., Professor in the School of Teaching and Learning

What research are you currently working on?

The overarching theme of my research lies at the intersection of democratic citizenship education, controversial issues teaching, the teaching of difficult/traumatic history, and social justice teaching in a democratic society, mainly for grades 6-12 social studies curriculum and teaching. This is also where my research, curriculum development, and teaching coalesce.

Drawing from a rich body of research that includes the work of Diana Hess, Paula McAvoy, Wayne Journell, Li-ching Ho, Steven Camicia, Judy Pace, and others, I am driven by such questions as What do “traumatic” and “difficult” history mean? How can preservice teachers best be prepared to teach difficult history and controversial issues? How do we make sense of what issues/topics should be treated as controversial in the classroom? What can we learn from content analysis of specific curriculum materials for teaching controversy–especially in terms of the range of perspectives they provide? What controversial topics might help students gain the skills and attitudes necessary to tackle even tougher topics? What is the nature of the arguments about these topics/issues in the larger society? How might we facilitate more inclusive discussions of controversial issues? What factors complicate teachers’ efforts to conduct inclusive discussions? What identity risks and attacks are likely to come up as students consider certain topics, and how do we help students deal with possible risks? What are some issues related to teacher political disclosure that help us sort through the larger issues of how disclosure can be done responsibly, professionally, and ethically? What can we learn from international and cross-cultural settings about teachers’ decision-making regarding their rationales, chosen topics, instructional practices, and perceived obstacles and pathways to teaching about issues that carry implications for democracy and social justice?

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Research News

OER presents relevant research-related articles from the IES Blog Newsflash. Topics include improving outcomes for diverse learners, real-world education solutions, literacy development, and supporting early-career education researchers.

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Research Spotlight: Julie C. Brown

Q & A with Julie C. Brown, Ph. D., Associate Professor in the School of Teaching and Learning

What research are you currently working on?

I lead two National Science Foundation-funded grants, RIEL Biology and CRAFT, both of which include classroom-based research and the professional development of Florida’s science and math teachers. On both projects, we have some really interesting research in the works. Please visit our social media pages, @RIELBiology and @CRAFTSciMath, for more information.

In February 2022, RIEL Biology was spotlighted by the National Science Foundation as an exemplary project that advances culturally responsive STEM education. More recently (October 2022), CRAFT was spotlighted by the National Science Foundation as an exemplary project that advances students’ social emotional learning (SEL). While SEL is not taught explicitly in CRAFT, we draw upon the tenets of a race-visible, culturally responsive pedagogy that supports academic goals alongside affective domains, funds of knowledge, and asset-based, humanizing pedagogies, all of which are critical components of CRAFT.

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Research Spotlight: Carla-Ann Brown

Q & A with Carla-Ann Brown, Ed. D., University School Assistant Professor at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

What research are you currently working on?

My primary research areas are equitable teaching and learning and Culturally Sustaining (CS) practices. Currently, my research focuses on promoting an anti-racist and CS school culture through advancing systems and structures that increase opportunities for faculty of color (FoC). More specifically, as repercussions of the pandemic and racially targeted state laws continue to negatively impact Black educators, research on the simultaneous impact of both external stressors (COVID-19 and racially targeted state laws) is lacking Black educator insights critical to improving educational systems. My goal is to develop robust representation in this research field by creating opportunities for Black K-12 educators to share their authentic experiences and personal truths, including acknowledging the consequences of these challenges on Black educator well-being, efficacy, and tenure. With this goal in mind, if awarded the 23-24 Spencer Postdoctoral fellowship, I intend to continue a cross-cultural and international analysis of how Black educators experience racialized school climates amidst a global COVID-19 pandemic that will begin during my Fulbright experience in the U.K. during the 2023 Spring semester.

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Research Spotlight: F. Chris Curran

Q & A with F. Chris Curran, Ph. D., Director of the Education Policy Research Center & Associate Professor in the School of Human Development and Organizations Studies

What research are you currently working on?

My research applies frameworks and methodologies from the field of public policy to improve outcomes and equity in educational systems. In particular, I seek to examine how the laws, policies, and practices of educational institutions shape experiences and outcomes for students of color, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and other marginalized groups. My primary areas of research are school safety and discipline as well as early childhood education, though I have written widely about other education policy topics ranging from teacher labor markets to federal policy adoption.

Currently, I am leading several federally funded research projects including a Department of Justice-funded grant to develop a school safety data dashboard and training materials for the state of Florida as well as a National Science Foundation-funded project examining the elementary school science learning trajectories of multi-lingual students. For the school safety dashboard project, we are working with state and non-profit partners to understand how stakeholders use school safety data and to incorporate that feedback into data visualizations that school personnel can use to facilitate data dialogues and target policy and practice changes. The multi-lingual learners and elementary science project is currently supporting the development of multiple graduate students’ skills in the quantitative analysis of large-scale secondary data and has led to multiple presentations to researchers and practitioners.

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Research Spotlight: Zandra de Araujo

Q & A with Zandra de Araujo, Ph.D., Chief Equity Officer and Mathematics Principal in the Lastinger Center for Learning

What research are you currently working on?

My current research focuses on teacher professional development and equitable mathematics instruction. I currently have two large research grants I am working on. I am the principal investigator of the Practice-Driven Professional Development (PDPD) Project (NSF #2206774, $2,533,289). The PDPD Project researches and develops professional development aimed to help teachers enact incremental changes to their existing instruction in algebra.

On the second project, led by Dr. Hyunyi Jung, I am a co-principal investigator. The project, Empowering Students with Choice through Equitable and Interactive Mathematical Modeling (EIM2, NSF #2200928, $1,978,280), helps students engage in equitable mathematical modeling. Equitable mathematical modeling is the process of using mathematics to analyze and quantify scenarios through a lens of equity and studying the outcomes of that process.

In addition to these two funded projects, I continue to study teachers’ instruction in mathematics with students classified as English learners.

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Research Spotlight: Melinda Leko

Q & A with Melinda Leko, Ph. D., Professor in the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies

What research are you currently working on?

Currently, I am working on an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Development project in professional development to support students with disabilities. My colleagues and I are developing a professional development (PD) innovation for emergency-certified special educators working in rural settings. The PD is being delivered remotely and includes individualized coaching and a community of practice. The PD content centers on social/emotional/behavioral high-leverage practices (HLPs) to support the needs of students who exhibit challenging behaviors. Read more →

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Research Spotlight: Ashley Pennypacker Hill

Q & A with Ashley Pennypacker Hill, Ed. D., Director of Elementary Programs and Associate Professor at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

What research are you currently working on?

Currently, I am working on building student leadership opportunities, increasing positive family engagement, building systems of support for students, co-facilitating teacher learning communities, developing strategies to support school climate, and implementing restorative practices with students, teachers, and families.

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Awarded Projects for September 2022

Congratulations to Mary Bratsch-Hines, Paige Pullen, Walter Leite, and Wei Li for their award from the U.S. Department of Education; Carla-Ann Brown for her award from the National Education Association Foundation; Elif Ackali and Elayne Colón for their award from the National Science Foundation; Holly Lane, Kristi Cheyney-Collante, Vivian Gonsalves, and Valentina Contesse for their award from the U.S. Department of Education/OSEP; Holly Lane, Kristi Cheyney-Collante, Kathrin Maki, Vivian Gonsalves, Valentina Contesse, and Lee Purvis for their award from the U.S. Department of Education/OSEP; Kathrin Maki for her subcontract U.S. Department of Education flow through award from Ball State University; Erica McCray, Margaret Kamman, and Melinda Leko for their award from the U.S. Department of Education/OSEP; Philip Poekert for his subcontract DHHS flow through award from Florida’s Office of Early Learning; Paige Pullen and Philip Poekert for his award from the Florida Department of Education; Paige Pullen for her award from the Jefferson Parish Public School System; Tina Smith-Bonahue, Elayne Cólon, Lori Dassa, and Rochelle Warm for their subcontract Florida Department of Eduction flow through award from Seminole State College of Florida; and Ross Van Boven for his two subcontract U.S. Department of Education flow through awards from the Florida Department of Education.

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Submitted Projects for September 2022

Best wishes to Carla-Ann Brown for her proposal to the National Education Association Foundation; Maureen Conroy for her subcontract IES flow through proposal to the University of Nevada Las Vegas; Zandra de Araujo for her proposal to Alachua County Public Schools; Christy Gabbard for her three subcontract U.S. Department of Education/ESSER flow through proposals to the Florida Department of Education; Elyse Hambacher for her proposal to the Spencer Foundation; Wei Li for his subcontract NSF flow through proposal to the University of Cincinnati; Justin Ortagus, Frank Fernandez, and Lindsay Lynch for their subcontract NSF flow through proposal to South Florida State College; Philip Poekert, Paige Pullen, and Shaunte Duggins for their proposal to the University of Florida Foundation; Paige Pullen and Philip Poekert for their subcontract U.S. Department of Education flow through proposal to Pinellas County Schools; Paige Pullen and Philip Poekert for their DHHS flow through proposal to Florida’s Office of Early Learning; Paige Pullen and Philip Poekert for their Florida Department of Education flow through proposal to Monroe County School District; Paige Pullen for her two proposals to the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough and Early Learning Coalition of Miami-made/Monroe Counties; Matthew Schmidt for his U.S. Department of Defense flow through proposal to the Memorial Hermann Foundation; Ayanna Troutman for her proposal to the American Education Research Association; and Wanli Xing for his proposal to the National Science Foundation.
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UF Invites Internal Nominations for ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards

UF seeks internal nominations for the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards, which supports research and career advancement for junior faculty at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) member institutions by awarding $5,000 in seed money. Furthermore, award recipients at will receive an additional matching fund of at least $5,000 from their department or college. More information on eligibility and internal submission guidelines can be found here. The internal deadline to submit nominations is Sunday, October 23, 2022.

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