University of Maryland, College Park
Associated IES Content
Grant
Examining Recruitment Policies and Pathways to Diversify the Teacher Workforce
Research identifies large benefits of access to same-race/ethnicity teachers for Black and Hispanic students. However, the teacher workforce is overwhelmingly White, and little is known about the system-level strategies that are successful at diversifying the profession. In this Exploration project, researchers will explore 3 "grow-your-own" programs and pathways that school districts and higher education institutions have implemented at different stages of the school-to-career pipeline in t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210031
Grant
Project CLIMB: Capturing Language Immersion Benefits
The goals of this project are to explore how native English speakers' and English Learners' (ELs) degree of bilingualism relates to their cognitive, language, and reading comprehension skills and to identify features of effective literacy instruction in Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs. Despite the recent rise of DLI programs, and the increased awareness of the value of foreign language learning, research on the effects of bilingualism in DLI programs and on identifying the key feature...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A190452
Grant
Informant Discrepancies in Social-Behavioral Assessment: Psychometric and Practical Implications of Cross-Informant Data
The purpose of this project is to develop, refine, and validate the Psychosocial and Educational Difficulties and Strengths Scales (PEDS) to evaluate student behavior from multiple sources (e.g., teachers, parents, students) and to produce results that accurately indicate how student behavior may vary across contexts. Collecting multiple informant ratings of children's psychosocial strengths and difficulties is a common practice during comprehensive special education evaluations. Discrepanci...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A180032
Grant
Exploring Links Between Arts Education and Academic Outcomes in the International Baccalaureate
The purpose of this project is to explore the relation between rigorous, high quality arts education in high school and academic outcomes at the high school and postsecondary levels. Prior research on the association between arts education and academic outcomes has yielded mixed results, possibly due to wide variation in the definitions of arts education and the academic measures used by researchers. In this study, the research team will analyze a novel administrative dataset that overcomes ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180062
Grant
An Efficacy Study of Toggle Talk
The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy of Toggle Talk, a Language Arts curriculum supplement that teaches kindergarten and first grade African American children to understand the differences between Mainstream American English (MAE) and African American English (AAE) with the goal of improving students' reading outcomes. Many African American children underachieve in school and the researchers propose that part of the explanation for this is dialect mismatch, which occurs when t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170139
Grant
Cognitive and Motivational Contributors to Reading Comprehension in English Learners (ELs) and English Monolinguals (EMs): Different or Similar Growth Patterns
The purpose of this project is to examine known cognitive factors (e.g., word level factors, oral language, strategy use), as well as novel cognitive malleable factors (e.g., EF skills: inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) and reading engagement components involved in the development of reading comprehension in English Learners (ELs) and English Monolinguals (EMs). Although ELs have adequate word reading skills in the early elementary grades, they perform relatively...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160280
Grant
Multilevel Item Bifactor Models with Semi-Nonparametric Latent Densities
The purpose of this project was to develop a better way to deal with measurement error in predictors and to address the impact of non-normality in latent variable distributions. Predictors that contain measurement error yield attenuated correlation or regression coefficient estimates, which results in bias in treatment effect estimates. This problem is exacerbated in multilevel models when level-1 values are simply aggregated to an upper level as group means. By introducing a multilevel and ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305D150052
Grant
Hierarchical Network Models: Mediation and Influence
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305D150045
Grant
Improving Content-Area Literacy Instruction in Middle Schools (Project CALI)
The research team proposed to develop a middle school co-teaching program that to improve collaboration between general (content-area) and special education teachers and, ultimately, reading skills and content-area knowledge of students with disabilities. The level of literacy necessary for post-secondary education and employment has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. However, many students with disabilities are not receiving sufficient literacy instruction in content-area classe...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A150181
Grant
An Experimental Study of the Effectiveness of Instructional Consultation Teams
At the time of this project, a growing number of K-12 students, including a disproportionate share of minority students, were referred for and received special education services which may have included the use of team-based services. In this project, the researchers aimed to assess instructional consultation (IC) teams, a team-based service delivered to all elementary children. IC teams were problem-solving teams with special training who consult with teachers on instructional content and d...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305F050051
Grant
Effects of Enhanced After-School Programs on Educational Outcomes: A Randomized Trial
In this study, researchers proposed to learn if an enhanced middle school after-school program improved academic performance and the behavior of students in grades 6 to 8 relative to a treatment-as-usual control group. In addition to providing supervision of children while parents are working, after-school programs are often intended to improve academic performance and to alter related student behavior such as attendance, drug use, and conduct. Yet, as of 2005, rigorous research on the eff...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305F050069
Grant
Fostering Reading Engagement in English-Monolingual Students and English Language Learners Through a History Curriculum
National statistics point to a crisis in adolescent reading. According to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 70% of 8th graders are at or below the basic level in reading, leaving them unable to make inferences or connections within and across texts, explain causal relations, or analyze text features. Further, only 22% of 8th graders agree that reading is their favorite activity and only 13% agree that they learn a lot from reading books. In this project, the research team...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A120814
Grant
Second Step
In this project, the researchers proposed to evaluate the effects of Second Step, a curriculum designed to develop students' social-emotional skills. They tested the curriculum in schools in which character development planning teams were used to plan specific strategies or activities in the school, set implementation standards, review feedback on program implementation, and engage in group planning.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305L030002
Grant
CALDER Recruitment & Retention (CALDER-R&R)
CALDER-R&R examines policies addressing teacher shortages and their impact on teachers, student learning, and equity. Two important perspectives undergird the Center's work. First is the understanding that teacher shortages are not a single phenomenon. Instead, they exist in specific subject areas (for example, science and mathematics), among teachers from specific backgrounds (for example, teachers from historically marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds), in specific schools (for e...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305C240007
Grant
IES SLDS: Using Maryland SLDS to Strengthen and Diversify the Teacher Workforce through High School to Career Pathways
Maryland, like many other states, faces a teacher shortage. Furthermore, the number of teachers of color in teaching career pathways is disproportionate to the increasing number of minority students in the state. This disproportionality further amplifies the impact of the teacher shortage on students, as research finds that students of color show better educational and social outcomes when they have access to effective teachers of the same race or ethnicity. Removing obstacles for Maryland h...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S240013
Grant
Applied Spatial Training for Elementary Mathematics
In this project, researchers will explore malleable factors related to elementary students' use of spatial tools, such as diagrams, charts, and sketches, during mathematics problem solving. Despite research showing strong relations between spatial skill and mathematics, research also indicates learners do not always benefit from spatial supports, and numerous pedagogical considerations can impact their effectiveness (. Student factors such as working memory or fluid reasoning also can modera...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220291
Grant
Reading Mastery Project (RMP)
This research will investigate the efficacy of Reading Mastery on first graders' reading achievement, reading disability (RD) identification, and risk of RD. Reading Mastery has been used in schools since the 1970s and the 2008 Signature Edition is still widely used today. Despite the many publications that reference this comprehensive reading intervention, its efficacy has not yet been rigorously tested. This study seeks to fill this gap in research by examining the intervention's efficacy,...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A220267
Grant
Multilevel Regression Discontinuity Design With Latent Variables
A regression discontinuity (RD) design is often employed to provide causal evidence when a randomized control trial is practically infeasible or unethical. Conventional RD models assume that all running variables, covariates, and outcomes are observed variables. The purpose of this grant is to extend the modeling framework to augment the structural RD model with multilevel latent variable measurement models for any or all of the variables.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305D220030
Grant
Developing an Instructional Leader Adaptive Intervention Model (AIM) for Supporting Teachers as They Integrate Evidence-Based Adolescent Literacy Practices School-Wide (Project AIM)
The purpose of this project is to develop an adaptive intervention model (AIM) used by instructional leaders to provide ongoing professional development (PD) to content-area middle school teachers as they implement Tier 1 evidence-based literacy practices. Significant numbers of adolescents do not adequately understand complex texts, impeding their school success, access to postsecondary learning, and job opportunities. The problem is even greater for students with disabilities, as evidenced...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324A200012
Grant
Developmental Relations Between Language Ability and Behavior Problems
The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research to better understand relations between oral language and behavior problems in young children while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop expertise in language development, advanced longitudinal analyses, school-based research partnerships, and grant writing and management. The PI intends to conduct a longitudinal investigation to explore relations between language and behavior among young children at r...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R324B200039
Grant
Research Institute for Scholars in Education (RISE)
The new Research Institute for Scholars in Education (RISE) training program at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) and Bowie State University (BSU) is designed to provide undergraduate juniors and seniors with experiences in conducting education research while preparing participants for doctoral study.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B170018
Grant
Developing a Cross-Age Peer Tutoring Program to Promote the Vocabulary and Comprehension of English Learners
English language learners (ELLs) are especially at risk for reading difficulties due to limited vocabulary and comprehension skills. Innovative curricula are needed to meet their needs. Two critical periods for supporting ELLs are upon school entry (i.e., kindergarten) and upon transition from learning to read to reading to learn (i.e., fourth grade). Cross-age peer tutoring has been shown to be an effective instructional context. Given the social nature of language learning, cross-age tutor...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110142
Grant
Spatial Ability as a Malleable Factor for Math Learning
Previous research shows that children and adults who perform better on spatial tasks also perform better on tests of mathematical ability. However, the relation between spatial and math ability is not yet well understood. This grant will conduct studies to clarify which aspects of spatial ability relate to different aspects of math performance, and gather evidence regarding whether training to improve spatial ability also improves math performance. Results will lay the groundwork for the dev...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150588
Grant
Approaches for Weighting and Estimation of Public-release Education Data using Two-level Covariance Structure Models
This project identified best methods for estimating parameters and their sampling variances when using multilevel analyses with data collected via complex sampling designs typically used in education research.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305D110050
Grant
Investigating Vocabulary Breadth and Depth and Comprehension in English Monolingual and Spanish-English Bilingual Elementary School Students
Vocabulary knowledge is critical to effective reading comprehension. Most research to date has focused on the importance of vocabulary breadth (the quantity of known words) and its relationship to reading comprehension. Vocabulary depth (the quality of vocabulary knowledge), including morphological, semantic, and syntactical awareness, may be equally important to reading comprehension but there is limited research in this area. Explicit vocabulary instruction has the potential to increase ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A090152
Grant
Disciplinary Writing Instruction for the Social Studies Classroom: A Path to Adolescent Literacy
Academic literacy is critical to success in American schools and professional life. However, data from the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress in writing found that fewer than 35 percent of eighth graders wrote essays at or above the proficient level. In addition, the gap between low and middle-income students' performance in 2007 remained great. In both the eighth- and twelfth-grades, students' difficulties were most pronounced on writing tasks that required structured response...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A090153
Grant
Computer-Assisted Instruction For Learning and Long-Term Retention Based On Recent Cognitive and Metacognitive Findings
In this project, researchers focused on developing a new model computer tutor to support learning and long-term retention of second-language vocabulary for students of various ages and grade levels. The researchers aimed to improve an existing computer tutor model for second-language vocabulary in several ways. The proposed model built upon prior research about various factors that influence learning and was to individualize instruction and testing based on the user's successes and failures ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H030283
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