Institute of Education Science (IES): Special Education Research: Low-Cost, Short-Duration Evaluation of Special Education Interventions CFDA Number 84.324L | ED GRANTS 092815 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 092815 002

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES), within the U.S. Department of Education, offered this FY 2016 discretionary grant competition through its National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) under CFDA 84.324L. The core idea of the program is to fund fast, practical, and credible evaluations of special education interventions that state educational agencies (SEAs) or local educational agencies (LEAs) already believe could improve student outcomes in the near term. Rather than supporting long, expensive research timelines, this opportunity is meant to generate useful evidence for policymakers and practitioners quickly, often within a single semester or one school year, so districts and states can make better decisions sooner.

A defining feature of the competition is its emphasis on low-cost studies with strong causal designs. Projects are considered low cost because they are expected to rely heavily on existing administrative records or other readily available data sources, instead of expensive new data collection. They are short duration because the full project must be completed within a two-year window. In practice, this means the intervention should be implemented and the primary outcomes should be collected in the first year, with analysis and dissemination completed by the end of year two. The program is set up for interventions that can plausibly show measurable impacts quickly and for outcomes that researchers can access without major delays.

Even though the projects are designed to be faster and less expensive than typical education research, IES expects them to be rigorous. The notice highlights randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and regression discontinuity designs (RDDs) as the preferred evaluation approaches, specifically because, when implemented well, they can meet What Works Clearinghouse evidence standards without reservations. The overall goal is to produce findings that stakeholders can trust when determining whether an intervention is actually effective.

Eligibility is structured around partnerships, not single organizations working alone. Applicants must form a research partnership that includes at least one research institution and at least one SEA or LEA. The partnership must designate one principal investigator (PI) who will be responsible for overall administration of the award, and that PI can come from either the research organization or the education agency partner. On the research side, a wide range of entities may qualify as the research institution partner as long as they have the capacity to carry out scientifically valid research; this can include universities, nonprofits, for-profits, and public or private agencies. On the education agency side, SEAs and LEAs are eligible as the implementing partners, defined broadly as public agencies primarily responsible for educating students across prekindergarten through K-12 and beyond (including postsecondary and adult education contexts, as applicable).

A key boundary in the program is that the grant is not meant to pay for implementing the intervention itself. The SEA and/or LEA is expected to support implementation, while the IES award primarily supports the evaluation work: study design, data access and management, analysis, and reporting/dissemination. This structure is meant to ensure the intervention is viable in real-world settings and that the study is testing something the agency is already positioned to carry out, rather than a program that exists only because research funding made it possible.

From an administrative standpoint, applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, and applicants were instructed to search by the CFDA number (84.324L for the special education competition). The opportunity listing notes a maximum award amount (award ceiling) of $250,000, with an original closing date of January 12, 2016. Program authority is grounded in the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.), and the notice also points applicants to the official Federal Register announcement for the complete requirements, priorities, performance measures, and contact information.

In short, CFDA 84.324L is designed for research-practice partnerships that can quickly and credibly test special education interventions already being carried out by districts or states, using strong causal methods and mostly existing data, with the aim of delivering actionable results within two years at relatively modest cost.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Institute of Education Science (IES): Special Education Research: Low-Cost, Short-Duration Evaluation of Special Education Interventions CFDA Number 84.324L" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.324.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-09-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-01-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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