The deadline for AERA Fellowship Program on the Study of Deeper Learning proposals is June 10, 2016.
Click here to apply now! Click here to view the AERA-SDL Informational Webinar The American Educational Research Association (AERA) invites proposals from early career education researchers and postdoctoral scholars to enhance the use of the Deeper Learning dataset. The AERA Fellowship Program on the Study of Deeper Learning (AERA-SDL) supports postdoctoral and early career scholars in education research and thereby fosters excellence and rigor in the next generation of faculty members, research scientists, and scholars examining education topics and issues. The AERA-SDL permits undertaking research projects using the Deeper Learning data and the design and implementation of professional development and training around these data. The Deeper Learning data collected by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) includes a wealth of information from schools, students, and teachers at a sample of Deeper Learning network high schools and non-network high schools. AIR scholars and scientists with expertise on the Deeper Learning data are collaborating with AERA in this Fellowship Program. This Program is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Scope of Program and Purpose The AERA-SDL Fellows Program will provide professional guidance and training for up to 8 postdoctoral level and early career scholars to undertake substantive research using the Deeper Learning dataset. The aim is to contribute to knowledge and engender a culture of use for addressing significant questions about education and learning with these data.
The Deeper Learning dataset includes student survey data examining opportunities to engage in deeper learning, intra- and inter-personal competencies, and students’ perceptions of their schools. In select schools, there is student assessment data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Based Test for School (PBST) in English language arts, mathematics, and science areas. High school graduation and postsecondary enrollment information is available for some of the students as part of this study. Teacher survey data provide further information about each school’s academic culture and relationships between faculty/administrators and students. The combination of these unique datasets allows researchers to address questions connecting students’ high school experiences and achievement with high school graduation and their postsecondary outcomes. Key staff members at AIR who are working with the Deeper Learning data are collaborating with AERA to facilitate data access and to develop training using these datasets.
Illustrative Topics The Deeper Learning data allow researchers to explore many possible topics as well as methodological studies. Some examples of projects that might be conducted using the Deeper Learning data are listed below (but many other topics of research are equally appropriate to study).
Scholars interested in psychometrics and/or item response theory.
The Deeper Learning dataset includes item-level data from student surveys and teacher surveys. Scholars could examine alternative ways to construct scales using item-level data and analyze whether items appear to measure constructs equally well for different groups of students or teachers.
Scholars interested in propensity score modeling.
Previous studies used propensity score modeling to determine the impact of attending a Deeper Learning network school on student outcomes. Interested scholars could examine how using different strategies to estimate propensity scores (e.g., adding different sets of predictors and/or interaction terms, using different statistical packages) would affect the estimated propensity scores.
Scholars interested in trajectories in postsecondary education.
During Summer 2016, AIR will collect National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) data for all students in the sample. The NSC data have enrollment information for each term that the student is enrolled in postsecondary education. Scholars may consider exploring different ways of examining students’ postsecondary trajectories using this detailed data and examine different types of institutions that students attend by merging with IPEDS (or other institution-level) data.
Data Access AIR will provide the fellows with access to the data. Fellows will be issued AIR laptops to access the data and will complete a data confidentiality agreement.
Eligibility Eligible researchers and scholars for the AERA-SDL will have been awarded a doctorate within the last 7 years (2009 or later) in education research or another social or behavioral science disciplinary or interdisciplinary field, such as sociology, economics, psychology, psychometrics, or political science. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents. Underrepresented racial and ethnic minority researchers and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Information about the Deeper Learning Data Applicants should be familiar with the principles and framework of the Deeper Learning study and the instruments used to collect the data. For further information about the SDL project visit: http://www.studyofdeeperlearning.org/ Reports from the study include technical appendices and examples of data analysis. See:
Informational Webinar Applicants are encouraged to view an informational webinar where researchers will discuss the application process, provide details about the Deeper Learning data set and discuss the application process. This webinar will be live streamed on Tuesday, May 10th, 2016. A recording of the webinar is available through the AERA Virtual Research Learning Center.
Expected Outcomes -- Requirements At the conclusion of the Program, fellows will prepare a draft manuscript of their research in a journal ready format. In addition to publishing peer reviewed journal articles, fellows may produce research reports, policy briefs, and presentations at professional meetings related to this research. It is anticipated that scholars will complete work required for the AERA-SDL fellowship by December, 2017.
Award Components
Funding: Fellows will receive funding up to$20,000 to support their research projects using Deeper Learning data and to participate in workshops, courses, and other trainings to enhance their research skills and learn about the Deeper Learning data.
Study Overview and Data Training Session: At the beginning of the Fellowship Program, fellows will participate in a 2-day Study of Deeper Learning Overview and Data Training session on the data led by AIR researchers, the AERA-SDL Advisory committee members, the AERA-SDL principal investigators, and other senior scholars. This training session will occur in Washington, DC in Summer/Fall, 2016.
AERA Fall Research Conference: AERA-SDL fellows will participate in a fall AERA research conference held in Washington, DC. During this 3-day conference the SDL fellows will network and interact with senior scholars and education researchers, dissertation stage graduate students who are funded by AERA, and representatives from key federal agencies such as the National Center for Educational Statistics, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Education. Federal agency representatives will discuss federal research funding priorities and opportunities and how the federal government might help to inform and guide scholars’ research agendas. The fall research conference also focuses on a salient methodological issue in education research such as causal inference or quasi-experimental design. Specific conference activities will be devoted to the SDL fellows and may include sessions on connecting education research to policy and practice. The AERA-SDL award will cover all travel and lodging expenses for fellows to participate in the conference.
Capstone Research Institute: At the 2017 AERA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Fellows will present their research in an invited poster session along with other early career researchers supported by AERA Grants Program and other prestigious fellowship programs. The poster session will allow fellows to showcase their studies and receive immediate feedback and guidance from the senior researchers, scholars, graduate school and college of education deans, and others in the education research community. The AERA Annual Meeting brings together over 15,000 researchers, scholars, and policy makers to present their research, share knowledge, and build research capacity through over 2,500 substantive sessions. Fellows will participate in sessions offered at the meeting and will benefit from the professional development and networking activities. Finally, fellows will participate in a research institute directly after the AERA Annual Meeting that will address issues such as building a research agenda, publishing research, and attaining tenure. This institute is intended to help fellows as they begin to prepare manuscripts based on their Deeper Learning project.
Application Instructions
All applications for the AERA-SDL Fellowship Program must be completed using the AERA online application portal (click here to apply) by 11:59pm Pacific time on June 10, 2016. Please combine items 1-5 listed below as one PDF document (include name and institution in header) and upload to online application portal. Each application must include:
Funding In order to be eligible for funding fellows may not accept other or pending support for the same project. If offered more than one major grant or fellowship for the same project, in order to accept the AERA-SDL funding the other award(s) must be declined.
Evaluation criteria The AERA SDL initiative aims to support rigorous and methodologically sound research on issues that expand our knowledge of schools, schooling issues, classroom practices, children and youth, and other educational issues. These studies cut across a broad range of theoretical perspectives and analytical plans to develop studies that address the following criteria:
Review and Selection Process The AERA-SDL Advisory Committee comprised of senior scholars and researchers will review and evaluate the proposals. Reviews are treated as confidential documents. In some cases the applicant will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding; however, AERA is unable to provide proposal feedback to all applicants.
Award Notification AERA will notify all applicants of their proposal outcome no later than July, 2016. All decisions and communication will be through e-mail. Awards to fellows must be administered through their university or institution, unless otherwise approved. Note that institutions cannot charge for indirect or administrative costs.
Questions Please address any questions to [email protected] or 202-238-3200.
About AERA AERA is concerned with improving educational process by encouraging scientific inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. The over-25,000 AERA members are faculty, researchers, graduate students, and other distinguished professionals with rich and diverse expertise in education research. AERA membership and their areas of inquiry span areas across education science and also intersect with other social science disciplines and fields such as anthropology, economics, psychology, sociology, and political science.