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Funding Opportunities | Education Research Grant Programs

Program Announcement: Postdoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in the Education Sciences (84.305B)

Program Officer:
Dr. Corinne Alfeld
Telephone: (202) 245-8203
Email: Corinne.Alfeld@ed.gov

Dr. Meredith Larson
Telephone: (202) 245-7037
Email: Meredith.Larson@ed.gov

The Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education Sciences (Postdoctoral Training Program) supports programs that prepare education researchers to conduct high-quality, independent education research that advances knowledge within the field of education sciences and addresses issues important to education leaders and practitioners. Fellows who complete their training program are to have the skills necessary to produce research that is rigorous in method as well as relevant and accessible to education stakeholders such as practitioners and policymakers.

Different models for the postdoctoral training grant may be used. For example, an individual faculty member could be the sole mentor for one to two postdoctoral fellows and would also serve as the Principal Investigator for the project. Alternatively, several faculty members could jointly train up to four postdoctoral fellows with one serving as the Principal Investigator and all serving as mentors.

Upon completion, projects under the Postdoctoral Training Program will provide the following:

  • A description of the training program as realized over the course of the grant including descriptions of all key components discussed in the original application (e.g., research projects, professional development opportunities, methodological workshops)
  • A description of the fellows accepted to the program, identification of completers (including those who left early to take a position in the field of education sciences) and non-completers, and their research products (presentations, publications, and other work)
  • A fully specified description of the measures used to track the progress of fellows through the training program as well as data demonstrating the program's level of success in recruiting, training, and placing fellows
  • A determination of a program's success in preparing fellows with the appropriate skills and knowledge to carry out the type of research described in the original application, including:
    • Fellows' contribution to research of use to other researchers
    • Fellows' contribution to research of use to practitioners and policymakers
    • Fellows' contact with practitioners and policymakers both in the design and implementation of research as well as in the reporting of research results
    • Fellows' employment after completing the program with attention to whether and where they have begun careers in education research
    • Analysis of the cost per fellow training year including recruitment efforts
  • Recommendations for future training programs