U.S. Department of Education (ED)

The Department of Education (ED) provides grants to fund research and practices related to education. In accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the ED has given priority to scientifically-rigorous research on practices that improve student performance. Randomized trials are the primary research approach endorsed by the ED, as outlined in Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported By Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide (http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/rigorousevid/rigorousevid.pdf). It is recommended that grant seekers make use of methods that meet the What Works Clearinghouse standards for research design (http://whatworks.ed.gov/reviewprocess/study_standards_final.pdf). A forecast of grant funding from the ED can be found at http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html.

A significant amount of the ED's funding for research on children, youth, families and schools is offered through the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Implementation and training grants are offered through other offices, including the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS). A brief description of the type of grants funded by these program offices is provided below.

Institute for Education Sciences (IES)

• IES provides grants to fund basic and applied research on education through the National Center for Education Research (NCER), National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
  

National Center for Education Research (NCER)

• NCER provides early childhood through post-secondary education research grants
• Sample grant competitions:
• Mathematics and Science Education Research
• Teacher Quality Research - Reading and Writing
• Teacher Quality Research - Mathematics and Science Education
• Education Leadership
• Education Policy, Finance, and Systems
• Postdoctoral Research Training
• Reading and Writing Research
• Interventions for Struggling Adolescent and Adult Readers and Writers
• Cognition and Student Learning Research
• High School Reform
• Postsecondary Education

National Center for Special Education Research (NCER)

• NCER provides special education research grants
• Sample grant competitions:
• Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education, and Children with Disabilities
• Mathematics and Science Education
• Reading , Writing, and Language Development
• Serious Behavior Disorders
• Assessment for Accountability
• Response to Intervention
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Teacher Quality and Quality of Other Service Providers for Students with Disabilities
• Secondary and Transition Services
• Individualized Education Programs and Individualized Family Service Plans

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS)

• OSERS provides research, implementation, and training grants through both the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)

Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)

• OSEP provides grants to fund implementation and training related to services for children with disabilities
• Sample grant competitions:
• Demonstration Centers on Implementing Tertiary Level Behavioral Interventions
• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
• Preparation of Leadership Personnel

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)

• NIDRR provides grants to fund research, implementation, and training related to rehabilitation for people of all ages with physical and mental disabilities (especially those with severe disabilities)
• Sample grant competitions:
• Transition and Employment Outcomes for Transition-Age Individuals with Blindness and Low Vision
• Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects/Disability Business TA Centers