With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Grants Program seeks proposals for Research Grants. The AERA Grants Program provides Research Grants to faculty at institutions of higher education, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctorallevel scholars. The program supports highly competitive studies using rigorous quantitative methods to examine large-scale, education-related data. This research and training program is designed to advance knowledge and build research capacity in education and STEM education and learning. Since 1991, this AERA Program has been vital to both research and training at early career stages.
The Grants Program encourages the use of major data sets from multiple and diverse sources. It emphasizes the advanced statistical analysis of data sets from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other federal agencies. The program also supports studies using large-scale international data systems (e.g., PISA, PIRLS, or TIMMS) that benefit from U.S. federal government support. In addition, statewide longitudinal administrative data systems (SLDS) enhanced through federal grants are also eligible for consideration. The inclusion of federal or state administrative information that further expands the analytic capacity of the research is permissible. The thrust of the analysis needs to be generalizable to a national, state, or population or a subgroup within the sample that the dataset represents.
The Grants Program is open to field-initiated research and welcomes proposals that:
- develop or benefit from advanced statistical or innovative quantitative methods or measures;
- analyze more than one large-scale national or international federally funded data set, or more than one statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) or incorporate other data enhancements;
- integrate, link, or blend multiple large-scale data sources; or
- undertake replication research of major findings or major studies using large-scale, federally supported or enhanced data.
The Grants Program encourages proposals across the life span and contexts of education and learning of relevance to STEM policy and practice. The research may focus on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to such issues as student achievement in STEM, contextual factors in education, educational participation and persistence (pre-kindergarten through graduate school), early childhood education and development, postsecondary education, and the STEM workforce and transitions. Studies that examine issues of specific racial and ethnic groups, social classes, genders, or persons with disabilities are encouraged.
Deadlines: November 20, 2023; May 30, 2024
Research Grants are available for faculty at institutions of higher education, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctorallevel scholars. Proposals are encouraged from the full range of education research fields and other fields and disciplines engaged in education-related research, including economics, political science, psychology, sociology, demography, statistics, public policy, and psychometrics. Applicants for this one-year or two-year, non-renewable award must have received their doctoral degree at the start of the award. Applicants may be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents. NonU.S. citizens affiliated with a U.S. university or institution are also eligible to apply. Underrepresented racial and ethnic minority researchers as well as women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.
Awards for Research Grants are up to $25,000 for 1year projects, or up to $35,000 for 2year projects. In accordance with AERA's agreement with the funding agencies, institutions may not charge indirect costs or overhead on these awards.
The funds can be used for research-related expenses such as course buyout, summer salary, travel to secure data enclaves or scholarly conferences, books, computer equipment, and other expenses directly related to conducting this research. As part of the proposal, applicants provide a budget that outlines anticipated research-related expenses.
In addition to the funding, grantees will be paired with a Governing Board member who will monitor grantees’ progress and potentially advise on their research.