Research Initiation Grant Descriptions

All information on this page comes from the submitted applications. 

The African American Male College Achievement Cross-Institutional-Type Extension Study

Shaun Harper      February 22, 2006 - December 31, 2006

More than 67% of African American men who start college never finish, which is the worst college completion rate among both sexes and all racial/ethnic groups in higher education. Clearly, faculty, administrators, and policymakers need positive examples of good practice in engaging and retaining African Male collegians. The 2004 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Dissertation of the Year is a study of high-achieving African American male undergraduates at six large predominantly White public research universities. Instead of employing the popular deficit approach to examining African American men, the study magnifies lessons learned from students who maximized their college experiences, despite the racism and challenges endured on their campuses. From it emerged a powerful set of practical and policy implications. The same framework and research methods from the original project will be used to study African American male achievers at 12 historically Black colleges and universities, seven highly-selective private research universities, and ten small predominantly White liberal arts colleges. This extension study will reveal a wider set of achievement indices and valuable insights into helping African American male students maximize their college experiences achieve desired outcomes, and persist through degree attainment across a variety of postsecondary institutional types.

The Invisible College for Inquiry Science Study (ICISS)

Scott McDonald      October 18, 2005 - October 18, 2006

The Professional development school (PDS) model of school-university partnerships has had a powerful positive impact on teacher in-service and pre-service training. The PDS model has limitations, however, as it is resource intensive and requires large numbers of teachers with similar pedagogical needs (e.g., elementary teachers). The Invisible College of Inquiry Science Study (ICISS) takes advantage of individual "maverick" teachers to create a geographically distributed PDS focused on integrating educational research with standards-based science practice. ICISS is a technology-supported community of science education where teachers (both pre-service and in-service) develop curriculum, enact it, and collect data on enactment, and use data as a teaching and research tool. This proposal requests funding for improving the technological infrastructure, allowing for research and development planning meetings, and supporting data collection and analysis to develop an argument and proof of concept for large-scale external funding.

Parenting Cognitive Development: Early Childhood, School Readiness and the Social Construction of Parenting 

Maryellen Schaub      January 1, 2006 - December 30, 2006

The prevailing notions of childhood have changed over time in the U.S.  Specifically, changes have occurred in parent behaviors regarding the cognitive development and school readiness of their young children (Schaub, 2004a; 2004b). The proposed work is part of a larger project on the social construction of childhood and parenting which has used historical and large scale contemporary secondary data sources to establish recent changes 9in parent engagement in cognitive activities with young children. This project addresses the growing concerns about school readiness, social class gaps in early achievement and the increased cognitive demand of early elementary grades. The intent of this proposal is to collect preliminary data for a larger two-part proposal to be submitted to the Spencer Foundation as well as other external funding agencies. Two primary data collections are proposed: questionnaires and time diaries of five distinct groups of parents with a child age three to six and archival research on the 20^th century origins of federal government's promotion of "parent as teacher." 

Examining Residential Mobility and Family Literacy Educational Outcomes Among Poor Families in Pennsylvania: A Rural-Urban Comparison 

Esther Prins & Skai A. Schafft    January 1, 2006 - April 30, 2007

This pilot study assesses how poverty and residential mobility may function as determinants of adult persistence and participation in family literacy programs across both urban and rural contexts. While previous research has demonstrated negative educational and social outcomes of poverty and residential mobility on children, no analogous work has been completed examining residential instability and academic underachievement have been completed in urban settings, little is known about how these relationships occur in rural settings where residential instability and program persistence may be affected by greater spatial dispersion of population, limited housing and labor markets, and insufficient public transportation. We propose to conduct exploratory interviews with a purposefully selected sample of adult education program directors to build hypotheses concerning: 1) factors shaping educational outcomes for low-income family literacy participants; 2) the role of residential instability in family literacy and persistence, and; 3) how determinants of persistence vary across urban and rural contexts. Last, we propose to conduct pilot interviews with family literacy participants to record family educational and residential histories, tracking residential instability, persistence in adult education and public schools, and the mechanisms by which rural and/or urban settings may mediate persistence.

Exploring the Uses of Studiocode in Educational Research 

Carla Zembaul-Saul, Greg Kelly, & Scott McDonald    January 1, 2006 - December 31, 2006

This grant will be used to promote the use and evaluation of a new video software package that can be used in educational research. Studiocode has the potential to support instruction and supervision as well.

Constructive Development and Multicultural Awareness

Kathlene J. Bieschke      March 15, 2005 - December 31, 2005

This pilot study will examine how counselor trainees understand and apply multicultural awareness to their competence as counselors. In addition, data will be gathered regarding whether multicultural awareness is related to counselor trainees' overall meaning making. Specifically, does constructive developmental level inform the types of information, experiences, or learning that an individual needs to become more multiculturally aware? Twenty students who are enrolled in a master's program in counseling or clinical psychology will be invited psychology will be invited to participate in two qualitative interviews. One interview will be open-ended and focused on participants' understanding of their own multicultural awareness, their beliefs about the need for such awareness, and their perceptions of multicultural training. Participants will also take part in the Subject-Object Interview (SOI). Data analysis will include scoring of the SOI by two trained independent raters. Scorers will systematically and inductively determine participants' constructive developmental level by relating meaning making to the specific subject-objective balances in Kegan's theory (Kegan, 1994).Open-ended interview transcripts will be coded according to both organizational and substantive categories  (Maxwell, 2005). Organizational categories will examine the conceptual framework for the study. Substantive categories will explore the meaning of the research questions for the participants. A comparison of the two interviews for each participant will be conducted and theoretical categories will be established.

Critical Indicators of Basic Verbal Behavior Skills: Development of a Formative Assessment Toll for Students with Autism 

Richard M. Kubina & Pamela Wolfe        February 2005 - September 2005

One of the most debilitating characteristics of autism is that of communication. Educators have struggled to find the most successful way to assess and teach communication/language skills to students with autism.  Founded in the science of Behavior Analysis, the Analysis of Verbal Behavior  (AVB) is an empirically based approach to teach communication for students with autism. Although AVB is a powerful to teaching students language/communication, it lacks a responsive measurement system. The purpose of this research is to develop an instrument to directly assess and regularly monitor verbal behavior outcomes. The instrument would include indicators of critical verbal behaviors skills. The results can be used to evaluate individual student development as well as provide feedback toward validated instructional objectives. The instrument would also permit a visual analysis of student data across time. Inspection of the data can then facilitate instruction decisions based on student progress.  If the students' data indicate inadequate progress the teacher would be able to immediately implement corrective procedures.

The Role of Behavioral Momentum in Resilience : A preliminary Investigation

David Lee       April 2005 - February 2006

Research in the area of resilience seeks to determine factors that are related to success  under difficult circumstances. However, much of the literature on resilience is correlational in nature. That is, we know that there are risk factors (e.g., poverty, dysfunctional home), but we are unsure why many of these risk factors cause poor outcomes. The purpose of this RIG is to investigate the the utility of the theory of behavioral momentum as a model to explain resilience.  The theory of behavioral momentum. much like its counterpart in physics, suggests that behavior with a high level of momentum is often associated with conditions rich in positive reinforcement, whereas behaviors that do not persist are often associated with low levels of reinforcement. To further this line of research I propose to conduct pilot work to examine the role of classroom climate on persistence of appropriate behavior during changes in the classroom environment. If teachers can affect changes in student persistence based on a positive classroom climate perhaps parents and community leaders can affect similar changes in order to promote academic and pro-social behavior.

The Causes and Consequences of Early Reading Failure: Using the ECLS-K to Model the Matthew Effect   

Morgan Paul & Sperling, Rayne      October 15, 2004-May 15, 2005

Despite previous research and numerous studies, the effects of early word-level reading instruction on later reader comprehension are largely unknown. Unfortunately, some research supports that gains made in early reading skills may not lead to later gains in reading comprehension. The Matthew effects theory is one widely noted explanation for this concerning discrepancy. Findings that support the Matthew effects indicate that those who come to school with early strengths remain strong and continue to grow into proficient readers while those who struggle in early literacy continue to do so despite instruction. Previous research support for the Matthew effects has been mixed. This study addresses the existence of the Matthew effects through the use of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Kindergarten (ECLS-K) database. This data will not only thoroughly test the Matthew effects, findings from this study will provide the foundation to inform future reading comprehension interventions.

Math and Science Achievement by Working Adolescents in the United States and Comparison TIMSS-2003 Nations  

Post, David      January 1, 2005-September 1, 2005

Why is middle-school employment more harmful to student achievement in some countries than others? To investigate that question, a wide-ranging cross-national study will be needed that can combine quantitative analysis of the soon-to-be-released TIMSS-2003 with policy analysis of employment regulations in various nations. As a modest first step toward a more ambitious proposal, this RIG solicitation requests funding that will allow me to employ a data analyst with wage payroll, in order to begin preliminary processing of these data. RIG funding will also permit me to travel to Canada, Taiwan, and The Netherlands to consult with experts in the area of youth employment. A preliminary comparative case study will pave the way toward a more comprehensive investigation. Ultimately, RIG funding should allow me to submit a proposal to two federal agencies by December of 2005.

Legal Aspects of Drug Prevention Strategies in Public Schools   

Stefkovich, Jacqueline      June 2004

Despite a great deal of empirical research supporting evidence-based drug prevention programs, few public school districts actually adopt them.  Most large-scale studies addressing drug prevention in public schools have focused primarily on the efficacy of these prevention programs.  Few have looked at the organizational structure of schools including policies and strategies aimed at drug prevention such as drug testing, canine searches for drugs, locker and strip searches, and zero tolerance policies.  The general hypothesis here is that district practices and/or policies may compete with adoption of prevention programs. This research proposes to address these issues by collecting and coding data on federal and state laws related to the strategies listed above.  Emphasis will be placed on identifying and understanding these strategies as well as federal laws that: a) restrict behavior, b) support/require adoption of prevention programs, c) enable or fund prevention programs, and d) permit state departments to allocate federal funds to school districts.  This study is in direct response to feedback from reviewers of a larger grant submitted to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Tracking the Effects of Print Access on the Development of Matthew Effects in Children from Low-Income Communities   

Morgan, Paul L.      August 2004 - August 2005

Results from large-scale studies show that interventions focused only on improving the word-level skills deficits of young, struggling readers do not lead to long-term gains in their reading comprehension.  One reason for this may be that these children begin to view reading negatively and , hence, avoid critical reading practice.  What is needed is a multifaceted approach to reading instruction, one that (a) effectively combines systematic skills instruction with (b) activities designed to increase access to print, while also (c) monitoring whether this approach leads to greater engagement in critical reading activities.  Such an approach may help reverse negative Matthew effects.  This project examines the developmental interplay between early struggles with reading and negative Matthew effects.  Specifically, this project investigates whether: (a) motivation and practice ; (b) differential access to print predicts different gains in reading skills beyond that predicted by difference in formal skills instruction offered by teachers; and (c) participating in classroom-based skills instruction linked with increased access to print boosts struggling readers' reading skills, reading motivation and reading practice.  This project will produce: (a) new knowledge about the benefits of linking skills instruction with increased access to print, (b) new knowledge on contextual factors that predict individual development of Mathew effects in reading; and (c) promising procedures and practices that researchers and practitioners can use to better implement early reading instruction for children at risk for poor reading outcomes.

Voices from the Field: The Role of the Principal in the Administration and Supervision of Special education Programs   

Faircloth, Susan      March 2004 - January 2005

Expanding upon my previous research this study will explore the role of the building-level principal in the administration and supervision of special education programs and services in Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), tribal schools with an American Indian/Alaskan Native student population of 5050% or more.  The driving force behind this research is the belief that the successful coordination of special and general education.  According to Sage and Burello (1994), "a shared responsibility for students with disabilities that begins with principals assuming ownership of special education programs is the key to an effective education for all students" (p. 243).  Although numerous studies (e.g., Aspedon, 1990; Harlin-Fischer, 1998; Monteith, 1994; Nardone, 1999; Rude & Rubedeau, 1992) have addressed the role of the building-level principal-level in the administration and supervision of special education programs and services, these studies have failed the student population. Utilizing in-depth interviews and on-site visits with principals, teachers, parents, and students, representing BIA, tribal, and public schools, I will develop case studies detailing the day-to-day involvement of the building-level principal in the administration and supervision of special education programs and services.

Cortisol Measures of Anticipatory Stress Reactions to School Bullying among Adolescents 

Carney, JoLynn      February 2004 - December 2004

The impact of peer abuse at school is well documented with youth reporting many reactions to bullying that negatively influence their lives (i.e., fear of going to school, feelings of anxiety, vengefulness, helplessness, hopelessness, humiliation, depression, & suicidal ideation). Recent studies show that bystanders also suffer a host of reactions (i.e., physiological arousal, feelings of isolation ineffectiveness & desensitization to negative behaviors).  Stress from the abusive situations themselves and anticipation of continuing abuse have become issues of great concern to children, parents, and schools.  Recent advancements in the ability to measure biological variables non-invasively make it possible for this study to expand understanding of biological responses to bullying and move this line of research beyond the limiting research designs of self-report and observation that have been predominant.  This research is an important step towards enabling specification, refining of hypotheses, and testing of how biobehavioral processes interact with social-contextual factors to influence development.  The study will specifically evaluate levels of salivary cortisol in 45 sixth grade students who self-select as victims, bystanders, or unaware of bullying from a larger group of 250 students.  Quantitative data will be analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistics.  Results will be presented as publications in refereed journals and conferences and as pilot interdisciplinary study in preparing an application for extramural funding from sources as NIH, NIMH, and US Department of Education.

Counselors as Wounded Healers: Effects of Counselors' Personal Histories on Counseling Outcome   

Hayes, Jeff      December 2003 - December 2004

The purpose of this project is to empirically test the ides that counselors' personal problems, when sufficiently resolved, may benefit their work with clients. This idea is rooted in the ancient concept of the "wounded healer", which posits that one's wounds, when adequately healed, can help alleviate the suffering of others. For example, a drug and alcohol counselor who has overcome a personal addiction may be better able to understand clients, make treatment decisions that are informed by personal experience, and serve as a role model for clients than a counselor who has not overcome addiction. To date, little research has directly examined the concept of the wounded healer. I would like to conduct three preliminary mail surveys to investigate the validity of the wounded healer as it applies across a variety of settings and populations (e.g., drug and alcohol counseling, grief counseling, and rehabilitation counseling). I would also like to build on the results of the survey research and conduct a pilot field study with drug and alcohol counselors and their clients. The cumulative findings from these studies would enhance current understanding of the concept of the wounded healer, provide an empirical foundation for subsequent extramural grant proposals, and ultimately inform models of counselor training. 

A Study of the Development of Racial Identity and Social Justice Attitude Development in First Year College Students 

Reason, Robert      October 2003 - August 2004

What can colleges and universities do to encourage students to take action on issues of racial equality? The current literature suggests that a well-developed sense of one's own racial identity should result in the development of social justice attitudes related to race, but little empirical evidence exists to support this belief. This proposal requests funds to develop and pilot a qualitative longitudinal study that explores the role of college and university experiences in the development of racial identity and social justice attitudes in college. The funded study will allow the principle investigator and three graduate student researchers to interview three groups of first-year students over one academic year in order to develop initial understandings and effective interview protocols. The research will examine the relationships between and among three areas: student's understanding of their own racial identity, their experiences during college that influence this understanding, and how this understanding relates to the student's beliefs about racial equality (social justice). Results from this pilot study will be used to inform an external grant proposal for a study of racial identity and social justice attitude development over the entire college experience (4-5years). 

Instrument Development and Piloting for Investigating Fraction Instruction at the Greenwich Japanese School 

Watanabe, Tadanobu      November 2003 - August 2004

The primary purpose of this proposal project is to develop and pilot the following instruments: written assessments, classroom observation scheme(s), and interview tasks. The secondary purpose of the project is to establish and develop a collaborative working relationship with the faculty and the administrators of the Greenwich Japanese School so that a larger scale study may be conducted at the school in the future. The proposed project will enhance the preparation of a proposal to the National Science Foundation to investigate the influences of alterative fraction instruction on students' understanding. Teaching and learning of fractions continues to be a major challenge in US elementary and middle schools. As recent international studies indicate that Japanese students demonstrate high mathematics achievement, an in-depth study of fraction teaching and learning at a Japanese school would be a unique opportunity to study the influences of a different curricular treatment of fractions on students' understanding. However, such a study poses a number of methodological challenges. The proposed study aims to develop and pilot a number of instruments. This project will enhance the future proposal to the National Science Foundation.

Access to What?: Exploring Access to College Knowledge Among Community College Bound Students 

Deil-Amen, Regina      February 2002 - November 2003

How has the expansion of college access transformed the nature of stratification mechanisms?  This RIG program is intended to develop and pilot a larger qualitative longitudinal study, which will explore the role of students' knowledge about college in their transition from high school to community college and the potential consequences of this on their eventual college attainment. This larger study will focus on the influence of the school as a social and organization context and explore the complex interplay of low SES students' aspirations, counseling and testing practices, curriculum issues, and high school and community college programs and policies.  Tracking the trajectories of "community college bound" students over several years will contribute to a fuller understanding of low SES students' perceptions of their experiences during this process.  Such research can improve policy interventions and the effectiveness of future survey instruments, particularly in terms of their usefulness or studying sub-baccalaureate and non-traditional college students. 

Explaining the "Rising Curve": Math Curriculum and the Mysterious Rise of Mean IQ Scores

Gamson, David  July 2003 - December 2003

This project seeks to address one piece of a larger research puzzle:  Why has the mean IQ score risen quite dramatically over the past century? Psychologists who study intelligence and intelligence testing have been at a loss to explain this striking phenomenon, despite exploring a rage of potential explanatory factors.  Preliminary research suggests that schooling should be seen as precisely the sort of massive intervention that would explain a rise in mean IQ scores.  Specifically, two twentieth-century factors are analyzed - the increase in mass schooling and the increasing cognitive complexity of the mathematics curriculum--that we suggest accounts for the rise in IQ scores.  This project has the potential to offer new and compelling approaches to understanding the connections between learning, curriculum and instruction, and intelligence. 

Instrument Development and Piloting for a Study of Diffusion of Drug Prevention Programs in Public Schools

LeTendre, Gerald K.     November 2002 – May 2003

The project is to develop and pilot preliminary instruments needed for the revision of a proposal to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). The larger grant proposal (a four-year study entitled "diffusion of Drub Prevention Programs i Public Schools:" supporting a team of researchers from inside and outside the College of Education) was submitted and reviewed during the summer.  The reviews call for development and piloting of surveys and interviews that assess administrator, teacher and student's knowledge of and concerns about school-based programs and laws relating to drug possession, searches, drug testing and student rights. The research is a high priority area for NIDA.  School districts continue to adopt and implement programs with no long-term empirical record harm reduction (such as D.A.R.E.) while bypassing effective programs developed by NIDA funding.  Our research address issues of how legal and organizational environments affect the implementation and institutionalization of drug-abuse prevention or intervention programs in U.S. public schools.  The need for basic research in this area at this time is critical because of significant changes in federal and state law combined with court decisions have radically altered the organizational environment and institutional rationales that affect how public schools operate. 

Skowron, Elizabeth A.      January 2003 – December 2003

 In order to document pathways to physical child abuse, this study seeks to examine multigenerational family communication patterns associated with child maltreatment.  Thus study is part of a larger investigation of the multigenerational patterns of risk and resiliency in urban, at-risk families.  In the current project, families were identified on the basis of parent scored on the Child Abuse Potential Inventory and selected to create high and low abuse potential groups.  Stochastic process analysis will be used to analyze coded family interactions.  Locus and type of one-step parent-to-child and child-to-parent transactions that significantly discriminate between high and low child abuse potential families will be determined empirically, using discriminate function analysis.  Results will be presented as pilot data in preparing an application for extramural funding. 

A Preliminary Examination of Collegiate Desegregation and Transdemographic Enrollments

Brown, II, M. Christopher     May 2002 – August 2002

Public black colleges play an important role in American higher education.  They are often lauded for their unique campus culture.  However, we know very little about what this culture includes, as well as how and why it persists.  Currently, there is an assumed scholarly consensus that there is a campus culture endemic to public black colleges.  There is no empirical evidence, however,  that this culture actually exists.  As a result if this investigation, the field will be presented with a description of the public black college campus culture, along with evidence on how shifts in student enrollment campus context.  This study begins to fill this gap in our knowledge base.

Preparation for Privilege:  Exploring aspects of law school admissions

Evensen, Dorothy H.  &   Kornhaber, Mindy   March 2002 – August 2002

The purpose of this grant is to undertake two projects preliminary to a longitudinal study of how those who aspire to law school prepare for admission, and how prepared they perceive themselves to be in law school and within the profession.  Our first preliminary project replicates a study describing the 1981 pool of applicants.  Our second preliminary project seeks first hand accounts of preparatory experiences from 24 students at one highly prestigious law school.  We expect that findings from these studies will provide information needed to understand characteristics of law school aspirants and the experiences of persons admitted.  In addition, this information will allow us to design tools needed for our longitudinal inquiry.  We contend that by understanding the academic and social conditions under which successful students prepare, we would be better able to design opportunities that would help prepare a large, perhaps more diverse groups of students. 

Value Changes that Occur with Acquired Physical Disabilities: Some prospective measures

Mpofu, Elias     March 2002 – January 2003  

Every 10 minutes, 370 American acquire a physical disability following an automobile accident (New York Times 1998 Almanac). Many of these individuals will undergo medical and psychological rehabilitation interventions designed, among other things, to realign an individual's value system to accommodate their disability related difference. The goal of the study is to investigate the internal structure of Linkowski's (1971) Acceptance of Disability Scales (ADS) and the Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ) as mechanisms for measuring value change and rehabilitation effectiveness with people undergoing treatment for acquired physical disabilities. This project continues ongoing development of partnerships between Penn State's Rehabilitation Services program and physical rehabilitation service providers, and consumers of rehabilitation services.  Further, the project is expected to develop into a larger collaborative project, funded by external agencies, with physical rehabilitation hospitals and clinics   

Understanding the ‘New Segregation’

Reardon, Sean F.     April 2002 – September 2002

Racial and socioeconomic segregation among schools and neighborhoods remains a stubborn fact of U.S. society. Recent reports show public school segregation between White and minority students is on the rise, a result of both increasing racial residential segregation and a judicial/legislative retreat from the desegregation efforts of the 1960's and 1970's, particularly in the South.  Given these trends, this project has three primary goals:  1) to characterize the patterns and trends of the 'new segregation' with detailed analyses of census data and public and private school enrollment data; 2) to investigate the causes of these patterns by investigating why families with school-age children choose the schools and neighborhoods that they do; and 3) to examine the recent trend toward dismantling judicial and legislative desegregation efforts and the effects of this trend on the resegregation of schools, particularly in the South.  This preliminary study is intended to acquire date to support major grant proposal for this research to be submitted  in the Fall of 2002. 

Improving Employment Outcomes for People with HIV/AIDS: 

A needs assessment 

Conyers, Liza     January 2002 – December 2002

Although many individuals with HIV/AIDS are responding well to medical treatments, their unemployment rates remain high.  While many people with HIV/AIDS are motivated to return to work, they struggle with a wide range of employment-related concerns including benefits loss, work-related health, job skills, discrimination, personal healthcare, and workplace accommodation.  Despite the high personal and societal costs of unemployment among this population, little research has been done to better understand the employment related needs of individuals with HIV/AIDS in metropolitan areas and no research has been done to explore the employment-related needs of a rural population.  The purpose of this project is to gather preliminary data on the employment-related needs of individuals with HIV/AIDS to lay the foundation to seek funding to develop and evaluate vocational interventions for this population.

Forging Consensus on Reading Education:  

A study of values in policy making

Edmondson, Jacqueline     January 2002 – June 2002

This proposal requests support to research contemporary efforts to construct and utilize consensus in order to inform policies in reading education. In a previous submission to a grant agency, the judges were enthusiastic but not certain that the scope of the project was feasible. They requested that a pilot be conducted and the data and findings be used in a new proposal to substantiate the possibility of completing the larger study. With this goal in mind, this pilot study seeks to understand both the process and product of consensus building in policymaking, the rationales for seeking consensus, the forces that shape consensus efforts, and the consequences of these influences. To do this, data from the recent National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NICHD) National Reading Panel’s Teaching Children to Read will be examined. The study will advance present knowledge concerning policy theory (i.e. relationships among consensus, disagreement, and diversity), policy process (i.e., ways in which expertise and science are used to forge consensus and make policy), and policy in use (i.e., ways in which consensus and policy reflect the ideals of a democratic society). The grant will enable the analysis of previously collected data (i.e. interviews and meeting transcripts), which will be at the crux of the resubmission to the external granting agency.    

District by Design: A history of the American school district

Gamson, David     January 2002 – July 2002

This project seeks to examine the role that school districts played in the history of twentieth-century school reform.  The primary purpose of the grant is to provide release time and travel funds necessary for the completion of my manuscript, District by Design: Progressive Era Education Reform in Four Western Cities, 1890-1940.  This manuscript offers a specific contribution to the field of the history of American education by offering a comparative analysis of the ways in which city school systems in the western United States undertook coordinated and comprehensive district-wide reform.  The second purpose of the grant is to allow time to expand the study into the second half of the twentieth century and to prepare proposals for submission to other grant programs.