The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology Awarded $32.1M in Grants in FY25 Fiscal Year

July-September 2024

Creating Opportunities for Healing with a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Intervention

PI:Stephanie Power-Carter
Amount: $26,929
Sponsor: City of Columbus
Department: Teaching and Learning

Ohio Head Start Association, Inc. (OHSAI) Phase 4 REDI Implementation

PI: Gabrielle Johnson
Amount: $25,000
Sponsor: Ohio Head Start Association
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

The Impact of Balanced Leadership for Student Learning: A Professional Learning and Coaching Program for School Leaders

PI: Roger Goddard
Amount: $1,374,748
Sponsor: McREL International (IES)
Department: Educational Studies

Research suggests that building strong school leadership may help address declining student achievement and educator turnover. To study the issue, Roger Goddard, the Novice G. Fawcett Professor in Education Administration, and Minjung Kim, associate professor of quantitative research, evaluation and measurement, will study the impact of the widely used Balanced Leadership for Student Learning™ on educator and student outcomes. They will work with the study's principal investigator Tedra Clark, PhD, of McREL International, on the four-year project.

More information: https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=5980

Multilingual and Multicultural Taiwan: A Comparative Education Experience for K-12 Educators

PI: Becky Huang
Amount: $118,290
Sponsor: US Department of Education
Department: Teaching and Learning

This four-week Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad program in Taiwan will include twelve K-12 pre-service and in-service educators from Ohio. The four objectives for the program are: 1) Provide pre-service and in-service educators from Ohio with service learning experience by teaching English (as an additional language) in a public K-12 school in Taiwan; 2) Promote pre- and in-service educators' intercultural competence and understanding of multilingual and multicultural education via a comparative lens; 3) Grow pre- and in-service Ohio educators' capacities to develop culturally efficacious pedagogical materials and practices that will be shared with colleagues in Taiwan and in Ohio; and 4) Develop pre- and in-service Ohio educators' Mandarin language proficiency with intensive Mandarin language lessons and authentic engagements with Mandarin speakers and the multilingual/multicultural spaces in Taiwan.

More information: https://ielp.ehe.osu.edu/team/ivan-stefano/

Career Development Opportunities for High School Students in Baltimore City Public Schools

PI: Jay Plasman
Amount: $3,198,719
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences
Department: Educational Studies

The purpose of this project is first to explore and then to evaluate career development opportunities in Baltimore City Public Schools. The research team will first identify patterns related to differences in student participation in, access to, and benefits of career development opportunities and then they will conduct an impact, implementation, and cost study of a career development opportunity.

More information: https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=6046

Innovative Methods to Enhance Racial Equity Through the Safety and Justice Challenge Network

PI: Beverly Vandiver
Amount: $182,604
Sponsor: University of Michigan (MacArthur Foundation)
Department: Human Sciences

A Randomized Controlled Study of Lectio Divina

PI: Paul Granello
Amount: $100,957
Sponsor: Stetson University (Templeton World Foundation)
Department: Educational Studies

We at OSU will be investigating Heart Rate Variability change as a result of participants practice of Lectio Divina meditation.

More information: https://www.templetonworldcharity.org/projects-resources/project-database/32530

Early Childhood Education Expansion Grant – Year 2024-2025

PI: Anneliese Johnson
Amount: $106,250
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

EDiCTS 2.0: Enhancing Diversity in Career and Technical STEM

PI: Matthew Mayhew
Amount: $975,054
Sponsor: ECMC Foundation
Department: Educational Studies

Linking Motivational Supports with Culturally Relevant Instruction to Promote Students' Citizenship Competencies

PI: Eric Anderman
Amount: $5,000
Sponsor: American Psychological Association
Department: Educational Studies

Increasing FSMA Compliance in the North Central Region Through Better Connected, Supported, and Educated Stakeholders Who Work with Under-Served Growers and Processors

PI: Sanja Ilic
Amount: $15,000
Sponsor: Iowa State University (USDA NIFA)
Department: Human Sciences

Investigating the Impact of the LETRS Program on Teacher Knowledge, Instructional Practice, and Student Literacy Outcomes

PI: Shayne Piasta
Amount: $1,003,729
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

In this study, the researchers will examine the effect of a teacher professional development program in literacy called Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS). LETRS is a fully developed, commercially available, and widely used professional development program to support literacy (language, reading, writing) outcomes.  Despite its wide use, causal evidence of its impact on teacher knowledge and practice and student literacy outcomes is limited. The researchers aim to examine the effects of LETRS on teacher knowledge, teacher instructional practice, and student literacy outcomes.  They will implement LETRS under real-world conditions within authentic educational contexts and with the intended end users.

FY25 Corrections Consultant Project

PI: Christopher Zirkle
Amount: $111,397
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
Department: Educational Studies

SES-Related Disparities in Early Language Development and Child Risk for Developmental Language Disorder (Phase 2)

PI: Laura Justice
Amount: $2,299,436
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

FY2025 The Ohio State University Services to Support the Ohio Aspire Professional Development Network

PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $273,782
Sponsor: Kent State University
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Ohio Department of Education Career-Technical Teacher Education Programs FY2025 Funding

PI: Christopher Zirkle
Amount: $102,400
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education
Department: Educational Studies

Enhancement Of The Virtual Lab School, A Comprehensive Professional Development System For Child Care Professionals

PI: Sarah Lang
Amount: $855,000
Sponsor: USDA/NIFA
Department: Human Sciences

The Virtual Laboratory School is designed to be a dynamic professional development system that is reflective of the latest research that should inform the care and education of children and youth and is responsive to emerging needs in military child care settings. The objective of this project is to continue the work of the VLS in providing innovative and cost-effective virtual professional development (PD) for child development, school age, and youth program staff and family child care providers by offering a system grounded upon the effectiveness of reflective practice, tailored coaching to support staff members' use of optimal practices, and evidence-based strategies to support adult learners.

Efficacy and Mechanisms of Media and Storybook Interventions to Promote Children's Early Literacy Skills via Caregiver Engagement

PI: Rebecca Dore
Amount: $1,986,773
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

By kindergarten entry, children from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds lag behind their peers from higher SES homes in early literacy and other school readiness skills and these gaps persist through high school. The goal of this study is to determine whether an intervention to support caregivers in engaging with their children while co-using educational media can improve children's early literacy skills, compared to an aligned shared book reading intervention and to no intervention. Given that early literacy skills predict children's later academic learning, this home intervention, which aims to shape the communication patterns surrounding a common, family-friendly activity, has the potential to positively influence the trajectory of low-income children's academic success.

Understanding Factors that Determine ECE Teachers' Turnover Decisions

PI: Sarah Lang
Amount: $100,000
Sponsor: Administration for Children and Families
Department: Human Sciences, Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

City of Columbus' Pre-Kindergarten Initiative 2024-2025

PI: Jamie O'Leary
Amount: $470,000
Sponsor: City of Columbus
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

Optimizing Early Phonological Awareness Instruction to Support Reading and Spelling Acquisition

PI: Shayne Piasta
Amount: $3,270,223
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

Reading difficulties continue to be a pervasive public health issue. Many children, particularly those from marginalized populations, experience reading difficulties due to underdeveloped phonological awareness – and, specifically, phonemic awareness. Our long-term goal is to optimize phonological awareness intervention as a means of preventing reading difficulties and disparities. Our short-term goal is to complete two randomized controlled trials that inform such optimization through addressing current scientific controversies around the content, timing, and goals of phonological awareness intervention.

October-December 2024

The OSU Head Start Child Care Partnership Program

PI: Donald Fuzer
Amount: $9,223,962
Sponsor: Administration for Children and Families
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

The Ohio State University's Early Head Start Partnership Program provides high-quality early childhood education for children birth through age four who live in households experiencing poverty. We also provide comprehensive support to families in a two-generational approach that supports families in socio-economic mobility. The funds from this expansion will enable 189 Head Start slots to be added to the program, which currently serves 263 Columbus children and families enrolled in Early Head Start, a more than 70% increase in children served.

More information: https://sfc.osu.edu/2024/08/27/new-grant-expands-access-to-high-quality-early-education-for-more-central-ohio-families/

FY25 IDEA Parent, Educator and Community Collaboration

PI: Barbara Boone
Amount: $176.421
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Orientation and Mobility – ODE Grant FY2024-25

PI: Danene Fast
Amount: $177,899
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education
Department: Teaching and Learning

High School Technical Skill Attainment and Postsecondary Outcomes in Pennsylvania: Implementation, Impact, and Cost

PI: Jay Plasman
Amount: $321,084
Sponsor: RTI International (IES)
Department: Educational Studies

Creating a Skilled Technician Workforce by Establishing the Reinforcing Instructors for Semiconductor Education (RISE) Consortium

PI: Christopher Zirkle
Amount: $184,648
Sponsor: Columbus State Community College (NSF)
Department: Educational Studies

Comparing Digestion of Various Lipid Classes from Novel Infant Formula Products

PI: Rachel Kopec
Amount: $164,993
Sponsor: Abbott Nutrition, Inc
Department: Human Sciences

SPDG – Family Educator Collaboration Through a Multi-Tiered Approach – Year 3 (FY25)

PI: Hadley Bachman
Amount: $50,000
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Identify Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents

PI: Keeley Pratt
Amount: $20,773
Sponsor: Nationwide Children's Hospital (NIH)
Department: Human Sciences

This project will extensively phenotype a large cohort of youth at-risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D), as they transition through puberty, and characterize the course of dysfunction in pathophysiological indicators that lead to T2D. The knowledge gained from this study of the pathophysiology and epidemiology of youth-onset T2D with deep biochemical, clinical, and psychosocial phenotyping will critically inform the design and testing of future treatment and prevention approaches.

CACFP Renewal 2024-2025

PI: Anneliese Johnson
Amount: $43,151
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

A Biobehavioral Approach To Explore The Migration-Food Insecurity Nexus As A Social Determinant of Cardiovascular Health

PI: Irene Hatsu
Amount: $56,192
Sponsor: Rice University (NIH)
Department: Human Sciences

Evaluation of the Columbus City Council CAREER 500 Project

PI: David Julian
Amount: $110,000
Sponsor: Columbus City Council
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Phase 4: Advancing Interfaith Innovations: Leveraging the Welcoming Worldview Climate Index to Address the Ever-changing Interfaith Landscape (INSPIRES)

PI: Matthew Mayhew
Amount: $120,000
Sponsor: Arthur Vining Davis Foundation
Department: Educational Studies

January-March 2025

Engage 3.0- Phase 2

PI: David Julian
Amount: $95,829
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Phase 4: Advancing Interfaith Innovations: Leveraging the Welcoming Worldview Climate Index to Address the Ever-changing Interfaith Landscape (INSPIRES)

PI: Matthew Mayhew
Amount: $120,000
Sponsor: Pew Trusts
Department: Educational Studies

Defining Relationships of Early Mediators and Moderators of Sleep (DREAMS)

PI: Rebecca Dore
Amount: $1,540,216
Sponsor: University of Cincinnati (NIH)
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

DACUM Analysis to Support Registered Apprenticeship Program Development

PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $24,465
Sponsor: National Rural Water Association
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Development of PROM, Validation of Clinical Outcome Measures, Natural History, and Intervention for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Related Vision Disorders

PI: Penny Pasque
Amount: $164,041
Sponsor: Salus University (DoD)
Department: Educational Studies

Penny Pasque and the QualLab research team [Dr. Ruth Lu, Mianmian Fei, Sohan Daniel] are spearheading the qualitative aspects of a multi-disciplinary Department of Defense grant on mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and vision impairment. Collaborating with experts across the U.S. and Australia, the team is developing a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) to assess the quality of life for young adults with mTBI-related oculomotor disorders. Through focus groups, interviews, and cross-team data analysis, their work enhances research discovery on quality-of-life domains and bridges critical gaps in understanding participants' health and well-being.

Preventing Opioid Misuse through Resilience and Life Skills Training for Youth and Families: Region 9

PI: Michael Betz
Amount: $627,826
Sponsor: OneOhio Recovery Foundation
Department: Human Sciences

ELEVATE: Equipping Learning, Empowering Vision, Achieving Transitions, and Engaging Families – A Doctoral Leadership Initiative

PI: Carly Gilson
Amount: $937,071
Sponsor: University of Oklahoma (US Department of Education)
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

Identifying Key School Experiences Linked to Reduced Absenteeism

PI: Arya Ansari
Amount: $5,000
Sponsor: Engagement Scholarship Consortium
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)

Family RoadMap Translations

PI: Barbara Boone
Amount: $48,223
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

April-June 2025

Wisconsin Triple P Online (TPOL) Evaluation

PI: Kenneth Steinman
Amount: $56,412
Sponsor: Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Department: Human Sciences

Plant-derived Heme Iron for Food Fortification

PI: Rachel Kopec
Amount: $401,873
Sponsor: Oxford University, UK (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
Department: Human Sciences

Career Development Opportunities for High School Students in Baltimore City Schools

PI: Jay Plasman
Amount: $150,000
Sponsor: American Institutes for Research (IES)
Department: Educational Studies

The research team is working with the Baltimore City Public School district on a multi-part research study. The first project will seek to explore and identify all the career development opportunities available to high school students in Baltimore City. In addition, the research team will examine how students are made aware of these opportunities and look to identify potential links with later high school and college outcomes. In the second project, the research team will work with the broader CTE Research Network to identify one career development opportunity on which to focus a more in-depth impact study. Ultimately, this research study will provide evidence for policymakers as to effective career development opportunities for high school students while also aiding practitioners in identifying potential challenges related to implementing such opportunities.

More Information: https://cteresearchnetwork.org/research/career-development-opportunities-high-school-students-baltimore-city-public-schools

Sloan Foundation Graduate Stipend

PI: Matthew Mayhew
Amount: $16,120
Sponsor: Alfred P Sloan Foundation
Department: Educational Studies

Supporting High-Quality Family Engagement Implementation for Ohio's Comprehensive Literacy State Development Project

PI: Meredith Wellman
Amount: $48,160
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

UC Family CAFÉ Project

PI: Barbara Boone
Amount: $13,100
Sponsor: University of Cincinnati
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Navigating Stormy Climates: Teacher Motivation on Implementing Culturally Relevant Education in the Anti-DEI Era

PI: Eric Anderman
Amount: $8,403
Sponsor: American Psychological Association
Department: Educational Studies

Examining Critical Consciousness Among School Psychologists: A Pathway Towards Promoting Social Justice and Equitable Student Outcomes

PI: Kamontá Heidelburg
Amount: $10,000
Sponsor: National Association of School Psychologists
Department: Educational Studies

FY26 Corrections Consultant Project

PI: Christopher Zirkle
Amount: $111,064
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
Department: Educational Studies