The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology Awarded $11.3M in Grants in FY26 Fiscal Year
Grants are listed based upon the quarter in which they were awarded. Abstracts are included when available. Click on the PI’s name for their contact information and to learn more about their research.
July-September 2025
Intergenerational Effects of Education to Job Mismatch
PI: Drew Hanks
Amount: $10,000
Sponsor: The City University of New York
Department: Human Sciences
Los Alamos National Laboratory DACUM Institute
PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $35,600
Sponsor: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
Iowa’s Integrated Data System for Decision-Making: Using Evidence to Inform Strategic Planning for Early Childhood Iowa
PI: Ji-Young Choi
Amount: $19,940
Sponsor: Iowa State University
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
State of Ohio Department of Children and Youth PhotoVoice Project
PI: Jamie O’Leary
Amount: $150,000
Sponsor: State of Ohio Department of Children and Youth
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
City of Columbus’ Pre-Kindergarten Initiative 2025-2026: Ready4Success
PI: Jamie O’Leary
Amount: $465,000
Sponsor: City of Columbus
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
Digital Mathematics Storytelling: Fraction Stories from Urban Emergent Communities
PI: Patricia Enciso
Amount: $182,935
Sponsor: California State University- Fullerton (NSF)
Department: Teaching and Learning
ODEW Technical Testing Project FY26 & FY27
PI: Bridget McHugh
Amount: $3,102,099
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
Future Fluent Families: Building AI Literacy for Career Readiness through Learning at Home
PI: Hadley Bachman
Amount: $100,000
Sponsor: Battelle Memorial Institute
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families 2025 Professional Development Grant for Emerging Scholars Studying Poverty Economic Well-Being Early Care and Education
PI: Ashley Boros
Amount: $2,813
Sponsor: Child Trends
Department: Human Sciences
Ashley is an early childhood development researcher studying how classroom characteristics and practices in Head Start and the home environment support the school readiness of multilingual children. Her current project examines variation in social-emotional, cognitive, and academic skills across dual language learners (DLLs) from Spanish-speaking households and English monolinguals (EMs), using a five-group classification of English and Spanish proficiency. By classifying children’s language status based on English and Spanish proficiency and considering classroom and teacher factors relevant to DLLs, this work underscores the heterogeneity of children’s language abilities and identifies DLL-specific practices that influence school readiness outcomes.
October-December 2025
FY26/27 Special Education Profiles and Determinations
PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $289,882
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
FY2026 & FY2027 Supporting High-Quality Family Engagement Implementation for Ohio’s Comprehensive Literacy State Development Project
PI: Meredith Wellman
Amount: $201,840
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
Making Every Moment Count – Early-Educator Guidance for Implementing Curricula for Impact
PI: Laura Justice
Amount: $100,000
Sponsor: State of Ohio Department of Children & Youth
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
DACUM Analysis to Support Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program Development
PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $12,739
Sponsor: West Virginia Northern Community College
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
Nutrition Delivered: Designing a Meal Kit Intervention for Gestational Diabetes
PI: Sanja Ilic
Amount: $14,061
Sponsor: National Pork Board
Department: Human Sciences
Ohio Department of Education Career-Technical Teacher Education Programs FY2026 Funding
PI: Christopher Zirkle
Amount: $102,400
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Educational Studies
Corrections Teacher Educator FY26
PI: Christopher Zirkle
Amount: $100,579
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Youth Services
Department: Educational Studies
DACUM Support for Water Industry Utility Manager Program Development
PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $25,000
Sponsor: National Rural Water Association
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
The Dignity of Work: Creating Pathways to Improved Employment Outcomes for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
PI: Carly Gilson
Amount: $77,902
Sponsor: American Institutes for Research
Department: Educational Studies
For the My ROAD to Employment project, AIR staff will work with people with I/DD, supported employment providers, and employers across the country to strengthen workplace practices and create practical tools to put dignity of risk into action.
The project includes three phases:
- Phase 1: Conduct a national survey and case studies with three supported employment providers to identify what factors influence the implementation of dignity of risk at work.
- Phase 2: Develop and test key parts of My ROAD to Employment, an intervention to help supported employment providers put dignity of risk into action.
- Phase 3: Pilot My ROAD to Employment with three supported employment providers to evaluate feasibility and acceptability.
Enhancement of the Virtual Lab School, a Comprehensive Professional Development System for Child Care Professionals
PI: Sarah Lang
Amount: $2,569,192
Sponsor: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
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.
FY2026 and FY2027 Ohio Aspire Professional Development Network
PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $568,029
Sponsor: Kent State University (US 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: $273,867
Sponsor: Rice University (NIH)
Department: Human Sciences
The study investigates the relationship between exposure to food insecurity and trauma and the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as their contribution to health disparities among marginalized Latino immigrant populations in the United States with varying levels of acculturation. It aims to identify individual and cultural factors that may mitigate the adverse health effects of food insecurity on CVD risk and psychological well-being.
Mental Health Learning Modules for Ohio’s Educators and School Personnel
PI: Gabrielle Johnson
Amount: $661,500
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
Evaluation of Salvation Army’s Housing for Human Trafficking Survivors Grant
PI: Meredith Wellman
Amount: $21,000
Sponsor: The Salvation Army of Central Ohio (Department of Justice)
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
The Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE) at The Ohio State University has supported evaluation for The Salvation Army of Central Ohio’s anti-human trafficking efforts for several Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) grants over the past decade. This particular project focuses on housing for survivors of human trafficking in Central Ohio. OSU's work will entail collaborating with Salvation Army staff to understand what successful outcomes will look like, developing and utilizing measurement tools, and developing recommendations for future services.
IDEA: Family, Community and Educator Collaboration (FY26)
PI: Barbara Boone
Amount: $226,500
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Renewal 2025-2026
PI: Anneliese Johnson
Amount: $38,513
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
January-March 2026
Orientation and Mobility – ODE Grant FY2025-26
PI: Danene Fast
Amount: $167,300
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Teaching and Learning
From Concept to Cotton: A Product Innovation Experience
PI: Tasha Lewis
Amount: $19,229
Sponsor: Cotton Incorporated
Department: Human Sciences
From Concept to Cotton is a pilot initiative designed to provide Fashion & Retail Studies students with an immersive, innovation-focused product development experience using cotton-based materials. This project integrates a series of structured workshops, field visits to local fashion studios, and access to professional-grade tools and resources, offering students a unique opportunity to apply classroom learning in a real-world context. Students will engage in advanced techniques including additive manufacturing, laser cutting, and digital printing, guided by faculty and industry professionals. This initiative is designed to enhance creative development, strengthen career readiness, and serve as a scalable model for future curriculum expansion within the program.
NAICCO Evaluation
PI: David Julian
Amount: $150,000
Sponsor: Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
DACUM Analysis and Curriculum Design for Water Industry Apprenticeship Coordinators
PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $23,278
Sponsor: National Rural Water Association
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
Workforce Recruitment and Retention: Understanding and Strengthening Iowa’s Early Care and Education Systems
PI: Ji-Young Choi
Amount: $20,000
Sponsor: Iowa State University
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
With recent funding from the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children (Iowa AEYC) and partnership from the I2D2 team at Iowa State University, Choi and graduate student Ashley Boros are examining whether early childhood provider profiles can be identified based on provider characteristics and experiences, how these profiles relate to commitment to the field and intent to stay, and whether prior profiles predict providers’ likelihood of remaining in their positions or in the field. Given the high teacher turnover in early childhood, this study will provide important insights into factors that support workforce stability. The project leverages statewide data on early childhood providers in Iowa collected in 2022 and 2025. Researchers and community stakeholder partners are collaborating closely throughout the project.
SPDG – Family Educator Collaboration Through a Multi-Tiered Approach – Year 4 (FY26)
PI: Hadley Bachman
Amount: $100,222
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)
April-June 2026
Comprehensive Literacy State Development Subgrant 2025-2026
PI: Anneliese Johnson
Amount: $429,627
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
Ohio Early Childhood Education Evaluation and Impact Hub
PI: Jamie O’Leary
Amount: $240,000
Sponsor: State of Ohio Department of Children and Youth
Department: Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy (CCEC)
- In partnership with the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) funded through the federal Preschool Development Grant.
- DCY is aiming to build an early childhood education evaluation and impact hub. The purpose of the hub will be to centralize data collection efforts and direct evaluation and research activities to better understand implementation, reach, and impact of early childhood programs and services in the state.
- We are working with them on the start up of this, conducting a landscape scan of other states who are innovating or otherwise have strong commitment to and infrastructure for government and policy partners to conduct meaningful evaluation and research; and will be making recommendations on the Ohio model.
Establishing Families Modules FY26
PI: Thomas Capretta
Amount: $19,480
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
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: $917,180
Sponsor: National Opinion Research Center (IES)
Department: Educational Studies
Investigating the Feasibility of Implementing Task-Based Language Teaching in a Community-Based Marathi Heritage Language Program
PI: Jaee Sonalkar
Amount: $2,500
Sponsor: National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
Department: Teaching and Learning
Los Alamos National Laboratory DACUM Institute Facilitator Training
PI: Traci Lepicki
Amount: $35,770
Sponsor: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Department: Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)