NC State College of Education Awarded $6.8 Million in Research Funding From July-September 2021

Faculty and researchers at the NC State College of Education, including the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, were awarded $6,865,526 to support nine projects from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2021. 

As of Sept. 30, the college has spent $4,334,260 on research expenditures during the 2021-22 academic year so far. 

NC State’s Leadership Academies

This $4,499,936 grant from the North Carolina Principal Fellows Commission will enable the College of Education to continue partnering with multiple school districts to deliver its customized, two-year Master of School Administration program to cohorts of students over the next six years. Bonnie Fusarelli, professor of educational leadership and educational evaluation, is the project’s principal investigator. Lance Fusarelli, professor and director of graduate programs for the College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development, and Lesley Wirt, associate director of principal preparation, serve as co-principal investigators on the project. 

Supporting Teachers to Develop Equitable Mathematics Instruction Through Rubric-based Coaching

This four-year $1,146,432 National Science Foundation DRK12 grant will integrate the Equity and Access Rubrics for Mathematics Instruction into the Mathematical Quality of Instruction coaching model to measure the effects on teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices, and on students’ mathematical achievement and sense of belonging in math classrooms. Jonee Wilson, assistant professor of mathematics education, is the project’s principal investigator.

Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center

The College of Education will receive $569,883 in funding from a $25 million National Science Foundation grant that established the Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center. The center is a national research effort to reduce dependence on mined phosphates and the amount of phosphorus that leaches into soil and water, with a focus on issues related to food security and environmental quality. Gail Jones, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of science education, will lead the center’s educational research component. 

Focus Groups and Professional Development for the Innovative Assessment Pilot

This $334,235 grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will enable the Friday Institute to help the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction develop a system of through-course assessment opportunities that will provide data for immediate feedback about students’ performance throughout the year. Shaun Kellogg, director of the Friday Institute Research and Evaluation Team, is the project’s principal investigator. Emmy Coleman, a senior research scholar at the Friday Institute, is the project’s co-principal investigator.

Future Eco-Manufacturing of Recyclable Soft Electronics

The College of Education will receive $136,922 in funding from a $3 million National Science Foundation grant to conduct further research into soft electronics and eco-manufacturing processes to address an epidemic of waste. Meg Blanchard, professor of science education, will serve as a co-principal investigator on the project, where she will focus on curriculum innovation.

First in PD Training: Food Innovation, Research, Science and Technology in Product Development Teaching

This $80,942 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will aid in the development of a free, online product development library for instructors teaching food product development. Shaun Kellogg, director of the Friday Institute Research and Evaluation Team, will serve as senior personnel on the project. 

Developing a Skills Ladder with Library of Congress Primary Sources

This $67,786 grant from the Library of Congress focuses on improving student learning outcomes using primary sources. The project will develop a series of skills ladders for K-12 students representing the proper developmental progression of the ideas and skills necessary to use primary sources to understand history. Meghan Manfra, associate professor of social studies education, is the project’s principal investigator.

Youth Engaging in the Science of Resilience in Urban and Rural N.C.

This $25,945 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the Friday Institute to conduct a robust, process-focused evaluation that can inform efficient implementation of a program that will inform collective understanding of STEM learning in informal environments. Shaun Kellogg, director of the Friday Institute Research and Evaluation Team, is the project’s principal investigator.

Building Coastal Resiliency Through Youth-Led Community Conversations
This $3,445 N.C. Sea Grant will synthesize a decade of environmental literacy research into a scalable curricular framework that fosters coastal resiliency through youth-led conversations. K.C. Busch, assistant professor of STEM education, is a co-principal investigator on the project.