Faculty Grants
TELS faculty are actively involved in education research activities with interdisciplinary on-campus, state, national, and international partners. Projects are funded by numerous area school systems, the state of North Carolina, local and national foundations and non-profits, and numerous federal programs (e.g., Library of Congress, NIH, NSF, US-Ed). A selection of funded grants, recent and active, is shown below.
Auxilium Foundation (Street Law Inc. Sub). Measuring the Impact of the Deliberative Discussion Model. $92,606. (10/10/2019 through 09/30/2022). McAvoy, P.
Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Programmed Robotics in the After-School Makerspace: A Four-County Initiative. $177,468. (02/01/2020 through 08/30/2023). Oliver, K., Newby, P., Barrier, R.
Burroughs Wellcome Fund. GAPS (Geospatial Analytics for Problem Solving) for Hi-Tech Teens. $175,006. (02/01/2017 through 08/31/2021). Money, E., Bunds, K., Mitasova, H., Park, S., Evans, M. A.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (Harvard University Sub). Improving Early Literacy at Scale through Personalized Diagnosis and Intervention. $22,636. (05/16/2020 through 08/15/2020). Relyea, J.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools. Preparing Teachers who are Content Leaders v.2—English as a Second Language Cohort Program. $177,097. (03/01/2021 through 06/30/2022). Lee, J. K., Koch, J. G.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools. Special Education Licensure Cohort Programs: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. $166,094. (03/01/2020 through 06/30/2021). Lee, J. K., & Horne, E. T.
Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC). Pilot Testing the #PassTheMicYouth Curriculum to Nurture Youth-Led Community Engagement. $4,980. (09/01/2021 through 06/30/2022). Gonzalez, M. E., Byrd, C.
Library of Congress. Developing a Skills Ladder with Library of Congress Primary Sources. $67,786. (10/01/2021 through 09/30/2022). Manfra, M.
Mebane Charitable Council. Literacy Leaders Partnership. $575,183. (10/07/2019 through 05/31/2023). Davis, D. S.
Mindset Scholars Network (Montclair State University Sub). Belonging-Centered Instruction: An Approach to Establishing Inclusive Mathematics Classrooms. $31,533. (05/16/2020 through 02/28/2021). Gray, D.
NC-DPI. Wolfpack Works: A Three-Prong, K-2 Literacy Initiative for Beginning Teachers to Facilitate Students’ Reading Development in North Carolina (2019-2022). $12,266,816. (07/01/2019 through 06/30/2021). Grifenhagen, J., Harrington, A. D., Sztajn, P.
NC Humanities Council. The Young Adult Colloquium: Come YAC with the PACK! $3,500. (03/05/2021 through 12/31/2021). Falter, M.
NCTE. Amplifying the Voices of Underserved Students in Community-Based Organizations. $2,000. (08/01/2021 through 07/31/2022). Chen, C., Picart, J.
NCSU Sea Grant Program. Strengthening Community Networks for Environmental Learning and Resilience Through Children. $119,998. (02/01/2020 through 12/31/2022), Stevenson, K., Busch, K. C., Carrier, S., & Nils, P.
NCSU Sea Grant. Program. Improving Environmental Decision Making In Coastal Communities Through Giving Children A Voice: Building Science Literacy, Civic Engagement, And Coastal Resilience Through K-12 Citizen Science. $119,998. (02/01/2018 through 06/30/2021). Stevenson, K., Peterson, N., Strnad, R. L., Carrier, S., Busch, K. Bondell, H. D.
NCSU Advanced Self Powered Systems of Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) Center. Assessment of ASSIST Educational Programs. $138,808. (09/01/2012 through 08/31/2022). Manfra, M.
NIH. Environmental Health Research Experiences for Teachers in High-Poverty Schools: A Professional Development Program. $497,530. (01/01/2018 through 12/31/2022). Thomson, M., Roberts, R. B.
NSF. Collaborative Research: Supporting Teachers to Develop Equitable Mathematics Instruction Through Rubric-Based Coaching. $1,146,432. (09/01/2021 through 08/31/2025). Wilson, J.
NSF (UNC-NC A&T Sub). Broadening Participation Research Project: The Development of a Multidimensional STEM Identity Measure to Increase the Retention and Success of African American Students at an HBCU. $108,565. (09/01/2021 through 08/31/2024). Byrd, C.
NSF. Applying a Digital Tool to Support Self-regulated Learning Strategies in Introductory Geoscience Courses. $480,225. (07/01/2021 through 06/30/2024). McConnell, D., Nietfeld, J.
NSF. Connecting Students with Autism to Geographic Information Science & Technology (GIST) Careers. $1,345,436. (07/01/2021 through 06/30/2024). Painter, J., Pearson, J. N.
NSF. Enhancing Engagement and Conceptual Understanding of Fractions for Students with Learning Disabilities using the Model Mathematics Education Curriculum. $1,391,542. (03/01/2020 through 02/29/2024). Hunt, J.
NSF. Enhancing STEM Identity through eMentoring Experiences. $1,199,814. (12/05/2018 through 11/30/2023). Denson, C., Dunbar, A., Eseryel, D., & Rutherford, T.
NSF. SCC-PG: Empathy and AI: Towards Equitable Microtransit. $150,000. (10/01/2021 through 09/30/2023) Bardaka, E., Hajibabai, D., Leila, S., Munindar P., Chen, C., Mayhorn, C. B.
NSF. Enhancing Undergraduate Learning About Biomechanics and Data Science Through Augmented Reality and Self-motion Data. $600,000. (09/01/2020 through 08/31/2023). Xu, X., Fang, X., Chen, K. B., Jiang, S., & Wu, T.
NSF. Learning Analytics in STEM Education Research Institute. $993,150. (09/01/2020 through 08/31/2023). Kellogg, S. B., Jiang, S., & Lee, H.
NSF. Preservice Educators Reimagining Core Experiences in Physics Teaching. $733,392. (09/01/2018 through 08/31/2023). Minogue, J.
NSF (AERA Sub). Co-development of Reading Ability and Science Content Knowledge for Elementary-Grade English Learners: The Role of Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP). $25,000. (08/16/2021 through 08/15/2023). Relyea, J.
NSF. Collaborative Research: Building a Computational Thinking Foundation in Upper Elementary Science with Narrative-Centered Maker Environments. $1,599,339. (08/01/2019 through 07/31/2023). Mott, B., Minogue, J., & Oliver, K.
NSF. Validation of the Equity and Access Rubrics for Mathematics Instruction (VEAR-MI). $2,296,493. (07/15/2019 through 06/30/2023). Wilson, J., Walkowiak, T. A.
NSF (Horizon Research, Inc. Sub). Supporting Elementary Teacher Learning for Effective School-Based Citizen Science (TL4CS). $342,472. (07/01/2020 through 06/30/2023). Carrier, S.
NSF (Concord Consortium Sub). Narrative Modeling with StoryQ: Integrating Mathematics, Language Arts, and Computing to Create Pathways to Artificial Intelligence Careers. $310,581. (06/01/2020 through 05/31/2023). Jiang, S.
NSF. A Learning Environment to Support Comprehension Monitoring with Informational Science Text. $1,146,395. (06/01/2018 through 05/31/2023). Nietfeld, J., Russo, M. E.
NSF. Multimodal Visitor Analytics: Investigating Naturalistic Engagement with Interactive Tabletop Science Exhibits. $1,951,956. (03/01/2018 through 12/31/2022). Lester, J., Rowe, J., Minogue, J.
NSF. Supporting Students’ Science Content Knowledge through Project-Based Inquiry (PBI). $449,081. (08/01/2019 through 07/31/2022). Krupa, E., Spires, H. A.
NSF. CAREER: Fraction Activities and Assessments for Conceptual Teaching (FAACT) for Students with Learning Disabilities. $411,877. (01/01/2017 through 12/31/2021). Hunt, J.
NSF. Developmentally Appropriate Strategies for Targeting Early Adolescents’ Motivation in STEM. $1,011,821. (09/01/2016 through 08/31/2021). Gray, D., Williams, B., Bryant, L. H.
NSF. Recalibrating Student Learning in Introductory Geoscience Courses Through the Use of A Web-Based Assessment Tool. $299,995. (07/01/2017 through 06/30/2021). McConnell, D., Nietfeld, J.
NSF (Indiana University Sub). Assessing the Structure of Knowledge in Teaching Mathematics. $329,298. (07/01/2016 through 06/30/2021). Walkowiak, T.
NSF. Evaluation For Actionable Change: A Data-Driven Approach. $799,837. (01/01/2016 through 06/30/2021). Sztajn, P, Barnes, T., Lynch, C. F., Liu, A., Rutherford, T.
Spencer Foundation. African American Teachers and Pedagogies of Freedom: A Historical Examination of Black Teaching in Professional Networks, 1925-1954. $74,986. (08/01/2022 through 08/31/2024). Nocera, A.
Spencer Foundation (UC-San Diego Sub). Whose Home for Home School?: Black “Essential Worker” Mothers and their Experiences with Distance Learning During COVID 19. $11,329. (08/01/2020 through 07/31/2022). Gunby, J. D.
Spencer Foundation. Changing Teaching Practice: Integrating the C3 Framework through Action Research. $49,883. (05/01/2019 through 01/31/2021). Manfra, M., Lee, J. K.
Triangle Community Foundation. Cultural Investigations and Digital Representations for Educators (CIDRE). $188,286. (11/01/2019 through 12/31/2022). Oliver, K., Wiseman, A.
Triangle Community Foundation. Preparing Teachers for Cultural Connections, Collections, and Reflections through Technology. $279,904. (12/31/2015 through 12/31/2022). Oliver, K., Pritchard, R.
US-Ed. Supporting Reading Comprehension for English Learners Through Inquiry-Based, Language Focused Instruction. $1,008,065. (08/01/2020 through 07/31/2023). Davis, D. S., Relyea, D. S.
US-Ed. Professional Online Learning Module (PLOM) Project. $934,215. (01/01/2020 through 06/30/2023). Johnson, C., Spires, H., Hunt, J., Walton, J. B., Samberg, M. J.
US-Ed. Developing and Refining a Parent Training to Improve Outcomes for African American Children with Autism. $314,446. (07/01/2021 through 06/30/2023). Pearson, J.
US-Ed (NC-DPI Sub). NCSIP IHE Partnership. $10,000. (10/01/2021 through 09/30/2022). Faulkner, V., Pearson, J.
US-Ed (NC-DPI Sub). NC SIP IHE Partnership. $10,000. (10/01/2020 through 09/30/2022). Pearson, J. N.
US-Ed (NC-DPI Sub). At Home Learning Initiative Phase III. $369,512. (10/15/2020 through 07/30/2021). Kellogg, S. B., Spires, H., Huggins, E., Himes, S., Pierson, S., & Hunt, J.
US-Ed (NC-DPI Sub). A Longitudinal Examination of Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) in North Carolina Public Schools. $136,651. (08/01/2020 through 07/30/2021). Sabornie, E., Crossland, C., & Griffith, E. H.
William & Flora Hewlett Foundation. Fostering Deeper Learning Pilot. $10,000. (12/12/2019 through 03/01/2021). Cannon, S., Horne, E. T.
Wuzhong Group. Connecting to the Future: A Cross Cultural Partnership Between Educators in North Carolina and China-Phase III. $3,377,539. (09/01/2014 through 06/30/2025). Himes, M., Spires, H.