Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center for Education Research (NCER): Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking

The Institute of Education Sciences, through the National Center for Education Research, supports research intended to build knowledge and understanding of education practice and policy. The Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking grants program, Assistance Listing Number 84.305S, supports state agencies in using statewide longitudinal data systems to generate evidence for state and local education agency program and policy decisions. The program focuses on decisions related to increasing learners' access to high-quality education and increasing academic achievement. Learners may be in prekindergarten, K-12, postsecondary, or adult education. Projects must align with applicable Standards for Excellence in Education Research requirements concerning objectivity and scientific integrity, relevance, open science, and, when applicable, intervention research. Eligible applicants are institutions with the ability and capacity to conduct rigorous research, including state agencies responsible for education programs and policies, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, public and private agencies and institutions, colleges, and universities. The state agency responsible for the education issue, program, or policy being examined must participate in the application. When the state agency is the applicant, the principal investigator must be from that agency. When it is not the applicant, a co-principal investigator from the state agency must participate. Research must use the state's statewide longitudinal data system. Appendix D must document access to the data, authority to use the data for the proposed study, and the expected date the data will become available. Research focused solely on learners with or at risk for disabilities is not responsive to this competition and must instead be submitted to the applicable National Center for Special Education Research program. Projects must measure at least one learner education outcome. Examples include school readiness, English language proficiency, academic achievement, career and technical education outcomes, course and grade completion, retention, high school graduation, dropout, and access to, persistence in, progress through, and completion of postsecondary or adult education. Projects examining educators' roles in improving learner outcomes must also measure relevant educator knowledge, skills, beliefs, behaviors, or practices. Applicants may link statewide longitudinal data system data to other datasets and may collect primary data when appropriate, although most project time and funding should be devoted to analyzing existing data when primary data collection is included. Awards may last no more than three years and may not exceed 1.2 million dollars. Requested costs must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, and commensurate with the proposed work. No required cost share or matching contribution is stated. The project narrative must contain four sections: Significance, Research Plan, Data, and Decision Making and Dissemination, and may not exceed 15 pages. Applicants must explain the education issues, problems, programs, or policies being examined, the learners of interest, research questions, research design and methods, analysis plan, statewide longitudinal data system data, availability of required data, and project team's relevant expertise. Applicants must also explain how findings will reach state agency leadership, inform decisions, and be disseminated to multiple audiences. Required appendices include Appendix D, Letters of Agreement; Appendix E, Data Sharing and Management Plan; and Appendix F, Alignment with SEER Standards. Appendix B, Response to Reviewers, is required for resubmissions. Appendix C, Supplemental Materials, is optional. Separate application attachments include a project summary or structured abstract, bibliography and references cited, human subjects narrative, and biographical sketches for key personnel. Applications are evaluated for scientific rigor and practical significance. Scientific peer reviewers assess Significance, Research Plan, Data, and Decision Making and Dissemination, including whether the proposed work can meaningfully support state agency decisions, whether the design and analyses can answer the research questions, whether necessary data are accessible, and whether the project team has suitable expertise and time commitments. Award decisions also consider alignment with SEER Standards, contribution to the program of research, scientific merit, research security compliance, prior federal award performance, ability to complete the research within award limits, compliance with IES public access requirements on previous awards, persistent identifiers for key personnel, and availability of funds. Grantees must comply with public access and data sharing requirements, preregister studies within the first project year, and budget for the principal investigator to attend the annual IES Principal Investigators Meeting. The application package became available August 6, 2026, and applications must be received and validated through Grants.gov no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 1, 2026. A letter of intent is strongly recommended but optional and non-binding, with a September 3, 2026 submission date through the IES Peer Review system. Because the letter does not control eligibility, invitation, advancement, or access to the full application, it is not treated as a required pre-application gate. Possible project start dates range from July 1, 2027 through September 1, 2027. The program officer is Katherine Taylor, who may be contacted at Katherine.Taylor@ed.gov. Applicants should use the RFA together with the IES Application Submission Guide when preparing and submitting their applications.

Clearly connect each research question to a state agency decision and demonstrate that the issue is an agency priority. Establish access to the required SLDS data and document when the data will be available. Explain how the research design and analysis directly answer the research questions, including treatment of missing data and other data limitations. Demonstrate adequate expertise and time commitments across the state agency and collaborating research personnel. Explain how findings will reach state agency leadership and multiple audiences. Follow the 15-page project narrative limit and all appendix limits because excess pages may be removed. Verify every compliance and responsiveness requirement before submission because only compliant and responsive applications received on time advance to scientific peer review.