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

The Institute of Education Sciences, through the National Center for Special Education Research, administers the Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking in Special Education grants program under Assistance Listing Number 84.324S. The Institute of Education Sciences provides scientific evidence intended to improve education practice and policy and to make evidence useful to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public. The National Center for Special Education Research supports research that expands knowledge about the needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, improves their developmental, education, and transition outcomes, and improves services and implementation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This competition supports state agencies in using statewide longitudinal data systems to generate evidence for state and local education agency program and policy decisions concerning learners with or at risk for disabilities. Projects must use a state's statewide longitudinal data system and must focus on learners with or at risk for disabilities from infancy through postsecondary education and or the families, educators, or other professionals who support them. Proposed projects must measure at least one education outcome for learners with or at risk for disabilities. Examples include developmental, school readiness, literacy, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, social, emotional, behavioral, functional, secondary and transition, or postsecondary outcomes. When examining educators' roles in improving learner outcomes, applicants must also measure relevant educator knowledge, skills, beliefs, behaviors, and or practices. Applicants may link statewide longitudinal data system information with other datasets and may collect primary data when appropriate, although most research time and budget should be devoted to analysis of existing data when primary data collection is included. Institutions with the ability and capacity to conduct rigorous research are eligible to apply. Examples include state agencies responsible for education programs and policies, nonprofit organizations, for profit organizations, public agencies, private agencies, 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 is required. The application must also document access to and authority to use the statewide longitudinal data system and identify when the required data will be available. The maximum project duration is three years, and the maximum award is 1200000 dollars. Requested costs must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, and appropriate to the proposed scope of work. No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated. Federal funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages or entertainment, and food costs are generally prohibited except when necessary for legitimate meeting or conference business and otherwise allowable under applicable federal requirements. The required project narrative is limited to 15 pages and must contain four sections: Significance, Research Plan, Data, and Decision Making and Dissemination. Applicants must address the state agency's key issues, problems, programs, or policies; the population of learners with or at risk for disabilities; research questions; research design and methods; data analysis; statewide longitudinal data system data and access; presentation of findings to state agency leadership; dissemination to multiple audiences; and relevant project team expertise. Required attachments 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 attachments include the project summary and structured abstract, bibliography and references cited, human subjects narrative, and biographical sketches for key personnel. Applications must follow the stated page, margin, spacing, font, accessibility, and attachment requirements. Applications are evaluated through scientific peer review for scientific and technical merit. Reviewers assess Significance, Research Plan, Data, and Decision Making and Dissemination, including whether the research will meaningfully support state agency decisions, whether the proposed design and analysis will answer the research questions, whether necessary data are accessible, and whether the team has appropriate expertise and time commitments. Award decisions also consider alignment with the Standards for Excellence in Education Research, contribution to the program of research, scientific merit, research security compliance, previous federal award performance, ability to conduct the work within award limits, compliance with applicable public access requirements, persistent identifiers for key personnel, and availability of funds. Awards are contingent on available funding and receipt of meritorious applications. The application package became available through Grants.gov on August 6, 2026. A letter of intent is strongly recommended but optional and nonbinding, with a September 3, 2026 submission date through the IES Peer Review system. Because it does not control advancement or application access, it is not treated as a required pre-application gate. Full applications must be electronically submitted and received and validated through Grants.gov no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 1, 2026. Possible project start dates range from July 1, 2027 through September 1, 2027. The program officer is Katherine Taylor, who can be contacted at Katherine.Taylor@ed.gov. The application must use the program code NCSER-Using Data in Special Education in Item 4b of the SF-424. Applicants should follow both the Request for Applications and the companion IES Application Submission Guide when preparing and submitting the application. After submission, compliant and responsive applications advance to scientific peer review. At least two primary reviewers prepare written evaluations and scores, after which the most competitive applications are considered by the full review panel. Applicants recommended for funding may be contacted for clarification concerning reviewer or program concerns, final data sharing plans, and budget adequacy. Evidence of access to the required data must be provided before funding can be released. Grantees must comply with public access and data sharing requirements, preregister their studies within the first year of an award, and attend the annual IES Principal Investigators Meeting. The source does not state that this competition recurs annually or on another regular schedule, so no future recurring cycle is assumed.

Demonstrate that the research directly supports an identified state agency decision need and focuses on learners with or at risk for disabilities. Clearly connect research questions to the proposed design, methods, analysis, and learner outcomes. Establish access to the necessary SLDS data and provide required letters documenting access, authority, and availability. Show that project personnel have relevant substantive, methodological, data, and dissemination expertise with adequate time commitments. Explain how findings will be delivered to state agency decision makers and disseminated to multiple audiences. Follow all page limits and formatting requirements because excess pages may be removed and noncompliant or nonresponsive applications will not advance to peer review.