College of Education

About Us Admissions & Academics Research & Engagement Departments & Faculty Current Students
Departments & Faculty Education Policy, Organization & Leadership Research & Scholarship Grants

Research & Scholarship

Grants

Faculty research & scholarship showcases the quality of excellence in the Department of Education Policy Organization & Leadership.

Perkins IV Planning, Consultation and Technical Assistance Initiative
Debra Bragg, Principal Investigator
Educational Organization & Leadership
Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, Co-Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Illinois Community College Board
Sep 2007 - Jun 2015 
$2,803,999
This project on programs of study targets five project goals, to: (1) consult with, provide technical assistance for and support personnel in creation and development; (2) provide personnel guidance for local educational agencies in disseminating information and supporting implementation; (3) collaborate with the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Community College Board in utilizing advisory committees to encourage effective state and local implementation; (4) develop a guide to assist local education agencies and postsecondary institutions in implementation; and (5) offer professional development for local education agency and postsecondary institution implementation throughout the state.
ECR: Strategic Integration of MOOCs into Graduate and Professional STEM Programs in 21st Century Research Universities
William Buttlar, Principal Investigator
Wen-Hao Huang, Co-Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Sarah Lubienski, Co-Principal Investigator
Curriculum & Instruction
National Science Foundation
Sep 2013 - Aug 2015 
$299,985
This funding supports the development of a capacity building designed to advance the strategic integration of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) into graduate and professional STEM programs in 21st century research universities by setting the stage for robust research studies. A workshop will be conducted to examine pedagogical issues such as the effectiveness of flipped classrooms merged with MOOCs through a rigorous experimental design, data collection, and analysis process. The workshop will provide a platform for thought leaders and key stakeholders, including employers, to discuss paths for incorporating these emerging educational portals and platforms into the existing fabric of universities. The broader significance of this workshop will help identify research questions about technology, pedagogy, widespread implementation, and specific implications for graduate education.
H2P TAA/DOL Evaluation
Debra Bragg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Cincinnati State Community College
Oct 2011 - Sep 2015 
$1,271,015
IT Eval
Debra Bragg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Collin County Community College
Jun 2012 - Sep 2015 
$1,306,810
Research Agenda for "Credit When It's Due"
Debra Bragg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Gates Foundation
Oct 2012 - Jun 2016 
$590,000
Transformative Change Initiative
Debra Bragg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Lumina Foundation for Education
Nov 2013 - Nov 2015 
$400,000
Advancing Transformative Change Through Applied Research and Practitioner-based Inquiry
Debra Bragg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Gates Foundation
Jan 2014 - Dec 2015 
$400,000
Credit When It's Due (CWID): Examining the Outcomes and Impact of Reverse Transfer in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas
Debra Bragg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Kresge Foundation
Jul 2014 - Dec 2015 
$160,000
The Impact of Guaranteed Tuition Policies on Postsecondary Tuition Levels: A Difference-in-Difference Approach
Jennifer Delaney, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Association for Institutional Research
May 2013 - Apr 2014 
$38,745
One method for addressing college affordability and the predictability of college costs for students and families is guaranteed tuition programs (like Illinois’ Truth-in-Tuition law) whereby tuition charges do not change over a student’s academic career. This research uses a difference-in-difference quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of state-level guaranteed tuition policies on institutional tuition levels. In addition to providing insights into the effectiveness of these programs, the study will contribute to the scholarly literature on tuition setting and may be useful for policymakers, institutional researchers, and university leaders in states considering guaranteed tuition or similar policies.
The Interplay of Child Cultures, Schooling, and Literacy: A Working Conference on Global Perspectives on Childhoods and Composing
Anne Haas Dyson, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
The Spencer Foundation
Aug 2013 - Dec 2014 
$39,485
This award sponsors a conference to bring together international scholars of early literacy to examine the interplay of childhoods, schooling, and literacies. Through the analysis of multiple case studies of school entrants (ages 5 -7 years), situated in diverse political-economic, sociocultural, and geographic sites - to generate different perspective on what written language means for childhoods; if and how borders are constructed between official (curricular) and unofficial (child-initiated) practices; and, ultimately, insight into the dynamics of school and childhoods through which the meaning of school literacy is formulated. The outcome of this conference will be an edited book.
National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in Mathematical Sciences: Infrastructure
Casey George-Jackson, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
National Science Foundation
University of Iowa (contractor) 
Sep 2012 - Aug 2015 
$300,755
This project examines why and how the National Alliance works, and explores how the program might be replicated in other STEM disciplines. Multiple research methods are used to examine how the program impacts students’ experiences in mathematics, including their sense of belonging in mathematics, as well as how the faculty mentoring relationship benefits program participants. Faculty mentors will be interviewed to determine how they experience the Alliance, and how they seek to change the culture of mathematics at their individual campuses. Results are expected to inform programmatic efforts to improve conditions in the STEM fields for underrepresented undergraduate students.
Model Prison Humanities Computer Project
Rebecca Ginsburg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
National Endowment for the Humanities
May 2012 - Apr 2014 
$20,000
The goal of this project is to build a comprehensive humanities laboratory for students in the Education Justice Project of the University of Illinois (EJP); an award-winning prison education program. EJP’s computer labs consist of a server and approximately fifteen work stations. The server provides multiple academic resources including literature, history, and philosophy texts; pieces of art and music; encyclopedias and other reference materials; and videos of EJP events such as literary symposia and theatre productions. Humanities plays a game-changing role in the lives of incarcerated men by helping them return to their neighborhoods as engaged citizens, peacemakers, and advocates for education.
The Symposium on Higher Education in Prison Presented by the Education Justice Project of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Rebecca Ginsburg, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Ford Foundation
Oct 2014 - Dec 2014 
$5,000
Perkins IV Consultation and Technical Assistance
Donald G. Hackmann, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Debra Bragg, Co-Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Illinois State Board of Education
Aug 2011 - Jun 2015 
$340,000
Pathways Resource Center
Donald G. Hackmann, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Illinois State Board of Education
Aug 2012 - Jun 2015 
$875,400
University of Illinois Principal Preparation Program for the Chicago Leadership Collaborative
Donald G. Hackmann, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Board of Education of the City of Chicago
Mar 2015 - Jun 2018 
$391,266
Assessing Student Accomplishment: Driving Demand and Creating Capacity for Evidence-Based Action
Stanley Ikenberry, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Teagle Foundation
Jan 2012 - Jul 2014 
$150,000
The purpose of this project is to broaden and make National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment’s (NILOA) work sustainable over the long term. NILOA will focus an advocacy and capacity building to support efforts by colleges and universities to obtain, use and share evidence in ways that strengthen the quality of student learning. Through disseminating information via our website, conducting a second national survey, and increasing attention and energy on creative and productive uses of evidence for improvement and accountability, NILOA will continue to inform and shape the national dialogue around learning outcomes assessment.
Mapping the Territory, Documenting the Journey: Tracking the DQP
Stanley Ikenberry, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
George Kuh, Co-Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Lumina Foundation for Education
Mar 2012 - Feb 2015 
$1,018,904
A Library of DQP Assignments: Building Capacity for a New Model of Assessment
Stanley Ikenberry, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
George Kuh, Co-Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Lumina Foundation for Education
Sep 2013 - Feb 2015 
$176,647
Tracking and Mapping Institutional Use of Frameworks for Enhancing Student Learning
Stanley Ikenberry, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
George Kuh, Co-Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Lumina Foundation for Education
Jul 2014 - Jun 2018 
$2,996,800
Optimizing Student Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study of Onsite, Virtual and Remote Laboratories in Electrical Engineering
J. Jessica Li, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
National Science Foundation
University of North Texas (contractor) 
Sep 2011 - Aug 2014 
$88,777
This research project is a comparative study of onsite, virtual, and remote laboratories used in undergraduate engineering education. This project advances the understanding of the impact on student learning outcomes in this time of technology transition and the engineering curriculum as a whole. The project, through its dissemination activities, is expected to reach a broad audience of those interested in adopting the new labs by offering a choice of delivery types (onsite, virtual, and remote) to adapt for a specific implementation. Ultimately, this study will improve the recruitment and retention of women and minority students in engineering.
Choice, culturally focused schools and equity: A comparative education policy study
Christopher Lubienski, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Australian Research Council
Jan 2014 - Dec 2016 
$40,179
Data infrastructures, mobilities and network governance in education
Christopher Lubienski, Principal Investigator
Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Australian Research Council
University of Queensland (contractor) 
Jan 2015 - Dec 2018 
$7,959
Apply Now Request Information Contact Us