OFRS Faculty Research Awards
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Departmental Faculty Profiles
Funded 2015
| Photo | Faculty | Sponsor | Award | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Karen Tao |
Community Based Research Grant Program (U of U Vice President for Research and University Neighborhood Partners) (Aug 2015 – July 2016) |
$15,000 | We are Rose Park: The Voice of Students in a Diverse Utah Community |
|
|
Paula Smith |
George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation University of Utah Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs College of Education |
$35,000
|
Pipeline Development African American Doctoral Students and Scholars |
 |
Mike Gardner Professor Educational Psychology michael.gardner@utah.edu View Profile |
National Science Foundation |
$292,980 | Exploration of Validity Evidence Gaps in Science Educational Achievement Testing |
 |
Jason Taylor |
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
$99,909 | Bridging Reverse Transfer Research to a Broader Transfer Research Agenda |
  |
Doug Hacker
|
City Academy |
$202,491 | Improving Literacy at City Academy |
|
|
Cathy Nelson Assistant Professor Special Education cathy.nelson@utah.edu View Profile |
Salus University |
$56,105 | National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities |
|
Jason Taylor |
College of Education Faculty Research Grant 1 Year |
$3,320 | Mind the Gap: Connecting Transfer Student Experiences And Success |
|
Karen Tao |
College of Education Faculty Research Grant 1 Year |
$4,000 | We are Rose Park |
 |
Wanda Pillow |
College of Education Faculty Research Grant 1 Year |
$2,450 | Patterns for Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care |
 |
Clayton Pierce Assistant Professor, Education, Culture & Society clayton.pierce@utah.edu View Profile |
College of Education Faculty Research Grant 1 Year |
$3,906 | Food Literacy and Community Health |
 |
Yongmei Ni Associate Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy yongmei.ni@utah.edu View Profile |
College of Education Faculty Research Grant 1 Year |
$3,995 | Understanding Principal Labor Market and Distribution Across Utah’s Public Schools |
 |
Aaron Fischer Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology aaron.fischer@utah.edu View Profile |
College of Education Faculty Research Grant 1 Year |
$3,956 | An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation through Telepresence Robots |
 |
Erin Castro Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy erin.castro@utah.edu View Profile |
College of Education Faculty Research Grant 1 Year |
$3,427 | Understanding Student Transfer and Mobility at University |
 |
Chris Bischke Associate Professor Special Education chris.bischke@utah.edu View Profile |
1. Utah State Office of Education 1 Year 2. Ed Office of Special Education 1 Year |
$105,640
$249,625 |
Preparing New Educators in Sensory Impairments Improving the Outcomes of 21st Century Students with Sensory Impairments: Preparing High Quality Teachers through a Multi-University Approach |
|
|
Rob O'Neill
Susan Johnston |
Ed Office of Special Education 1 Year |
$242,367 | Doctoral Leadership Training Program in Applied Behavior Analysis/Positive Behavioral Support |
|
Aaron Fischer Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology aaron.fischer@utah.edu View Profile |
1. Dee Foundation 2. Society for the Study of School Psychology |
$5,000
$19,917
|
Training School and Counseling Psychology Graduate Students on Evidence-Based Mental-Health
Treatments in Schools An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation through Telepresence Robots |
 |
Leanne Hawken Professor Special Education leanne.hawken@utah.edu View Profile |
Utah State Office of Education 1 Year |
$156,011 | State Personnel Development Grant |
 |
AJ Metz Assistant Professor Educational Psychology aj.metz@utah.edu View Profile |
1. State Agency 1 year |
$67,600 |
Professional Development of School Counselors and Related School Personnel |
Karen Tao
Dr. Karen Tao was awarded a University of Utah Community Based Research (CBR) and
a College of Education Faculty Research grant for 2015-2016. With this support, Karen
is collaborating with Rose Park Elementary School in Salt Lake City and implementing
a classroom based program for fourth and fifth graders focused on positive cultural
identity development, student belongingness, and academic persistence. This school–university
partnership, “We are Rose Park,” involves students, teachers, parents, school administration,
U of U graduate students and faculty. In addition to learning more about the influence
of cultural identity within a school context, the We Are Rose park team is interested
in the effects of a school-university partnership on the educational trajectories
for traditionally underrepresented populations.
Paula Smith, Laurence J. Parker, William Smith, Karen A. Johnson
This grant creates a campus-wide community of students and faculty who have interests
in understanding factors that affect the accessibility and experiences of African
American students in higher education. Our aim is to recruit and support African American
doctoral students, engage in program development, and to support the reactivation
of the Black Graduate Student Association at the University of Utah.
Mike Gardner
Recent reviews of tests have demonstrated that the standards for validity established
by the profession (Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, 2014) are
not being implemented completely in tests that are widely used to assess science achievement.
This evidence has primarily come from test reviews and professional critiques compliance
with test standards. The current study will examine the published literature in K-12
science education and test evaluation over a ten year period to determine if the issue
of lack of validity standard compliance exists in the published literature on science
achievement. In addition to documenting the current state of affairs in science achievement,
the project will explore the reasons why the testing community fails to comply with
standards. This will include an exploration of the number educational measurement
professionals being trained, legal and regulatory issues involved with test validity,
the marketplace involved in test development and sales, and the effects of educational
technology on testing. The hope is to begin a dialog that will lead to better validated
science tests that allow us to determine which educational interventions are truly
transformative in science education.
Jason Taylor
Jason L. Taylor, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership
and Policy, is Co-Principal Investigator on a new grant that will fund a series of
studies focused on helping community college transfer students earn baccalaureate
degrees. The $700,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was awarded to
researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of
Utah. The grant will fund several studies that use a multi-state transfer student
dataset and examine issues such as the effect of reverse transfer policies, student-
and institutional-level factors that influence bachelor’s degree completion, transfer
credit loss, and transfer shock. Another study will examine high-performing transfer
partnerships to identify institutional policies and practices that facilitate transfer
access and success.
Doug Hacker, Jan Dole
Abstract Description coming soon
Cathy Nelson
The National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities (NLCSD) is a collaborative
grant awarded to Salus University by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs. The consortium consists of multiple universities across the country
with doctoral programs that have an emphasis in deafblindness, blind/visually impaired
and deaf/hard of hearing. The primary purpose of the grant is to increase the number
of highly skilled doctoral scholars who will become leaders in higher education, administration,
and policy and education in order to significantly improve interventions, services,
and outcomes for children with sensory disabilities. As a member of the consortium
in the area of deafblindness, the University of Utah is able to offer full tuition
support, an annual stipend of $24,000, sponsored travel, participation in a national
enrichment program, and mentorship by Consortium faculty from universities across
the country to qualified doctoral scholars. For more information, contact Dr. Cathy
Nelson at Cathy.nelson@utah.edu.
Jason Taylor
Transfer students represent a significant portion of undergraduate students in higher
education and nearly half of all undergraduates at the University of Utah. Despite
the prevalence of transfer students, very little research examines transfer student
experiences and the relationship to student success. The purpose of this longitudinal
mixed-methods study is to investigate the experiences and outcomes of transfer students
at the University of Utah. This grant supports analysis of a survey and institutional
data to better understand the factors that predict the success of transfer students
at the University of Utah.
Karen Tao
Dr. Karen Tao was awarded a University of Utah Community Based Research (CBR) and
a College of Education Faculty Research grant for 2015-2016. With this support, Karen
is collaborating with Rose Park Elementary School in Salt Lake City and implementing
a classroom based program for fourth and fifth graders focused on positive cultural
identity development, student belongingness, and academic persistence. This school–university
partnership, “We are Rose Park,” involves students, teachers, parents, school administration,
U of U graduate students and faculty. In addition to learning more about the influence
of cultural identity within a school context, the We Are Rose park team is interested
in the effects of a school-university partnership on the educational trajectories
for traditionally underrepresented populations.
Wanda Pillow
Abstract Description coming soon.
Clayton Pierce
Situated in a food desert community where health problems such as Type II diabetes
and obesity are at epidemic levels, our study’s goal is to develop a practical educational
response to community health problems related to diets high in sugar and processed
foods. The research design guiding our curriculum development study is made up of
three phases: students conducting a food justice assessment of their community; an
evaluation of food governance in the school’s community (who gets to decide what type
of food options are available in the community and who doesn’t); and the use of the
school community garden as a learning space about alternative food production and
access already existing in the community. Data collection and evaluation will be done
through three surveys (a pre-program, mid program, and summative year end) as well
as interviews with community garden board members. Data from the surveys and interviews
will be analyzed using Atlas.ti 7 and the findings will be used to inform and shape
best practices for the next iteration of the critical food literacy curriculum.
Yongmei Ni
Using longitudinal data for Utah principals and schools from 2003-04 to 2013-14, I
propose this project to study the dynamics of the principal labor market in Utah’s
public schools. Specially, I will examine the two potential sources of the uneven
principal distribution across schools: the differential attrition rates among schools
serving different student bodies and the systematic transfer or sorting of experienced
and more effective principals away from schools serving high percentages of low income,
low performing, and minority students. The findings from this study will help state
and district policy makers to design policies to hire and retain effective principals
in schools with the highest needs.
Aaron Fischer
This grant provided funding to purchase a Double mobile telepresence robot, which
is used to provide teleconsultation to teachers and parents in rural schools across
southwest Utah. Supports focus on evidence-based behavioral assessment and treatment
strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder, social-emotional problems,
and behavior problems.
Erin Castro
The purpose of this longitudinal mixed-methods study is to investigate the experiences
and outcomes of transfer students at the University of Utah. The qualitative component
uses individual student interviews and focus groups to examine transfer students’
experiences with the transfer process as well as intervention programming on campus.
This research aims to capture the unique experiences of underrepresented and underserved
transfer students communities at the University of Utah, including first-generation
college students, students of Color, students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community,
students who work full time, and other student groups who may comprise a ’non-traditional’
status. The pilot stage of this project was supported by the offices of Academic Affairs
and Undergraduate Studies at the University of Utah.
Chris Bischke
Utah State Office of Education Personnel Preparation grant 2015-2016 Preparing teachers
licensed in Utah in the state-recognized areas of sensory impairment has historically
been costly and difficult to implement. Providing this preparation in rural and remote
areas has been even more problematic. High quality distance education is needed so
that qualified individuals can be recruited and trained in the communities in which
they choose to live. This project continues to provide funding to support students,
who will become teachers in the areas of sensory impairments, across the state of
Utah. They are prepared to provide services in inclusive, center-based and early intervention
settings for students who have sensory impairments.
Chris Bischke
Improving the Outcomes of 21st Century Students with Sensory Impairments: Preparing
High Quality Teachers through a Multi-University Approach is designed to address the
critical shortage of highly qualified teachers for students with sensory impairments
(TOD, TVI/TSVIs and TDB) throughout the state of Utah, including urban, rural and
remote areas. The proposed project will deliver a comprehensive and accredited licensure
program to 34 scholars (approximately ten scholars in Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 16
scholars in Visual Impairments, and eight scholars in Deafblind allocated according
to the current and future identified need).
Rob O'Neill, Susan Johnston
The Department of Special Education at the University of Utah is excited to announce
a new doctoral leadership training program. The program has a focus on applied behavior
analysis/positive behavioral supports in working with high need schools serving students
with challenging problems in behavioral and academic areas. Preparation is focused
on students interested in positions in higher education, with training and experience
in research, university teaching, and university and community service. Coursework
and supervision to prepare students to sit for the BCBA exam are required as part
of the program (if a student is not already currently certified). Applicants must
have a master’s degree in a relevant area, and a minimum of 2-3 years of certified
classroom teaching or comparable applied experience with persons with disabilities.
Accepted applicants will receive an annual stipend of $30,000, which includes an additional
full waiver/coverage of tuition costs for up to 12 credit hours per semester (fall
and spring) for up to 3 years. For more information please see http://special-ed.utah.edu/_documents/prospective/grad/applied-behavioral-analysis-grant.pdf,
or contact Rob O’Neill at rob.oneill@utah.edu or Susan Johnston at susan.johnston@utah.edu.
Aaron Fischer
This award will provided Educational Psychology graduate students travel support to
local schools to provide evidence-based mental health treatments in schools.
Aaron Fischer
This award will provided Educational Psychology graduate students travel support to
local schools to provide evidence-based mental health treatments in schools.
Leanne Hawken
Dr. Heidi Mathie Mucha and Dr. Leanne Hawken are providing evaluation services for
the Utah Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (UMTSS) project funded through the Office
of Special Education Programs. Evaluation involves gathering data on MTSS fidelity
of implementation as well as documenting the extent to which district leadership teams
are implementing evidence-based professional development. Student outcome data will
also be gathered and linked to fidelity of implementation.
AJ Metz
College readiness and participation are topics of national and state concern. Demand
for educated workers in the U.S. currently exceeds the supply and this gap is expected
to widen with concomitant income and employment inequality, and quality of life disparities.
Secondary school counselors are in an excellent position to promote post-secondary
aspirations and participation. Through 5 initiatives, this grant funds the (1) expansion
and sustainability of an existing professional development college readiness training
program for counselors in 4 partner districts, (b) development and deployment of pre-
and in-service school administrator/counselor partnership workshops, and (c) development
and delivery of parent-student college readiness support workshops targeting at-risk
and under-represented students by school counseling interns.