Faculty Mini Grant

College of Education Material/Supply Mini-Grant Program

The College of Education initiated a Research Mini-Grant program for the 2021-2022 academic year that provides seed funding to support faculty research and creative discovery activities that advance the college's mission. Five faculty were awarded grants ranging from $500 to $2,500.

The inaugural grant awardees, all faculty members in the department of curriculum and instruction, are:

2023

Ambyr Rios, Assistant Professor in Curriculum & Instruction, will extend a pilot study on text selection practices in high school English classrooms by purchasing data collection and analysis software to analyze student responses to survey questions.
Éder Intriago-Palacios, Teaching Assistant Professor, Mona Menking, Director of Global Education Outreach, and Maria Morales, graduate teaching assistant in Curriculum & Instruction will conduct research to determine the extent to which exposing Ecuadorian preservice teachers to extensive reading learning activities generates an interest in literacy through the use of various graded readers.
Maja Stojanovic, Assistant Professor, and Royce Ann Collins, Associate Professor in Educational Leadership will use data collection software to analyze student input on doctoral group meetings in order to develop a plan of action to better address students’ needs.
Kerry Priest, Professor in the Staley School of Leadership Studies, & Craig McGill, Assistant Professor in Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs will use qualitative analysis software and AI transcription tools to analyze data for a study about academic advising leaders (administrators) identity constructions, or narrative (re)presentations of experiences, beliefs, and practices that contribute to their professional identity.

2022

Dora Perez, Assistant Director of Programs and Projects for the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership, will use funds to purchase a targeted digital ad and then track data from a QR code to determine if these types of targeted ads improve recruitment efforts.
Doris Carroll, Associate Professor in Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs, will use qualitative analysis software to explore how teachers of color describe their shared experiences in preparing to become teachers.
Melissa Holmes, Associate Director of Research & Programs, and Socorro Herrera, Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Intercultural & Multilingual Advocacy will use a variety of data-collection tools to record and interpret instructional conversation practices to better understand how middle school math teachers create culturally responsive/sustaining classroom ecologies.
Michael Lawson, Teaching Assistant Professor, and Sherri Martinie, Associate Professor in Curriculum & Instruction will use qualitative analysis software to analyze preservice teacher data (autobiography, pictures, final papers) to better understand how preservice elementary teachers identify with teaching mathematics.
Leah McKeeman, Assistant Professor in Curriculum & Instruction will purchase materials that allow her to model high leverage teaching practices in action so preservice can have more confidence in executing these practices in their own classrooms.

2021

Pedro Espinosa, assistant professor, will create resources on effective strategies for working with Latinx students and families in K-12 settings.
Della Perez, assistant professor, will investigate how course materials contribute to professional experience and social-emotional learning.
Suzanne Porath, assistant professor, will conduct an inquiry on the use of Clifton Strengths with preservice and in-service teachers.
Vicki Sherbert, assistant professor, will build resources for place-based writing and poetic inquiry, with a focus on building collaborations.
Be Stoney, associate professor, will acquire equipment to support physical education and health research activities for faculty and preservice teachers.
Mark Ellner, teaching assistant professor, will acquire equipment to support physical education and health research activities for faculty and preservice teachers.

Results of the research activities will be shared throughout the school year.