Transformative Research in Special Education

Overview

Through the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program, IES seeks to support research and development of transformative solutions to seemingly intractable problems and challenges in special education. Transformative projects enact bold and innovative thinking, involve interdisciplinary collaboration, are inherently risky, and use high-quality research approaches to create high-reward, scalable solutions with the potential to lead to dramatic improvements for students with or at risk for disabilities. 

In FY 2027, the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program will focus on Phase 1 grants to research and develop transformative solutions to dramatically improve preservice teacher education systems so they can better attract, train, and retain preK-12 general and special education teachers who are prepared to provide high-quality instruction and substantially improve outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.

Within IES, the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) supports research to: 

1. Expand knowledge and understanding of the needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities to improve the developmental, education, and transition outcomes of such individuals 
2. Improve services provided under, and support the implementation of, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.)  

In this Request for Applications (RFA), NCSER invites applications for the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program (ALN 84.324T) as part of the Accelerate, Transform, and Scale (ATS) Initiative. IES models programs in the ATS Initiative on the federal government’s Advanced Research Projects Agencies (ARPAs) and the National Institutes of Health Common Fund, to generate exceptionally innovative solutions to high-priority issues in education. Through the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program, NCSER seeks to support research and development of transformative solutions to seemingly intractable problems and challenges in special education. Transformative projects enact bold and innovative thinking, involve interdisciplinary collaboration, are inherently risky, and use high-quality research approaches to create high-reward, scalable solutions with the potential to lead to dramatic improvements for students with or at risk for disabilities. 

The fiscal year (FY) 2027 Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program seeks applications to research and develop transformative solutions to dramatically improve preservice teacher education systems so they can better attract, train, and retain preK-12 general and special education teachers who are prepared to provide high-quality instruction and substantially improve outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities. Preservice teacher education is a key time for teacher development and an important lever for ensuring the next generation of educators have the knowledge and skills necessary for improving outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities. However, substantial challenges facing teacher education systems limit their ability to prepare teachers to meet the needs of students with or at risk for disabilities. For example, leaks in the early stages of the teacher pipeline, including declining enrollment and completion rates in teacher preparation programs and teachers with special education certification choosing not to pursue special education teaching positions, have led to reductions in the supply of well-qualified special education teachers, despite increased demand. The proliferation of alternative teacher preparation programs has contributed to increased variability in program content and the preparedness of teachers coming out of these programs. Additionally, even though a significant portion of students with disabilities are educated in the general education classroom, preservice general education teachers receive very little training for teaching students with disabilities.

The challenges facing teacher education systems are not new. Although policymakers, practitioners, and researchers have worked to mitigate these challenges, they have become more complex over time. Give the rapidly changing educational landscape and multiple pathways for teacher certification, the time is ripe for focused attention and investment to create transformational change at the systems level.

The Transformative Program The Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program has two phases of potential funding. This RFA is for Phase 1 (see Part II.A.4 for award limits for each phase). 

• Phase 1: The goal is to create a transformative solution to dramatically improve teacher education systems so they can better attract, train, and retain preK-12 general and special education teachers who are prepared to provide high-quality instruction and substantially improve outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities. The project team will propose a set of project-specific deliverables and metrics that IES will use to evaluate whether the project is on track and achieves its Phase 1 objectives. Objectives for Phase 1 might include developing the transformative solution for dramatically improving teacher education systems; determining the necessary evidence for key players to adopt the transformative solution; and/or gathering evidence for the transformative solution at the systems, educator, and/or student levels. Although IES does not expect Phase 1 projects to measure education outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities, applications should make clear the theory of change for the transformative solution to substantially improve these outcomes. 
  
  
• Phase 2: If the project successfully achieves the Phase 1 objectives, the project team may be eligible to apply for an additional 2-year period of funding, pending availability of funds. Although Phase 2 activities will be project-specific, the goal is to propose a logical extension of Phase 1 activities that connects to education outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities. By the end of Phase 2, the project team should have evidence from high-quality research of the potential for the transformative solution to dramatically improve teacher education systems and educator outcomes and to have a substantial positive impact on students’ education outcomes. IES will share application requirements for Phase 2 directly with Phase 1 awardees in a separate, future set of instructions.

Project Team: IES encourages applicants to consider the potential benefit of interdisciplinary teams and teams that bring together varied expertise and perspectives. IES recommends that applicants include in the project team individuals with specific familiarity with teacher education systems and the educator and student populations of interest.

You may submit applications to more than one of the FY 2027 research grant programs offered through the U.S. Department of Education (ED), including those offered through IES as well as those offered through other offices and programs within ED. You may submit multiple applications to this grant program as long as they propose to research and develop different transformative solutions. However, you may submit a given application only once for the IES FY 2027 grant competitions, meaning you may not submit the same application or similar applications to multiple grant programs within IES, to multiple topics within a grant competition, or multiple times within the same topic. If you submit multiple similar applications, IES will determine whether and which applications will be accepted for review and/or will be eligible for funding.

Letter of Intent: IES strongly encourages applicants to submit a letter of intent on the IES Peer Review website (https://iesreview.ed.gov/LOI/LOISubmit) by October 29, 2026. The letter of intent is non-binding and optional but strongly recommended.

Award: 
Phase 1: Up to three years; maximum award of $1,250,000 per year, not to exceed $3,750,000 total. 
Phase 2: Up to two years; maximum award of $1,500,000 per year, not to exceed $3,000,000 total.