Project Description:
Burke, M. (PI), Boon, R. (PI), & Bowman-Perrott, L. (PI) (2021-2026). BU: Davis, T. (Co-PI), Gerow, S. (Co-PI), & Sulak, T. (Co-PI). TAMU: Tong, F. (Co-PI), Eslami, Z. (Co-PI). UTSA: Ewoldt, K. (Co-PI), Huang, B. (Co-PI), Neely, L. (Co-PI). Project DIVERSE: Doctoral Scholars Implementing Socially Valid Evidence-Based Practices and Research for Improving the Language, Literacy, and Social-Emotional Outcomes of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Consortium Doctoral Leadership grant. (Funded, Total award $3,766,943).
Project DIVERSE Summary
Project DIVERSE will prepare 15 doctoral scholars focused on developing expertise in evidence- based practices (EBPs) focused on academic language, assessment, and social, emotional, and behavioral support for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Learners with disabilities. Project DIVERSE focuses on a "needs based" language and disability inclusive approach to special education that (a) cuts across disability areas, (b) emphases individualized intervention of learning and/or behavior difficulties within a prevention science framework, and (c) focuses on evidence-based practices to improve special education services for CLD learners with disabilities. Project DIVERSE represents an interdisciplinary collaboration between (1) Department of Educational Psychology at Baylor University (BU), (2) Department of Educational Psychology (Bilingual/ESL and Special Education Divisions) at Texas A&M University (TAMU), and (3) Departments of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching and Department of Bilingual-Bicultural Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).
Existing doctoral programs at the three participating universities will be leveraged to prepare fifteen doctoral scholars (five per university) to assume leadership positions at institutions of higher education with preparation in evidence-based interventions and advanced research methods focused on high need CLD learners with disabilities. Project DIVERSE scholars will participate in a rigorous, research-intensive, competency-based doctoral program that combines coursework in foundational and advanced research methods and active research participation with in-depth training in evidence-based practices. These doctoral scholars will be prepared to conduct socially valid educational and behavioral research that will contribute success, wellbeing, and flourishing of this population of learners.
We have all five of our doctoral scholars at TAMU, and all 15 scholars across all three universities are on board. Project DIVERSE scholars have engaged in ongoing research with Project DIVERSE faculty, as well as collaborative projects with one another (including manuscript preparation and conference presentations). We held our first two Project DIVERSE Seminar Series presentations in spring 2024 and first Summer Institute in June 2024.
