OVERVIEW

Culturally relevant and sustaining education is an effort to create equitable outcomes for all students and dismantle the systemic and institutional barriers that hinder the success of students–particularly those who have been historically marginalized. 

In 2022, the Pennsylvania Board of Education mandated training for educators in culturally relevant and sustaining education (CRSE) competencies. Continuing professional development programs are required to integrate CRSE competencies no later than the 2023-24 academic year, and educator preparation and induction programs must integrate the competencies no later than the 2024-25 academic year.

The initial implementation of the CRSE competencies in Pennsylvania teacher education programs is an opportunity to focus actionable research on challenges and best practices in translating policy into effective educational practices. 

Learn more about the Pennsylvania Education Equity Project here.

FUNDING PRIORITIES

Public Agenda is committed to providing rigorous, actionable evidence to diverse stakeholders. Preference will be given to projects that have strong potential to produce evidence that can inform the work of principals and superintendents, teachers, teacher educators, student advocates, policymakers, and others who can benefit from research on education policy implementation in Pennsylvania and beyond.

We expect to fund a range of approaches, including descriptive and causal studies (e.g., quasi-experimental and experimental designs). Evaluation of proposals will be driven by the utility of results for practice, with no preference for any one epistemological approach or research method. Public Agenda’s purpose in funding original research is to support the development of a body of findings that we will synthesize, translate, and communicate to practitioners and stakeholders as soon as possible.

In prioritizing research for practical application, we encourage:

  • Research focused on distinct populations and communities in Pennsylvania
  • Research that situates culturally relevant and sustaining education within the structural and historical racial dynamics in public education 
  • Research partnerships with institutions of higher education (IHEs), school districts, professional learning organizations, and other relevant practitioners and stakeholders 

We understand that the evidence base this project will produce requires expertise drawn from a wide range of academic disciplines. Public Agenda recognizes that this research effort requires contributions from people with diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives. We encourage funded researchers to publish results in peer-reviewed journals. 

Our goal is to create a learning community focused on empirical questions pertinent to culturally relevant and sustaining education in order to provide stakeholders with actionable evidence.

RESEARCH AREAS

Public Agenda’s research focus for the Pennsylvania Education Equity Project is how to translate culturally relevant and sustaining education mandates into effective and sustainable educational practices. We imagine proposals may address questions including, not but limited to:

  • What do leaders and educators in Pennsylvania institutions of higher education (IHEs), teaching residency programs, professional learning providers, and K-12 districts know about the CRSE competencies? What do Pennsylvania students and parents know about the CRSE competencies? Where are they getting information and resources? Is there a common understanding of the purpose, requirements, available resources, and accountability structures for the CRSE competencies? Are there common misconceptions about the purpose, requirements, available resources, and accountability structures for the CRSE competencies? If so, what strategies are effective for addressing these misconceptions? 
  • How are IHEs, teaching residency programs, professional learning providers, and K-12 districts incorporating CRSE competencies into their curricula and professional development offerings? What does teaching the CRSE standards to educators look like in practice? What are the strengths and weaknesses of post-secondary educator learning opportunities that fulfill the CRSE standards? What are the barriers to implementation? How are institutional and organizational leaders and educators addressing these challenges? What types of resources (e.g., curricular materials, incentives, technical assistance, etc.) can support the institutionalization of culturally relevant and sustaining education? 
  • Does training educators in culturally relevant and sustaining education pedagogy and practices result in the growth of educator mindsets, skills, and instructional practices? Do specific components of these trainings appear particularly effective? What are the most effective approaches for assessing whether and how educators are demonstrating CRSE competencies? 

This list of research questions is not exhaustive, and we encourage applicants to propose projects that are not explicitly described above. 

ELIGIBILITY 

Pennsylvania Education Equity Project Grants are open to researchers affiliated with public or nonprofit U.S. universities, and the affiliated university must administer the grant. We expect to award six or more grants of up to $30,000. 

Grants made through Public Agenda’s Pennsylvania Education Equity Project cannot cover indirect overhead.

The Principal Investigator (PI) for a proposed project must have a doctoral-level degree. Doctoral candidates may be part of the research team and may be a Co-PI as long as at least one Co-PI has a doctoral degree.

We will distribute each grant, in full, to a designated lead university that will be responsible for any sub-grants (e.g., to a Co-PI at a different university).

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for a Pennsylvania Education Equity Project, submit all application materials using the form at the bottom of this page. Please adhere to the file naming and upload instructions in the guidelines below. 

The deadline to apply is 11:59pm ET on May 15, 2024.

Applications must include all of the following information, and we strongly recommend that applicants use this application template.

Answers to general questions can be found in our dedicated FAQ. Please reach out to Emily Sandusky, Public Agenda’s Director of Research Accelerators, at [email protected] with any additional questions about your potential grant application.

1. Project Information

  • Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PIs
    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • Title
    • Department
    • Institution 
    • Email
    • Phone number
  • Project title
  • Start and end dates (note that the grant period ends July 31, 2025)
  • Total requested amount
  • Lead institution for grant administration
  • Brief project description including major research questions or aims, research methods and data analysis plan, and expected contribution to practical efforts to effectively implement and institutionalize culturally relevant and sustaining education. (maximum 300 words)

2. Project Narrative

Formatting: All text should be double-spaced and in 12-point font. The project narrative may not exceed 2,000 words. Include the word count in parentheses at the conclusion of the narrative. If tables, graphs, or other images are helpful in explaining your project, they can be included. While they will not count against the word limit, we encourage you to limit the use of images to one or two. Citations can be included as endnotes and do not count against the word limit.

  • State the problem or major research questions guiding the proposal. 
  • Provide a rationale for the project that includes:
    • a description of the expected contribution to the knowledge base for principals and superintendents, teachers, teacher educators, student advocates, policymakers, and philanthropists
    • a very brief literature review indicating how the project complements and advances existing theory and empirical research.  
  • Include the specific hypotheses, research questions, or problem statements to be tested or examined.
  • Describe any pilot programs, pre-analysis plans, or initial data collection that is completed, and how the grant supported activities will test or build on initial findings.
  • Describe the proposed research methods, participants, and data collection instruments, including, as applicable:
    • research design, including where appropriate, a description of the context of the study
    • information about the proposed sample or case definition and selection procedures
    • description of the intervention
    • description of measures and data sources
    • status of data access and procedures for data collection
    • status of relationships with partner organizations.
  • Describe proposed modes of analysis, including, as applicable:
    • If you are conducting a quantitative analysis, please provide details of the analytic approach, including any model specifications, as well as robustness tests, as appropriate
    • If you are using qualitative data, provide details about analysis procedures and if using coding, the plan for establishing that coding is reliable.
  • Outline, as applicable, plans for research transparency (e.g., pre-analysis plans, depositing de-identified data in public repositories).
  • Outline the project timeline, indicating proposed start and end dates, major activities, and key milestones. [see Note on project duration below]

Note: Projects must be completed by July 31, 2025. Final narrative and financial reports are due to Public Agenda as research is completed, but no later than August 31, 2025. Final reports must include an in-depth explanation of methodology, findings and conclusions, and any relevant graphs, tables, and graphics. 

3. Project Budget 

Public Agenda is willing to fund a wide range of activities, including researcher salary and benefits, research assistance, data purchase, compensation to partner organizations, and costs associated with conducting experiments. Public Agenda will consider requests for salary support for principal and/or co-principal investigators at a maximum contribution of $15,000 per academic year. The budget can include fringe costs in addition to salary support.

Our grants cannot cover indirect overhead. 

Applications must include the total expected cost of the project, a detailed breakdown of costs, and a brief justification of each budget item. We strongly recommend that applicants use the table in the application template to provide budget information. 

Public Agenda has limited available funds for grants and does not guarantee that projects will be awarded at the full requested amount. If applicable, please include a brief description of all other secured or anticipated funding sources for the proposed work. Co-funding and/or cost-sharing by the grantee university is encouraged and should be reported in the budget.

4. Project Team 

Formatting: All text should be double-spaced and in 12-point font. Maximum 250 words.

Identify the roles, responsibilities, and knowledge base of the PI, Co-PI(s), and any supporting researcher(s). In the case where a project includes Co-PIs and other supporting researchers, this document should articulate how the team will work together to complete the research project, highlighting what each team member will contribute to the project. Describe the working relationship between the project team and research sites and/or partner organizations, if applicable.

In addition to the brief narrative description of the project team, include abbreviated curricula vitae (max three pages) for each member of the project team that highlight relevant publications and works in process, partnership with practitioner organizations,  public scholarship, and relevant non-academic experience such as prior work outside of academia, board positions, etc.   

Please UPLOAD the project narrative, budget, and team description as a single document (.doc or .docx) or PDF with the PI / Co-PIs last name(s) as the filename.

Please UPLOAD all team members CVs as a single document (.doc or .docx) or PDF with the PI / CO-PIs last name(s) _CV as the filename.

Optional Appendices  

You may include the following supplemental and supporting documents as appendices to your application.

  1. Scientific instrumentation relevant to the study (e.g., interview protocols or survey instruments)
  2. Letters of agreement or collaboration from partner organizations included in the project team. 

Note on IRB Approval: Proof of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is not required at the time of proposal submission. In the event that IRB approval is needed for this project and it is chosen for funding, the PI or Co-PIs will be responsible for obtaining IRB review and approval in accordance with institutional policies and applicable law.

Please UPLOAD all supplemental methodological appendices as a single document (.doc or .docx) or PDF with the PI / CO-PIs last name(s) _Supplement as the filename.

Please UPLOAD all letters of support as a single document (.doc or .docx) or PDF with the PI / CO-PIs last name(s) _Letters as the filename.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated by Public Agenda staff and the Pennsylvania Education Equity Project Advisory Panel. The Advisory Panel consists of practitioners and subject-matter and methodological experts

All applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Focus on research questions addressing systems, strategies, and pedagogies for implementing culturally relevant and sustaining education mandates 
  • Appropriate framing of research questions within the existing literature 
  • Methodological rigor of research design and analysis  
  • Potential to produce actionable evidence that can inform the work of principals and superintendents, teachers, teacher educators, student advocates, policymakers, and philanthropists in the near term
  • Evidence of researchers’ orientation to partnership and public scholarship, and potential for collaboration between researchers and Public Agenda to support dissemination of findings to practitioner communities 

EXPECTATIONS FOR GRANTEES

Our goal is to create a learning community focused on empirical questions pertinent to culturally relevant and sustaining education in order to provide stakeholders with actionable evidence. In that spirit, we ask that grantees commit to the following:

  • Sharing research progress with Public Agenda through bi-monthly conversations 
  • Coordinating with Public Agenda to share research findings as they become available (e.g., practitioner briefings, Public Agenda reports, etc.)
  • Attending bi-monthly virtual learning community meetings of grantees and others, depending on the the alignment between the topic and your research 

We are committed to amplifying the research, practical application, and learning of scholars and practitioners as part of this effort. We will create and actively seek opportunities to bring attention to the work through conference presentations, interviews, blog writing, etc. We encourage grantees to both participate in and co-create spaces for knowledge sharing and partnership throughout the term.

Please reach out to Emily Sandusky, Public Agenda’s Director of Research Accelerators, at [email protected] with any questions about your potential grant application.