School & District Management

New Research Projects Explore Ways to Improve Special Education

By Nirvi Shah — March 12, 2012 1 min read
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More than two dozen research grants related to special education just got an infusion of cash from the Institute of Education Sciences.

Overall spending on special education research by the federal government has dropped. Still, some interesting projects are on the horizon.

Through the IES’s National Center for Special Education Research, new research projects will explore the influence of male parents on children with disabilities, improving the accessibility for students with disabilities to large-scale reading assessments, and reducing the development of reading deficiencies or special education designations for urban learners. Another project will work on promoting school readiness for young children who have fetal alcohol disorders.

Some research will focus on technology, including a project that uses an algebra-tutoring software program called AnimalWatch to improve access to math for students who have visual impairments.

Altogether, the 26 projects will split about $50 million.

A version of this news article first appeared in the On Special Education blog.