College of Education and Health Professions Building Strong Research Foundation

Chancellor Joe Steinmetz speaks at the ceremony honoring the Top 15 in 2015 faculty and staff research award recipients.
University Relations

Chancellor Joe Steinmetz speaks at the ceremony honoring the Top 15 in 2015 faculty and staff research award recipients.

When the University of Arkansas honored its "Top 15 in 2015" class of faculty and staff research award recipients in a ceremony in April, more than half of the 15 were from the College of Education and Health Professions.

"Our college has made remarkable strides in research funding in the past few years," said Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. "We have always been known for preparing educators and health-care professionals who improve the quality of life for people every day, but now our reputation for securing research funding is growing."

As a group, the 15 faculty and staff researchers accounted for more than half of the university's total external research funding of $63.7 million in fiscal year 2015.

Smith also pointed out that, in the most recent U.S. News & World Report best graduate schools of education rankings, the college was No. 25 in funded research among public institutions with $16.3 million and No. 32 in funded research per faculty member among public institutions with $194,600.

The college made headlines in 2013 when the federal government announced the $35.7 million PROMISE project funding, which is believed to be the largest research grant ever awarded to the University of Arkansas. Brent Thomas Williams, principal investigator of the PROMISE project, was one of the top 15 honored at the chancellor's reception. Williams is an associate professor of rehabilitation education and research.

The PROMISE funding was awarded to the college and the Arkansas Department of Education. PROMISE provides teens who have disabilities with paid summer work experiences in order to identify ways to help these youth become independent, rather than remaining dependent on Supplemental Security Income. The PROMISE project is a joint initiative of four federal agencies: the departments of education, health and human services, labor and the Social Security Administration, and the U of A is working with numerous state agencies and other partners to implement the project.

During the five years of the grant, 1,000 Arkansas teens who receive SSI will have two paid summer work experiences as well as additional training and services. The other group of 1,000 teens will receive only the usual services provided to teens with disabilities. Researchers will collect and analyze data from the two groups to help the federal government determine whether the PROMISE project should be used as a model for future programs.

Much of the research grants received by faculty and staff members in the College of Education and Health Professions go toward projects that, like PROMISE, combine a strong service component with a research component.

Grants and contracts awarded to the college in fiscal year 2015 totaled $24 million. That's compared to $8.3 million in the 2011 fiscal year, the year that Smith was appointed dean.

The university honored six other faculty and staff members from the College of Education and Health Professions in addition to Williams:

  • Denise Airola, director, Office of Innovation for Education

    The college established the Office of Innovation for Education in 2013 with funding from the Arkansas Department of Education to help schools find and use innovative strategies and technologies to improve educational access and opportunities for Arkansas students. The office provides technical assistance to the Arkansas Department of Education in the form of research and analytics to support innovative instruction, assessment and accountability. Direct school and district support for innovation is provided to teachers and leaders for exploration, design and implementation of innovative strategies and programs to transform learning. The office is investigating such topics as blended learning opportunities and challenges, personalizing instruction, competency-based learning and assessment, digital content and learning management systems and innovative assessment and accountability systems within personalized and competency-based systems.

  • Bobbie Biggs, professor of workforce development and director of Early Care and Education Projects

The Early Care and Education Projects in conjunction with the Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education provides statewide training programs for early educators. Biggs and her staff develop curricula to educate teachers and professional caregivers in Arkansas about the educational, social and developmental needs of preschool children. State funding allows the office to offer training free to early educators. The projects office conducts research and evaluation of programs to ensure they are effective.

Partners for Inclusive Communities, which is based in Little Rock, is the state's University Center on Disabilities administratively located within the College of Education and Health Professions. It receives federal and state funding for numerous projects to assist people with disabilities. In addition to providing training, community service and technical assistance through collaborative partnerships with local and state organizations, Partners conducts research to determine the most effective ways to support people with disabilities and prevent further disabilities. The Arkansas Autism Partnership program directed by Burnette is the Medicaid waiver program for children with autism between the ages of 18 months and 7 years.

The Arkansas Leadership Academy was created 25 years ago by state legislative action to provide professional development for educators with the goal of improving student achievement and school systems. A component of the academy's work is to conduct research and evaluation of programs that may be used in training and in schools.

Other Partners projects include the Arkansas Disability and Health Program, Crime Victims with Disabilities Project, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Foster Care, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and the Safety and Sexual Violence Prevention Project.

  • Janet Penner-Williams, assistant dean for education, College of Education and Health Professions

Penner-Williams is the principal investigator on several education grants, including Project RISE - Realizing and Increasing Student Excellence, which is a five-year grant funded by the Office of English Language Acquisition in the U. S. Department of Education. The grant serves seven partner school districts, paying for about 100 teachers in Arkansas to receive endorsement in English as a second language. The grant project addresses several research questions about coaching on best practices and the role of professional learning communities.

In the spring of 2015, the Arkansas Department of Education awarded a three-year grant establishing the ESL Graduate Academy through a partnership between the University of Arkansas and Arkansas Tech University. The academy's goal is to add 400 ESL-endorsed teachers in Arkansas each year. Research addresses whether teachers' sense of efficacy with English language learners increases after participating in the academy and whether they effectively implement strategies learned.

Contacts

Heidi Wells, director of communications
College of Education and Health Professions
479-575-3138, heidisw@uark.edu

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