Grants and Projects
Read more on research grants and projects being conducted by College of Education and P-16 Integration faculty and students in collaboration. Also, remember that all CEP faculty need to follow the step-by-step CEP internal timeline for grant submissions.
Principal Investigator - College of Education and P-16 Faculty
Affordable 100% Online Competency-Based Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Care and Early Childhood Studies
Project Leadership: Dr. John Lowdermilk (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Vejoya Viren (Co-Principal Investigator)
Funding Amount: $233,576.00
Sponsor: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Project Description: In collaboration with South Texas College, this project will develop a 100% online competency-based Bachelor of Science Early Care and Early Childhood Studies (BS-ECEC) that can be affordably completed within 3 years.
Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers
Project Leadership: Dr. Criselda Garcia
Sponsor: Raising Texas Teachers, Charles Butt Foundation
Project Description: The Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers is available to prospective teachers who are currently enrolled in, or plan to enter, an eligible teacher preparation program at a Charles Butt Foundation Raising Texas Teachers partner university.
Early Childhood Certification Support
Project Leader: Irasema S. González
Funding Amount: $11,800
Sponsor Agency: Texas Education Agency
Project Description: This program is intended to support educator preparation programs in becoming an authorized certifier of Early Childhood-Grade 3 and supporting their first cohort of Early Childhood-Grade 3 Teacher candidates.
Early Head Start Grant
Early Head Start services will be provided to infants, toddlers, and preschool age children from low income families, children in the foster care system, expectant women, teen parents, and homeless children. This Partnership will establish center-based early learning environments to provide full-day, full-year learning experiences that the needs of eligible children and their families, and support child development and school readiness through strong relationship-based experiences and early intervention services.
MHS ACCESS: Accessing Mental Health Services
Project Leadership:
- Dr. Nancy P. Razo (PI), LSSP, professor of practice and school psychology program coordinator
- Dr. Noe Ramos, LSSP, assistant professor of Human Development & School Services
- Dr. Suzanne Maniss, professor in the Department of Counseling
- Nelda M. Rodriguez, LMSW, clinical professor, School of Social Work
- Dr. Javier Cavazos, LPC, professor, Department of Counseling
- Dr. Selma Yznaga, LPC, professor in the Department of Counseling
Funding Amount: $5.7 million
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education, Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program
Project Description: The goal is to provide critical mental health services to K-12 students in the Valley.
Dr. Nancy P. Razo is principal investigator on the grant. The project will partner with seven local education agencies Edcouch-Elsa, McAllen, PSJA and Sharyland ISDs, and the Harlingen and Mission CISDs to train 120 school psychology, counseling and social work graduate students in those districts to complete their training and be employed to provide mental health services in schools.
The research team behind the grant expects that by the end of the grant period, 90 (75%) of the total 120 School-Based Mental Health Service Professionals will be employed as school psychologists, counselors or social workers in one of the seven partnered school agencies within the local region.
VIDEO from UTRGV Press Conference:
PHOTOS from UTRGV Press Conference:
MHS ACCESS 2: Accessing Mental Health Services
Project Leadership:
- Dr. Nancy P. Razo (PI), LSSP, professor of practice and school psychology program coordinator
- Dr. Suzanne Maniss, professor in the Department of Counseling
- Dr. Noe Ramos, LSSP, assistant professor of Human Development & School Services
- Dr. Jessica Haas, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling
- Nelda M. Rodriguez, LMSW, clinical professor, School of Social Work
- Dr. Denise Longoria, LCSW-S, associate professor, School of Social Work
- Dr. Javier Cavazos, LPC, professor, Department of Counseling
- Dr. Selma Yznaga, LPC, professor in the Department of Counseling
Funding Amount: $5.6 million
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education, Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program
Project Description: The goal is to provide critical mental health services to K-12 students in the Valley. This is the second grant obtained by Dr. Razo and her team under this grant program and includes 4 additional school districts. Project MHS ACCESS was the first one that includes 6 school districts.
Dr. Nancy P. Razo is principal investigator on the grant. The project will partner with four local education agencies Laredo, Mercedes, United, and Valley View ISDs to train 70 school psychology, counseling and social work graduate students in those districts to complete their training and be employed to provide mental health services in schools.
Preparing Teaching Candidates to Enact Transformative Teaching Practices
Project Name: Preparing Teaching Candidates to Enact Transformative Teaching Practices: A Program Level Design-Development Study
Project Leadership: UTRGV PI, Dr. Criselda Garcia
Funding Amount: $22,909 ($21,818 Direct Costs + $1,091 Indirect Costs)
Sponsor: Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation
Project Description: When teacher preparation programs have greater alignment across all points of contact within their network of support, teacher candidates leave the program better prepared to enact transformative teaching practices. Ten institutions in Texas that lead the state in excellence in teacher preparation have been working for one year, under the guidance of Raise Your Hand: Raising Texas Teachers (RYH), to develop understandings of the common problem of how we prepare teachers to be transformative teachers in Texas schools. RYH enlisted the support of the Carnegie Foundation to provide professional support for ten university-based teacher education programs to enact reforms in preservice teacher education. Together, we have worked to charter a project using improvement science to build a theory of reform for field experiences. We are part of one of two working groups, called Networked Improvement Communities (NIC) focusing on the field experience. A NIC works for one year to charter a project; for 1-3 years to learn together, and then also works on spreading the learning to other contexts.
In this study, researchers focus on Teacher Education Program (TEP) supports and the changes in how teacher candidates are prepared as teachers within field experiences. The individuals who participate in our TEP are (1) Teacher Education Committee (TEC) (n=16), (2) Liaison Graduate Student Group (n=16), (3) Teacher Candidate Cohort Coordinators (n=8), and University Field Supervisors (n=20). In this study, areas of focus to improve field experiences of teacher candidates (TCs) in teacher education programs are: (1) Vision/Program Elements and Alignment, (2) Candidate Support, (3) Field Supervisor and Mentor Support, (4) Reciprocal Professional Communities.
Project Bridging the Way
Project Name: Project Bridging the Way
Project Leadership: Dr. Suzanne Maniss (Project Director), Dr. Nancy Razo (Co-Project Director), Dr. Javier Cavazos (Project Evaluator), Dr. Selma Yznaga (Co-Project Evaluator), Dr. Christine Berger (Training Specialist), Erica Villarreal (Training Specialist), and Dr. Zulmaris Diaz (Training Specialist)
Funding Amount: $625,000
Sponsor: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)
Project Description: Project Bridging the Way will train school personnel (e.g., teachers, counselors, administrators, school law enforcement, Human Resource employees), parents, and undergraduate clinical teachers in the UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration to recognize signs and symptoms of mental illness and/or emotional disturbances in youth and school district staff and make appropriate referrals to licensed mental health providers.
Mental Health Resources
- In an emergency or crisis
- Domestic violence, Abuse, and Sexual Assauslt Resources
- Treatment Resources
- Mental Health Treatment
- Children and Youth Resources
- Resources for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trangender Support
- Self-Help Resources and Groups
- Other Resources
Visit the Mental Health Resources webpage on the Department of Counseling for support information.
Project PLEASE
Project Name: Project PLEASE (Program for Leaders to Educate and Advocate for Special Education)
Project Leadership: Dr. Paul Sale (Principal Investigator), Dr. Federico Guerra (Co-Principal Investigator), and Dr. Velma Menchaca (Co-Principal Investigator)
Funding Amount: $1,243,658.00
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs
Project Description: Project PLEASE (Program for Leaders to Educate and Advocate for Special Education) (2019-2024) is a collaborative initiative between Human Development and School Services and Organization and School Leadership and nine partner school districts. Project PLEASE trains 15 scholars in a doctoral program in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Special Education Leadership. The project curriculum emphasizes special education law literacy, high-leverage and evidence-based special education practices, practice-based experiences, and advocacy for the rights of families and their children with disabilities.
RGV STEM Education Consortium
Project Leadership: Dr. Angela Chapman
Sponsor: College of Education and P-16 Integration, Engaged Scholarship & Learning, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Divsion of Research, UTeach
Project Description: A fundamental goal is to ensure that all STEM educators are prepared to successfully implement best practices in STEM education, from preschool to college.
SSTARC (Social Studies Through Authentic and Relevant Content): Promoting Humanities Learning in Elementary Schools
Project Leadership: Dr. Joy Esquierdo (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Stephanie Alvarez (Mexican American Studies)
Sponsor: National Endowment for the Humanities
Funding Amount: $99,991.00
Project Description: The Center for Bilingual Studies in collaboration with the Center for Mexican American Studies was awarded a $99,991 grant rom the National Endowment for the Humanities titled Project SSTARC (Social Studies through Authentic and Relevant Content). This grant was written in partnership with PSJA ISD and Harlingen CISD to design and organize culturally relevant Social Studies curriculum in English and Spanish for kindergarten through fifth grade students. The NEH grant will support workshops for in-service teachers, together with humanities scholar and researchers, to align the state standards (TEKS) with culturally relevant pedagogy and the use of historical artifacts from the local community. The grant will also support a conference where the instructional units will be disseminated to a larger number of elementary teachers.
Systematic Replication Research to Improve the Preparation of Teachers
Project Name: Systematic Replication Research to Improve the Preparation of Teachers
Project Leadership: Dr. Jair Aguilar (Principal Investigator)
Funding Amount: $50,000
Sponsor: The University of Virginia
Project Description: This is a collaborative project with the University of Virginia and Southern Methodist University to evaluate simulated learning in teacher preparation across universities (Project On-Going - 2nd/3 year). The purpose of this research study is to capitalize on the unique features of simulated learning to investigate the most beneficial ways to structure feedback for teacher candidates, while providing students with additional opportunities to practice different skills, with the use and implementation of Mixed-Reality Simulations. It expected that two paper publications are submitted to high quality educational journals.
Texas School Ready Lead Agent Grant
Project Leadership: Drs. Irasema Gonzalez and Hilda Medrano
Sponsor: UT Health Science Center Houston
Funding Amount: $348,720
Juarez-Lincoln High School and College of Education and P-16 Integration Turnaround Partnership
Project Name: Preparing Teaching Candidates to Enact Transformative Teaching Practices: A Program Level Design-Development Study
Project Leadership: UTRGV PI, Dr. Roberto Zamora, Dr. Criselda Garcia
Funding Amount: $100,000 per year from 2017 to 2020
Sponsor: University of Texas System K-12 School Turnaround Partnership
Co-Principal Investigator - College of Education and P-16 Faculty
Building Capacity: Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM Through Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Community Engagement
Project Leadership: Dr. Alexis Racelis (Principal Investigator, College of Sciences) Dr. Angela Chapman (Co-Principal Investigator), Dr. Francisco Guajardo (Co-Principal Investigator), and Dr. Javier Cavazos (Key Personnel)
Funding Amount: $1,480,002.00
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Project Description: This project will design and implement professional development workshops to help faculty develop inclusive, culturally relevant teaching practices, and to help faculty implement effective community engagement and experiential learning in STEM. These faculty will develop and teach new introductory core biology and math courses ("gateway courses") in a bilingual modality, as well as new first year courses in Community Engaged Scholarship and Learning. Through measures of academic, behavioral, and perceptual gains (e.g., pre/post assessments; measures of science motivation), the project will determine the impact of these courses on students' sense of belonging, pride, and cultural wealth, with the goal of defining how these characteristics intersect with student performance and retention. Using surveys, open ended questions, and focus group interviews, this project also aims to measure the impact of the professional development activities and new courses on faculty awareness of community engagement and on the faculty's use of culturally-relevant pedagogies.
Collaborative Research: Promoting Research-Based Instructional Methods to Enhance and Reform STEM Education
Project Leadership: Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng (Principal Investigator, College of Engineering and Computer Science) and Dr. Ming-Tsan Pierre Lu (Co-Principal Investigator)
Funding Amount: $634,612.00
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Project Description: This project is a collaboration between the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Front Range Community College, and the University of Nebraska/Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility. The project aims to address the challenges institutions face as they seek to improve undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To this end, the project will implement and investigate a comprehensive approach to transforming instruction and institutional culture. The project aims to increase the adoption of learner-centered, research-based instructional strategies through the Learning by Design professional development program. The Learning by Design program was developed through a previous Widening Implementation and Demonstration of Evidence-Based Reforms award. Project components include a professional development program focused on course-design principles and research-based instructional strategies, with follow-on mentoring, roundtable discussion, course improvement awards, and research and evaluation activities.
The primary goal of this project is to move undergraduate STEM instructors away from traditional teacher-centered lecture-based instruction, toward learning-centered active learning-based instruction. The secondary goal is to create, test, and implement different versions of the Learning by Design program in ways that are sensitive to differences between institutions and their varied missions and contexts. The project team proposes to develop models for sustainability that will enable these versions to persist beyond the life of the project. Applying grounded theory and correlational analyses, the multiple-case study research study (mixed qualitative and quantitative methods) is designed to address the primary research question: How can evidence-based instructional methods and professional development programs be effectively propagated in different institutions of higher education to support STEM instructor implementation of learner-centered instruction? The design/implementation and research components of the proposed effort are grounded in the organizational change literature, primarily through the theoretical and practical work of Kezar (e.g., research-based principles of organizational change, change strategies, change foci, change models, and change outcomes). The project is designed to provide multiple ways by which faculty, academic departments and other units, institutions, and institutional consortia can support broader implementation of effective instructional strategies/practices, and thus improve undergraduate STEM education.
UTeach
Project Name: UTeach
Project Leadership: Co-Director of UTeach College of Education and P-16 Integration, Dr. Angela Chapman; Co-Director of College of Sciences, Dr. Chris Smith
Sponsor: UTRGV (Institutionally funded program)
Description: UTRGV UTeach is the secondary teacher preparation program for science and mathematics majors at UTRGV. The purpose of the program is to prepare highly qualified science and mathematics teachers according to the UTeach model developed at The University of Texas at Austin. During its five-year period as a replication grant, UTRGV UTeach graduated 92 students and in its fifth year surpassed all UTeach programs in the nation with an active enrollment of 485 students.
Completed Grants and Projects
Individualized 4-C Treatment for Hispanic Parents and Their Children with Autism
Project Leadership: Dr. Hsuying Ward
Funding Amount: $500,000
Sponsor: Texas Higher Education Coordinator Board
A Community-Engaged Pedagogy in HSI Teacher Preparation
Project Name: A Community-Engaged Pedagogy in HSI Teacher Preparation: Leveraging Voices from the Field Amidst the Global Pandemic
Project Leadership: Dr. Sandra I. Musanti, (Principal Investigator, Professor, Bilingual and Literacy Studies Department), Dr. Veronica Estrada (Co-PI, Professor in Teaching and Learning Department), and Dr. Pauli Badenhorst (Co-PI, Assistant Professor, Teaching and Learning Department). The research team also includes Mrs. Patricia Robles (Assistant Professor in Practice, Bilingual and Literacy Studies Department), and Mrs. Amy Montoya, doctoral student in the Curriculum and Instruction program as a Graduate Research Assistant.
Funding Amount: $92,514.00
Sponsor: Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED)
Project Description: The awarded project seeks to tap into the experiences and expertise of Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) community leaders, teacher educators, district and school administrators, experienced and novice teachers and teacher candidates in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) to inform a community-engaged pedagogy framework that will bridge school and university cultures – an initiative critical to a sustainable and equitable approach to transforming teacher preparation. Through a mixed methods approach, the study is documenting Latinx educators’ professional, cultural, and linguistic experiences learning to teach as well as effective practices and stances for teaching and learning.
Fit-in Hang-out and Move-forward Parent-Directed Treatment Program
Project Name: Fit-in Hang-out and Move-forward Parent-Directed Treatment Program
Project Leadership: Dr. Noe Ramos (Principal Investigator), Dr. Javier Cavazos (Co-Principal Investigator), and Ms. Julie Pecina (Co-Principal Investigator)
Funding Amount: $499,265.00
Sponsor: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
Project Description: The parent-directed treatment program provides training and support to 320 parents of children and adolescents with Autism across all four counties in the Rio Grande Valley. The program delivers a bilingual evidence-based training program to help Hispanic parents improve confidence, psychological flexibility, and emotional well-being, as well as to improve communication, social behaviors, and social interactions among children or adolescents with Autism.
The UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration has partnered with STISD’s South Texas Business, Education & Technology Academy (BETA) to offer an educator pipeline via the Holmes Cadets (HC’s) Program. HC’s provides BETA students that are interested in a career in education an opportunity to broaden their horizons by completing concurrent college courses at UTRGV.
When completing these concurrent courses, students will also be involved in Participatory Action research that is a very important part of their professional development. The professional development activities have been created with cooperation from BETA education teachers; connecting the education courses taken at BETA with the Participatory Action research activities that will be completed at UTRGV.
The HC’s Program is designed to prepare BETA education students to become extraordinary teachers in the K-12 system. As part of the AACTE-Holmes Program, this program supports historically underrepresented students that wish to pursue a career in education.
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Mobilizing Storytime and Literacy
Project Name: Mobilizing Storytime and Literacy
Project Leadership: Dr. Irasema Gonzalez (Principal Investigator)
Funding Amount: $15,000
Sponsor: Raul Tijerina Foundation
Project Description: The Mobile Literacy Unit (MLU) is a community outreach vehicle designed to travel across the Rio Grande Valley to provide low-income children with equitable literacy opportunities. The MLU promotes literacy and reading achievement by taking university resources into the local community, particularly targeting areas that have been historically underserved. Through the generous support of the Raul Tijerina Jr. Foundation, the MLU has been serving the community amidst the pandemic via La Hora del Cuento/The Storytime Hour (MLU YouTube Channel) and Curbside Literacy Book Fairs. The MLU provides access to library resources such as children’s books, puppets, literacy games, iPads, literacy tools, and art supplies for young children ages 0-8 years. The MLU supports diverse projects aligned to service learning and community engagement. To request the MLU, please visit our website https://www.utrgv.edu/mobile-literacy-unit/
Performance-Based Coaching: Educator Preparation Provider Application
Project Leadership: Dr. Alma Rodriguez (Co-Lead) and Dr. Sandra Musanti (Co-Lead)
Funding Amount: $374,988.00
Sponsor: Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED)
Project Description: The UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration is one of four minority-serving institutions selected by the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity ( BranchEd) to join its national Teacher Preparation Transformation Center, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dr. Alma Rodriguez, interim dean of the UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration, and Dr. Sandra Musanti, associate professor in the Bilingual and Literacy Studies Department, worked on the grant proposal and will co-lead grant implementation.
They will work collaboratively with BranchEd, which will provide training, technical assistance and funding to UTRGV, to advance outcomes and amplify contributions as the second-largest Hispanic Serving Institution in preparing effective diverse teachers.
The initial school district partner in the project is Harlingen CISD. Veronica Kortan, administrator for Organizational Development; Jennifer Herrera, Talent Acquisition and Development; and Celeste Santa Ana, fifth-grade teacher and UTRGV alumna, are part of the project’s initial leadership team.
“Funding from BranchED will help the UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration support ongoing initiatives and program faculty committed to transforming teacher preparation,” Rodriguez said.
“Being part of the Teacher Preparation Transformation Center is a unique opportunity to continue our actual commitment and ongoing initiatives to high quality, sustainable, practice-based, culturally and linguistically sustaining teacher preparation,” she said.
The grant is for $374,998 over three years, and began Jan. 1, 2019.
VIDEO on BranchEd Transformation Center Launch:
News
Initiatives sponsored by the Branch Ed grant can be viewed on the news page.
Introduction to Practice Based Teaching Education
As part of the Branch Ed grant sponsored initiatives, the College of Education and P-16 Integration hosted Teaching Works for an intensive professional development workshop entitled “Introduction to Practice Based Teacher Education” on October 3-4, 2019. Teacher preparation faculty from the College of Education and P-16 Integration, College of Liberal Arts, and College of Sciences, as well as Harlingen CISD cooperating teachers and school leaders gathered to learn about practice-based teacher education and high leverage practices to strengthen the teacher preparation transformation pathway. Teaching Works under the direction of Dr. Deborah Ball, supports “teacher educators in designing and implementing professional training for teachers that intertwines attention to high-leverage practices of teaching, challenging and powerful academic content and skills, and the pursuit of equitable learning opportunities for students” (TeachingWorks.org).
Workshop Photos by UTRGV David Pike
Teacher Intrapreneurs: Responding to Priorities of
Teaching and Learning in the Classroom
Overarching Goal
To create a forum for teachers to respond to priorities of teaching and learning in Rio Grande Valley schools that recognize and reinforce the idea that teachers are mediums of models of practice and systems designed to inform and support teaching and learning strategies, which in collaboration with families and stakeholders, directly impact the education of students.
Objectives
- Brainstorm individual and collective experiences of teaching and learning.
- Identify priorities in teaching and learning in the classroom.
- Develop action plan to respond to priorities in teaching and learning in the classroom in collaboration with colleagues.
- Commit to action.
- Determine next steps for initiative.
Find out what RGV educators had to say at the forum.
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