The University of Oregon College of Education recently received $11.5 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences.
The grants, finalized as of July 1, are set to fund five separate research efforts for a variety of grade levels, economic backgrounds and mental abilities.
Paths 2 the Future — an experimental, girls-only high school curriculum — and READY for WAGES — intended to help youths transition out of the juvenile justice system — were awarded the largest sums from the grants, receiving a collective $7 million (split evenly between the two programs) in funds.
The Paths 2 the Future project will be led by principal investigator Lauren Lindstrom.
“This curriculum is different because it is exclusive for girls,” Lindstrom said. “It includes sections about gender issues and disability and promotes discussion about what the limitations are for women.”
The curriculum will cover four core issues, including self-awareness and self-determination, disability awareness, gender roles and college and career planning.
“Often, people assume these girls can’t go to college or work in certain careers when they actually can,” Lindstrom said. “I think there’s still an inherent bias about girls and about disabilities; and, because of this, girls are rather limited in certain ways.”
The study will be conducted over four years and will include the participation of over 500 girls in 28 Oregon schools.
“We hope that we are able to extend beyond our state borders and take it to a couple of other states,” said Cindy Post, a project coordinator and research member of UO Secondary Special Education and Transition research work group, via email. “I don’t believe that there is a state out there that wouldn’t want to improve the education and career outcomes for young high school girls.”
The female-only curriculum stood out despite fierce competition for funding, and its distinction made it one of Lindstrom’s biggest research grant awards to date.
“I am very excited to have received this grant,” Lindstrom said. “The Paths 2 the Future curriculum is unique, since we are focusing on issues of gender equity and also disability advocacy, so it is very gratifying to have federal support to pursue this work across Oregon.”
READY for WAGES (Research on Employment of Adjudicated Youth through Working at Gaining Employment Social Skills Curriculum) will be conducted over the course of four years in Oregon, Maryland and New Mexico. The program will test the effectiveness of an alternative school curriculum for youths transitioning out of the juvenile justice system.
“When I worked as a teacher in alternative education, I became really familiar with kids involved in the juvenile justice system, and I saw that they needed further support,” said principal investigator Deanne Unruh. “This study is really about developing interventions that are focused in on young offenders and creating strategies for how they can reenter the community and be successful in both further school completion and ongoing employment.”
The curriculum seeks to improve employment prospects by targeting four core workplace skills: self regulation, teamwork, communication and problem solving. Lessons are focused on maintaining long-term employment, rather than simply “getting a job.”
Unruh said she and her research team found that employment or enrollment in classes often supports former juvenile inmates’ chances of staying on track and avoiding repeated incarcerations. She hopes that the results will legitimize the curriculum and that it will be implemented in the future.
“My hope at the end of this grant is that we will have a shelf-ready curriculum based on employability and social skills for young offenders, with evidence of positive results,” Unruh said. “Our prior work has developed this curriculum, and with this grant, we will be able to test it and see if it truly works.”
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