A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Field-Initiated Studies

Field-Initiated studies (FIS) grants are grants for educational research projects. These projects include basic and applied research, inquiry with the purpose of applying tested knowledge gained to specific educational settings and problems, development, planning, surveys, assessments, evaluations, investigations, experiments, and demonstrations in the field of education and other fields relating to education. Topics and methods of study are generated by the investigators, including teachers and other practitioners.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, state and local education agencies, public and private organizations, institutions, and agencies and individuals.

While there were no absolute priorities for FIS grants, the applicants must apply to one of the five National Institutes, and the National Institutes may fund only applications which are within their legislative missions. These missions, as well as examples of study areas, were provided in the Federal Register application notice. For a complete description of the legislative mandate, consult the Educational Research, Development Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994.

1996 FIS Competition

The Student Achievement Institute awarded 13 grants, totaling over $2.65 million. Recipients included ten colleges or universities, two independent research organizations, and one state department of education. Projects addressed issues such as reducing and preventing violence in schools; using technology to improve teaching and learning; organizing schools for effective instruction; and improving teaching and learning in the core content areas. Abstracts for the 1996 projects are available.

1997 FIS Competition

The Student Achievement Institute awarded 5 grants, totaling almost $1 million. Recipients included two research organizations and 3 universities. Projects addressed topics related to: implementation of standards-based reform in urban schools, redesign of classroom instruction in core curriculum areas, the impact of trained substitute teachers on student achievement, the effects of class size reduction on instructional practices, and use of model-centered instruction to improve middle-school science education. A press statement from the Secretary of Education regarding the 1997 competition is available.
Abstracts for the 1997 projects are available.

Current and Future FIS Competitions

If you have specific questions, contact:
Clara Lawson-Holmes
Phone: (202) 219-2028
Clara_Lawson-Holmes@ed.gov.

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National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum and Assessment

This page last modified on June 14, 2000 (tca)