Select Funded Faculty Projects & Grants

TELL Equity - (Teaching English Language Learners)

Duration: 2022-Present

Amount Awarded: $1,198,496

Principal Investigator: Louie, Belinda (Professor)

https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/tellequity

https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/news/3m-grant-prepare-teachers-english-language-learners

Project TELL-Equity aims to increase the capacity of Grades K–8 pre-service and in-service teachers to provide effective and equitable language and literacy instruction for English learners. This instruction will promote learning and meaning-making by building on students’ experiences and knowledge, and their linguistic, cultural, and cognitive resources. TELL-EQUITY has 4 goals to support the needs of the LEA partner school districts and to address the grant priorities in providing PD that will improve instruction for English learners: 1) Increase the certification and EL endorsement rates of preservice teachers; 2) Improve effective instruction for ELs by increasing the number of inservice teachers with EL endorsements; 3) Support strategies that promote school readiness of ELs and their transition from early childhood education programs to elementary school programs; and, (4) Ensure ELs’ equitable access to education by facilitating ELs’ language and literacy growth professional activities for educators and parents on linguistically and culturally responsive instruction. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the project PI is Dr. Belinda Louie.

Select Funded Faculty Projects & Grants

AAPI THRIVE - (Tacoma Husky Retention and Inclusive Vision of Excellence)

Duration: 2022-Present

Amount Awarded: $1,989,942

Principal Investigator: Endo, Rachel (Dean and Professor)

https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/chancellor/thrive

The Tacoma Husky Retention and Inclusive Vision of Excellence (AAPI THRIVE) project develops and provides support for Asian-American and Pacific Islander students, addressing three major gaps: 1) Disparity in retention rates between full-time, first-time in college AAPI students and transfer students; 2) Severely limited faculty development in high-impact, best practices of inclusive teaching and curriculum development; and, 3) Serious lack of connection and engagement of AAPI students with the campus community. These three gaps are addressed through five components, as follows: Component I: Improving academic support for first-year, first-time in college AAPI students; Component II: Establishing and implementing a faculty learning community with emphasis on inclusive pedagogy; Component III: Developing new culturally relevant courses and implementing an Asian American Studies Minor; Component IV: Creating a welcoming campus environment that connects AAPI students with faculty, other students, and the larger campus community; and, Component V: Creating an AAPI Mental Health and Wellness workshop series and use digital storytelling to destigmatize mental health and encourage positive help-seeking behaviors. The project is led by PI Dr. Rachel Endo, and is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

NSF EQ-STEMM - (Strengthening Teaching with Elementary Mathematical Modeling)

Duration: 2021-Present

Amount Awarded: $577,122

Principal Investigator: Aguirre, Julia (Professor)

Equity and Strengthening Teaching with Elementary Mathematical Modeling (EQ-STEMM) focuses on equity-centered professional development (PD) designed to improve mathematics teaching and learning through mathematical modeling (MM) in grades K-5. Project goals include: a) increasing equitable participation and learning of mathematical modeling for culturally and linguistically diverse children; b) developing and testing tools and resources to strengthen MM instruction that leverages students’ lived experiences and cultural funds of knowledge; and, c) developing and refining a model for an innovative practice-based PD that includes on-line hybrid learning spaces for teachers in diverse settings. EQ-STEMM is led by PIs from the University of Arizona, University of Washington Tacoma, Montana State University, and George Mason University. The UW Tacoma component was led by the School of Education’s Dr. Julia Aguirre. This work is funded by the National Science Foundation.

TELL PD - (Teaching English Language Learners)

Duration: 2017-2023

Amount Awarded: $2,260,118

Principal Investigator: Louie, Belinda (Professor)

Teaching English Language Learners through Professional Development (TELL-PD) aims to support educators improve academic performance for English language learners. The project had four primary goals: 1) Provide support to preservice teachers completing a WA teaching certification with an EL endorsement license; 2) Provide principals and inservice teachers with hybrid professional development modules to improve EL instruction; 3) Provide support for inservice teachers enrolled in an online endorsement program; and, 4) Help parents, families, and community members expand and enhance their skills, strategies, and knowledge to communicate and to collaborate to support ELs’ learning. TELL-PD was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and led by PI Dr. Belinda Louie.

M2C3 - (Mathematics Modeling with Cultural and Community Contexts)

Duration: 2016-2019

Amount Awarded: $491,722

Principal Investigator: Aguirre, Julia (Professor)

The Mathematics Modeling with Cultural and Community Contexts (M2C3) Project is a national collaborative mathematics education research project funded by the National Science Foundation. The project focuses on teaching and learning of mathematical modeling in grades 3-5. It involves 4 institutions: University of Washington Tacoma, University of Arizona, Queens College – City University of New York, and Washington State University. The M2C3 project is a research project aimed at enhancing mathematical modeling in grades 3-5 by modifying instruction to create math experiences for students that connect to lived experiences in families and communities. UW Tacoma work was led by Dr. Julia Aguirre.

Community Partnerships

Contracts (Community Partnerships)

Kent School District

Duration: 2021-2022

Amount: $14,497

Principal Investigator: Aguirre, Julia (Professor)

The Kent School District (KSD) entered into a partnership with the University of Washington Tacoma School of Education with regard to a professional development coursed established by KSD. The course centered on the teaching of mathematics to culturally and linguistically diverse PK-2nd students, with the key aims of: 1) Applying mathematical modeling activities that promote children’s learning; 2) engagement with parents/families to support mathematics learning; and, 3) Analyzing the instruction with a culturally responsive mathematics lens. The instruction of the course was led by Dr. Julia Aguirre.

SHIP (Safety and Health Investment Project)

Duration: 2018-2019

Amount: $28,576

Principal Investigator: Beaudoin, Kathleen (Associate Professor)

The SHIP project developed curriculum, training modules, and response protocols to significantly reduce workplace injuries for special education personnel. Led by PI Dr. Kathleen Beaudoin, safety training modules were taught over five separate training days, that focused on the following 6 components: 1) Developing Positive Relationships with Students; 2) Basics of Behavior; 3) Behavior and Disabilities; 4) Responding During the Cycle of Behavioral Escalation; 5) Lines of Communication; and, 6) Special Education Law. The project was funded by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Multnomah ESD

Duration: 2021

Amount: $34,416

Principal Investigator: Knaus, Christopher (Professor)

The Multnomah Educational Service District (MESD) awarded a contract to the University of Washington Tacoma School of Education to support the development and implementation of the Grow Your Own-style program. The work, led by Dr. Christopher Knaus, supported racial equity, social justice, and culturally sustaining practices at the leadership level by working with MESD to: 1) Strengthen regional Grow Your Own programs, including sustainable educator of color development programs tailored to specific communities of color; 2) Expand BYO programming to engage the recruitment, preparation, placement, retention, and leadership trajectories of anti-racist teachers of color; 3) Align and partner with national Grow Your Own workgroups; 4) Convene and facilitate planning meetings with lead program staff in Multnomah County as needed to develop, manage, and trouble-shoot the implementation of ongoing community-rooted professional development series; and, 5) Convene and facilitate monthly Teaching for Liberation workshops with aspiring BIPOC educators (Equity Leads), including paraeducators, community members, pre-service, and current teachers.

Boys and Girls Club

Duration: 2018-2023

Amount: $100,095

Principal Investigator: Feuerborn, Laura (Professor)

This partnership was part of an OSPI 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant received by the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound (BGCSPS). The aim of the grant was to align BGCSPS’ out-of-school programs and school partners through the Strong SELF program. The four overarching goals included: 1) Improve students’ academic achievement; 2) Increase social-emotional skills and positive student behaviors; 3) Increase family involvement; and, 4) Increase students’ access to college and career experiences. BGCSPS contracted with the University of Washington Tacoma School of Education (SOE) to evaluate the project, which included collecting and analyzing data pertaining to each of the goals. The SOE evaluation team was led by Dr. Laura Feuerborn.

Santa Clara County Office of Education

Duration: 2021-2022

Amount: $6,000

Principal Investigator: Aguirre, Julia (Professor)

The University of Washington Tacoma School of Education entered into a partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) to provide support for their mathematics department. Led by Dr. Julia Aguirre, services provided included: 1) Speaking engagements to the SCCOE Mathematics Leadership Collaborative, and the Collaborative Convening; 2) Holding monthly mentorship meetings with the SCCOE mathematics team to: a) advocate for greater access to equitable mathematics; b) Building leadership and capacity for mathematics education; and, c) Expanding and sustaining one another’s leadership capacities.

Filipino Community of Seattle

Duration: 2020

Amount: $16,200

Principal Investigator: Knaus, Christopher (Professor)

The Filipino Community Center of Seattle (FCC) entered into an agreement with the University of Washington Tacoma School of Education to provide consulting services for the programs FCC provides. The services included: 1) Completing surveys of up to 250 Filipino seniors who regularly use FCC services; 2) Complete interviews of up to 50 Filipino seniors who regularly use FCC services; 3) Provide research and coordination with regard to training, developing and validating survey instruments, and conducting data collection, transcription, analysis, and reporting summaries; and, 4) Provide Community Research Affiliates who will distribute surveys, conduct interviews, transcribe interviews, and provide initial analyses. This work was led by Dr. Christopher Knaus.

Professional Educators Standards Board

Duration: 2023-2024

Amount: $50,000

Principal Investigator: Knaus, Christopher (Professor)

The Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB) entered into an agreement with the University of Washington Tacoma School of Education to help implement and operate a statewide landscape analysis of Teacher Academies. Operating under the Recruiting Washington Teachers (RWT) and Bilingual Educator Initiative (BEI) programs conducted by Dr. Christopher Knaus, the primary objective was to determine the working status of the fourteen current RWT and BEI sites throughout the state of Washington. Data was collected and analyzed with regard to: 1) staffing; 2) recruitment practices; 3) curricula; 4) community, district, and higher education partnerships; 5) data gathering practices; 6) program impact on RWT/BEI goals; and, 7) overall program sustainability.