Special education research

The Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences awarded the University of South Carolina $1,751,365.29 on January 23, 2026, under the Research in Special Education program (CFDA 84.324) to evaluate the K-5 Second Step social-emotional learning curriculum and its bullying prevention unit on youth violence and school climate among students with and at-risk for disability identification. The award runs through June 30, 2027, with performance based in Columbia, South Carolina.

The recipient will conduct stratified random assignment of 36 schools to Second Step only and Second Step plus Bullying Prevention Unit conditions, organize and archive teacher and student survey datasets and implementation costs, perform psychometric analysis including confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance testing, conduct multilevel statistical analyses for treatment effects and change across time, perform cost and cost-effectiveness analyses with sensitivity testing, and disseminate findings through journal publications, conference presentations, school partner reports, policy briefs, webinars, and social media.

The award funds two sub-recipients. Louisiana State University & Agricultural and Mechanical College, under Dr. Anna Long's oversight, will direct research activities at LSU sites including research design, technical assistance, data collection for Louisiana school partners, data analysis, findings dissemination, and supervision of project coordinator and student research assistants. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, under Co-PI Dorothy Espelage, will coordinate school recruitment and retention across North Carolina elementary schools, secure institutional review board approval and amendments, coordinate survey development and data collection, implement intervention protocols, train teachers and observers, and supervise graduate research assistants.