FSU Professors Receive IES Grants to Advance Special Education Research

The Institute for Education Sciences (IES) has awarded Early Career grants to Drs. Laura Steacy and Jenny Root, who are both assistant professors of special education in the Florida State University College of Education.

Dr. Laura Steacy and Dr. Jenny Root

Steacy and Root will receive $500,000 each over a four-year period to research ways to support students with learning disabilities. Steacy’s research will explore and develop instructional supports for children with dyslexia who are learning to read complex words, while Root’s research has a goal of developing and testing the efficiency and feasibility of a curriculum designed to enhance the mathematical problem-solving skills of secondary students with “extensive” support needs, officials said.

“Given that IES typically awards two to four such grants per year, having two of our faculty receive this grant in the same year and three faculty in the same department hold this type of grant at the same time is a remarkable achievement,” said Dr. Robert Reiser, associate dean for research in the College of Education.

IES grants support special education and early intervention researchers in their work that is beneficial to education policymakers and practitioners. In addition to Steacy and Root, assistant professor of special education Dr. Veronica Fleury also received an IES Early Career grant last year.