Faculty Currently Funded Projects

BU Wheelock faculty engage in a wide variety of innovative research that has an impact at Boston University, in Boston, and beyond. Browse our funded projects, organized by principal investigator, or browse by areas of interest.

Amelia Becker and Naomi Caselli

Elizabeth Bettini

Naomi Caselli

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers on Technology for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Funded by: DHHS Administration for Community Living

This project is creating guidelines, metrics, and resources to ensure AI-based sign language technologies, especially those for interpreting, are accurate, culturally responsive, and beneficial for deaf and hard of hearing communities. The team is identifying promising uses, flagging potential risks, and providing practical tools for developers, policymakers, and service providers.

Recognize Excellence in DEIA Mentorship
Funded by: NIH

This project expands mentoring and professional development for deaf scientists. It produces on-demand training materials in American Sign Language on topics such as grant writing, publishing, and data analysis, making them available nationwide. It also supports postdoctoral training for an emerging deaf researcher, building the pipeline for future leaders.

Family Language Planning and Language Acquisition among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
Funded by: NIH

This study investigates how families of deaf and hard of hearing children decide which languages to use, and how those choices, along with access to early interventions, influence language development. Partnering with California’s statewide tracking system, the project follows children over time to identify patterns, disparities, and opportunities for improved support.

Quantifying Sign Reduction in American Sign Language using Human Pose Estimation
Funded by: National Science Foundation

Using advanced computer vision tools, this project analyzes thousands of videos to understand how American Sign Language signs are produced and how they change in everyday use. Findings will deepen knowledge of how signed and spoken languages compare and will be shared through a public, interactive database for educators, linguists, and technology developers.

Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids
Funded by: NIH

This research examines “late signers,” children with full early access to sign language but are late bloomers in terms of vocabulary. The study aims to describe the composition of these children’s vocabularies, and how they learn language.

Effects of Input Quality on ASL Vocabulary Acquisition in Deaf Children
Funded by: NIH

This study explores how the quality of early sign language input, especially from hearing parents learning ASL, affects vocabulary growth in deaf children. It investigates how children use features like iconicity (signs that resemble their meaning) to learn words, and how early vocabulary skills relate to later grammar and language abilities.

Dina Castro

Olivia Chi

Kathleen Corriveau

CAREER: Developing Critical STEM Thinkers: Optimizing Explanations in Inquiry-based Learning
Funded by: NSF

This early CAREER proposal includes integrated research and education objectives to develop a detailed understanding of how preschoolers critically evaluate explanations from adults in STEM learning situations. Specifically, the PI will conduct (1) observations of questions and explanations in an inquiry-based preschool; (2) systematic experiments in laboratory and museum settings to explore how various aspects of an explanation impact children’s STEM learning; and (3) an intervention designed to promote scientific thinking in parent-child dyads in a museum setting. The work will produce generalizable insights, distributed widely, into how to leverage the explanations from social others to optimize STEM learning in a variety of contexts. The proposed research also investigates methods that museums can use to promote parental engagement in informal learning settings, and therefore has the potential to enhance scientific engagement for both the adult and child beyond the museum.

Developing Belief: The Development and Diversity of Religious Cognition and Behavior
Funded by: Templeton Foundation via University of California at Riverside

The Developing Belief Network will coordinate an international team of scholars in the collaborative study of the development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior, addressing two critical gaps in current understanding of the development and diversity of religious beliefs and behaviors. We will also build capacity within this field by funding stipends for writing up and publishing the findings from relevant dissertation research, as well as by making the validated tasks publicly available for use by interested scholars.

Multi-Gen STEM Makerspaces in Affordable Housing: Co-Designing a Model with the Community
Funded by: NSF via CAST

Makerspaces are learning environments that engage participants in authentic science and engineering practices, using hands-on and collaborative approaches to support activities and projects that foster creativity, interest, and skill development. This project will produce a model for a STEM makerspace that focuses on increasing access. The model has four critical components that operate together: affordable housing, informal STEM learning, maker education, and multi-generational learning. The project will support mobility from poverty by including STEM learning as part of the resident services.

Natural and supernatural representations in nonreligious households: Examining nonreligious parents’ and children’s explicit and implicit beliefs
Funded by: Templeton Foundation via Texas State University

The goal of this project is to systematically explore the development of children’s beliefs in nonreligious households by evaluating the explanations their parents provide about concepts from two domains: science and religion. Little is known about the beliefs of nonreligious parents—a growing U.S. demographic—and even less is known about the mechanisms by which their children develop an understanding of religious concepts. We will also develop a flexible online testing system to secure a geographically-diverse sample and provide a basis for advancing methods in parent-child research.

Stephanie Curenton

Supporting Elevating Equity Project Dissemination and Data Use
Funded by: Conrad Hilton Foundation

In partnership with the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health and Wellbeing at Georgia State University and community partner Ms. Pamela L. Ross of Pamper Me Beautiful and the United Way, the Elevating Equity project focuses on how Black mothers use personal and community strengths and assets to navigate and mitigate racial bias’s impact on family health and wellbeing. Elevating Equity also examines the link between community racial bias and maternal/child health and wellbeing, highlighting the need to understand racism’s effects during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life and strategies that may ameliorate these effects.

Expanding the Work of the RISER (Researchers Investigating Sociocultural Equity and Race) Network in Creating a Research Network to Inform Policy and Practice Focused on Racial Justice in Health and Education
Funded by: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

RISER is focused on research unpacking how racism is an environmental toxin that drives health and educational disparities, specifically across early child development from prenatal to age 8. RISER focuses on disseminating research knowledge to scholars, practitioners, non-profit think tanks, and policy makers that is actionable, strengths-based, and focused on wellness promotion.

Understanding the Impact of Interpersonal and Structural Racism on Developmental Outcomes for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool Children
Funded by: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Led in partnership with the Equity Research Action Coalition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Racism in the Early Years project critically examines the impact of racism on children’s development and learning and highlights the cultural wealth of racially marginalized communities, families, and children in response to oppressive systems. The multi-pronged project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, summarizes empirical evidence around these areas, raising awareness through two virtual convenings and a special collection of scholarly papers, published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly (ECRQ).

MA Playful Learning Institute Evaluation
Funded by: National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago

In an effort to reimagine early education through the lens of joy, equity, and child-centered practice, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) launched the Playful Learning Institute (PLI) Evaluation. This initiative seeks to understand how playful learning can transform classrooms from pre-kindergarten through third grade across Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) schools. This research work will conduct an evaluation of PLI in pre-k to grade three DESE classrooms. CEED conducts classroom observations using the Active Playful Learning – Episodic Classroom Observation tool to examine possible classroom level changes.

CEED Operations
Funded by: Imaginable Futures

The purpose of this grant is to support the activities of the Center for the Ecology of Early Development (CEED) at Boston University. CEED conducts equity-centered research that inspires policy leaders and practitioners to cultivate health and education opportunities that optimize the well-being and ability to thrive of children from marginalized backgrounds.

Exploring Learnings on the Process and Sensemaking of Power, Collaboration, and Narrative Change in the Reimagining Childcare Ecosystem
Funded by: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

This project aims to evaluate the initiatives of 10 early childhood organizations to determine their individual and collective impact on the early childcare ecosystem. Methods involved collecting organizational documents for archival review, conducting listening sessions with organizational staff, interviewing key players in the early childcare ecosystem, and distributing survey questionnaires.

In partnership with Abt Global and Center for Evaluation Innovation, Wave 1 was completed in Fall 2024. The aims were to determine how RWJF has changed the early childhood ecosystem through their funding of advocacy efforts, what the indicators and progress makers of success are, learn promising advocacy strategies, and understand lessons learned. In collaboration with Urban Institute and Education Counsel, the project has now entered Wave 2 with aims to capture the learnings, stories, and processes that ground system change by continuing to dig deeper with each organization about their contributions, connections, and power within the early childcare ecosystem.

Preschool for all Wave 2 Follow Up
Funded by: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

In 2022, CEED partnered with Multnomah County’s Preschool and Early Learning Division to start a research and evaluation partnership for their Preschool For All (PFA) program. CEED has engaged with a variety of key players involved in PFA, including site leaders, families, and educators, whose voices help shape the future of PFA, offering a clearer picture of how early learning is evolving across Multnomah County.

In its third year, the partnership continues to explore how PFA is unfolding across Multnomah County. The goals are to (1) conduct an implementation evaluation to document and better understand how PFA is being implemented and identify strengths and opportunities for PFA to best serve children, families, and early childhood educators in Multnomah County, (2) help PFA ensure racial equity is centered in program design, delivery, and evaluation, and (3) design and conduct an outcome evaluation that answers the question: How is PFA changing the landscape of the local community when it comes to early learning and care? To assess for racial equity, the project uses the Assessing Classroom Sociocultural Equity Scale (ACSES), developed by Dr. Curenton. ACSES applies a culturally relevant, anti-bias lens to classroom observations, focusing on the experiences of children of colors and supporting the progress towards more equitable learning environments.

Capacity Building for the Center on the Ecology of Early Development
Funded by: Doris Duke Foundation

The purpose of this project is to support the capacity building work of the Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED) at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Specifically, the grant for this project will support capacity building efforts, such as operation and infrastructure development, to provide funds for these strategic objectives including (1) Personnel, (2) Unencumbered Funds for Research Innovation, (3) Dissemination of Applied Research to Policy Makers and Early Childhood Stakeholders, and (4) Fellowships for Graduate Students to complete a 1-year certificate in Child & Youth Policy.

Evaluations of Competency-based Approaches to Support the Infant and Toddler Workforce
Funded by: Mathematica

The objective of the Competency-based approaches to Support and Strengthen the Infant and Toddler Workforce (COMPASS) is to build the evidence base for competency-based professional development (CBPD) approaches for the infant and toddler (I/T) workforce and ultimately to inform the Administration for Children & Families (ACF)’s efforts to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers.

Michael Dennehy

Upward Bound
Funded by: US Department of Education

Summary: Upward Bound at Boston University seeks to provide services to 86 low-income, first-generation college-bound students with potential and in need of academic support to enable them to successfully pursue a program of postsecondary education. Program services will include an academically intensive six-week on-campus summer residential program and a 27-week afterschool program that includes tutoring, SAT and MCAS preparation courses, and Senior Workshop that supports students through the college and financial aid application processes, as well as preparing them for the transition the first year of college. The program goals are to support students’ academic and socio-emotional growth so that they meet proficiency on state-wide testing, achieve and sustain the grades in a rigorous high school curriculum necessary for college admission, and demonstrate postsecondary completion.
Now in Year 4 of a 5-year grant, with a continuation award expected prior to 9/30/25.

Upward Bound Math and Science
Funded by: US Department of Education

Summary: Upward Bound Math/Science at Boston University seeks to provide services to 50 low-income, first-generation college-bound students with potential and in need of academic support to enable them to successfully pursue a program of postsecondary education and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Program services will include an academically intensive six-week on-campus summer residential program and a 27-week afterschool program that includes tutoring, SAT and MCAS preparation courses, and Senior Workshop that supports students through the college and financial aid application processes, as well as preparing them for the transition the first year of college. The goals are to support students so that they meet proficiency on state testing, achieve and sustain the grades in a rigorous high school curriculum necessary for college admission, and demonstrate postsecondary completion.
Now in Year 4 of a 5-year grant, with a continuation award expected prior to 9/30/25.

GEAR UP MA/BU 2022–2025
Funded by: US Department of Education via MA Department of Higher Education

Summary: This project works with East Boston High School and Umana Academy to prepare students for success in postsecondary education. GEAR UP MA/BU ends on 9/30/25, with a no-cost extension anticipated while awaiting renewal with the MA Department of Higher Education.

Donald DeRosa

Hank Fien

Peter Garik

Jennifer Greif Green

Network for Enhancing Wellness in Disaster-Affected Youth (NEW DAY)
Funded by: SAMHSA via Florida International University

Summary: Project NEW DAY brings together a national consortium of leading experts in disaster recovery and children’s mental health to collaborate with disaster-prone regional coalitions and other key stakeholders to expand the scope and reach of evidence-based supports and services for children exposed to disasters, terrorism, and other public health crises. It will broaden the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of high-quality resources, trainings, preparedness, and ongoing consultations and supports for those on the front lines addressing the diverse mental/behavioral health needs of disaster-affected youth. Strategic efforts will also focus on raising overall public awareness about child needs and the impact of trauma in the aftermath of disasters and related public health crises.

Project InSTEP: Intensive Support Training for Educators and Practitioners
Funder: Office of Special Education Programs

Project TEAMS: Collaboration to Train Special Education and School Psychology Scholars to Advance Equity in the Study of Mental Health among Students
Funded by: USDoED-OSEP via University of California at Santa Barbara

Summary: The Special Education program at BU’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development will recruit and enroll a cohort of three doctoral scholars who will be prepared alongside UCSB doctoral students to advance scholarship in meeting the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse students with disabilities. The BU team will attend the OSEP Project Director’s Conference yearly, interface with prospective doctoral scholars, contribute to scholar recruitment, selection, and admission decisions, participate in the Recruitment Weekend, attend Monthly Leadership Team meetings, lead scholars’ Group Mentorship meetings, help plan and attend the biannual meeting, support the development and supervision of internships, and advise scholars as they prepare their dissertations.

Amy Lieberman

Jennifer Lillis and Elizabeth Bettini

Eve Manz

Nancy Nelson

Bio and Expertise
Dr. Nancy J. Nelson is an assistant professor of special education at Boston University and deputy director of the National Center on Improving Literacy and the Lead for Literacy Center. Dr. Nelson is a former special education teacher, school psychologist, and research professor. She has been a principal investigator on more than a dozen federally funded projects to develop or test the efficacy of reading and math interventions for students with reading and math difficulties and learning disabilities in school systems. She regularly works with state, regional, and local education agencies to provide technical assistance related to the effective implementation of assessment and instruction in multi-tiered systems of support.

Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Funded Research Grants

ECRI training provider for impact evaluation of training in multi-tiered systems of support for reading (MTSS-R) in early elementary school (2019–2026)
Funded by: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center on Educational Evaluation

Summary: This $40M project is conducting a national evaluation of MTSS-R in approximately 150 elementary schools in eight districts across seven states. Schools were randomly assigned to business-as-usual MTSS-R or one of two evidence-based approaches. Boston University is responsible for implementing the Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI) MTSS-R model. The study will examine effects on teachers’ instruction, student learning, and implementation factors that may enhance or limit effectiveness.

The development and pilot testing of an intensive tier 3 reading intervention in the early grades (2021–2026)
Funded by: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center on Special Education Research

Summary: This project develops and tests an intensive Tier 3 reading intervention for K–2 students with substantial word-level reading difficulties (e.g., dyslexia). Year 1 focuses on material development in three schools; Year 2 tests feasibility in four schools; Years 3–4 pilot the intervention in two districts. Each year includes revisions to support feasibility, usability, and effectiveness.

A randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of the NumberShire Level K gaming intervention for improving math outcomes (2024–2029)
Funded by: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center on Special Education Research

Summary: This study tests the efficacy of NumberShire Level K (NSK), a supplemental game-based intervention for students at risk for mathematics learning disabilities (MLD). Researchers will evaluate student characteristics that may predict differential response, explore classroom factors influencing sustainability, and assess impacts on math outcomes in kindergarten and first grade.

Effectiveness replication of Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI, 2021–2026)
Funded by: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center on Special Education Research

Summary: This cluster-randomized controlled trial replicates a prior IES-funded study of ECRI with schools in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and Alaska. Led by RAND Corporation, the study evaluates the effectiveness of ECRI for improving teacher practice and first-grade student reading outcomes.

Other Funded Research Grants

Reach Every Reader, Phase 1: Assessment & Phase 2: Intervention (2020–2029)
Funded by: Chan Zuckerberg Foundation

Summary: Reach Every Reader is a collaboration among Harvard, MIT, FSU, and BU to address challenges in early literacy. BU supports assessment development (Phase 1) and leads intervention design (Phase 2). Current work includes an AI-driven MTSS platform, adaptive reading lessons, literacy games, and a data dashboard to guide teachers and families.

Collaborative research: Leveraging simulations in preservice preparation to improve mathematics teaching for students with disabilities (2021–2026)
Funded by: National Science Foundation

Summary: This project develops mixed reality simulations to give preservice teachers opportunities to practice evidence-based math instruction for students with disabilities. The simulations provide low-stakes practice and feedback, aiming to improve teacher preparation and student outcomes.

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and Office of Special Education Technical Assistance Projects

National Comprehensive Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities (2016–2026)
Funded by: US Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education & Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Summary: The National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL) is an ESSA-authorized national technical assistance center. Its mission is to improve literacy outcomes for PreK–12 students with disabilities by providing resources, building educator capacity, and engaging families as partners in literacy development.

National Center on Improving Literacy through Supporting Elementary School Leaders (2019–2024)
Funded by: US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Summary: This center provides targeted support to elementary school leaders, combining literacy skills (e.g., phonemic awareness, comprehension) with leadership skills (e.g., coaching, instructional management). The goal is to strengthen teachers’ implementation of evidence-based literacy practices and improve outcomes for students at risk for literacy-related disabilities.

Center on Innovative Development of Effective Approaches for Leaders (Lead IDEA Center, 2023–2028)
Funded by: US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs

Summary: The Lead IDEA Center helps early childhood and PreK–12 leaders implement IDEA effectively and improve systems serving children with disabilities and their families. It provides knowledge, training, and resources to strengthen IDEA implementation and enhance services.

State and Local Technical Assistance Contracts

Reaching All Students through Language and Literacy (2022–2024)
Funded by: Ohio Department of Education

Summary: This project provides technical assistance to support evidence-based language and literacy instruction in Ohio schools to improve student outcomes.

Preparing Excellent Reading Teachers (2022–2024)
Funded by: New Hampshire Department of Education

Summary: This initiative supports teacher preparation in evidence-based reading instruction to better equip educators in supporting diverse learners.

Colorado Dyslexia Pilot Program (2020–2022)
Funded by: Colorado State Department of Education

Summary: This pilot program implemented dyslexia-focused teacher training and interventions across Colorado schools, improving literacy screening, identification, and intervention for students with dyslexia.

For information about prior (pre-2021) research and technical assistance funding, contact Nancy J. Nelson at njnelson@bu.edu

Zach Rossetti

Project Civic LeAdS: Enhancing Civic Engagement of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families and Students with Disabilities: Legislative Advocacy in Special Education
Funded by: Spencer Foundation

Summary: In previous reauthorizations of IDEA, parents provided less than 5% of the public comments for IDEA. Further, many culturally and linguistically diverse families, due to systemic barriers, report not engaging in civic engagement. We tested a civic engagement training with 127 parents of children with disabilities across four states. Results indicate that the training improved civic engagement and special education knowledge. Given the efficacy of the training, it is critical to scale-up the intervention by: a) conducting a multi-site randomized controlled trial with 180 parents in six states, b) teaching Parent Training and Information Centers to offer the program and evaluating their fidelity of implementation in a train-the-trainer model, and c) developing and evaluating the effect of a civic engagement program for students with disabilities.

Triangulating Translation: An Inquiry into the Use of Generative AI to Bridge Language and Comprehension
Funded by: Boston University Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering, AI and Education Initiative, Faculty Research Grant

Summary: This study employs a community-based participatory research design to center the expertise of multilingual, multicultural families in developing a protocol for using and teaching generative AI to conduct comprehensible and culturally responsive translation and information dissemination in special education (e.g., Parent’s Notice of Procedural Safeguards, Individualized Education Program). We examine common barriers to language access and comprehension of special education information and will develop the AI protocol with an Advisory Group of five Spanish-speaking caregivers of children with disabilities. We will pilot the protocol with an Advisory Group of five Vietnamese caregivers of children with disabilities.

Meghan Shaughnessy

Facilitating Formative Feedback: Using Simulations to Impact the Capability of Novice Mathematics Teachers
Funded by: NSF

Summary: The proposed four-year early stage design and development project, focused in the assessment strand, will explore the use of simulations for formative assessment in teacher preparation, including associated tools and technologies capable of supporting teacher educators in providing actionable formative feedback to preservice teachers (PSTs). Formative assessment can make a sizable contribution to teacher preparation by providing PSTs and teacher educators with a sense of PSTs’ current abilities to engage in teaching, which enables the shaping of future experiences in productive ways. To enhance the viability of simulations as an option in teacher preparation, we intend to contribute practically, through research supported development of simulations that have routines and tools to support their usability/reliability/validity and scaffolds that support initial ramping into the use of simulations. We also intend to contribute conceptually by studying how simulations function as formative assessments and how participants perceive of their experiences and the information garnered from simulation performance feedback.

Teachers as Learners of Equitable Discussion Practices
Funded by: NSF via University of Michigan

Summary: This project aims to create opportunities for teachers to notice and understand how normalized practice often reproduces inequity and learn ways to disrupt typical patterns of inequity in their classroom. This project focuses on classroom discussions because they can be a key site for either reproducing or disrupting inequities and they have been established as a powerful instructional practice. Teachers benefit from professional development that addresses both the technical and contextual aspects of teaching practice, including the identities of their students and associated patterns of inequity in schools and society. This research will examine how elementary teachers’ perceptions of professional learning and influences on such learning in combination with professional development on leading discussions, impact their skill with and willingness to take up teaching that disrupts patterns of inequity in classrooms.

Preparing Mentors to Support Novices in Eliciting Student Thinking During Mathematics Discussions: Developing and Testing a Simulation-Based PD Program
Funded by: NSF via University of Virginia

Summary: This project aims to support mentor teachers in better modeling the effective mathematics teaching practices for candidates in their own teach and providing candidates with actionable feedback on those practices as they learn to teach elementary mathematics. This project also aims to enhance the quality of elementary mathematics teaching by developing mentors who can better support the next generation of teacher candidates. Teaching simulations are used as a cornerstone of the design of the professional learning, providing a low-stakes practice space for mentors to practice and model effective elementary mathematics teaching. This study will provide much-needed causal evidence for the effects of practice-based preparation on the development of both mentors’ and candidates’ teaching in elementary mathematics.