News and Events

CFS Faculty Receive $2 Million Research Grant From Institute of Education Sciences

Congratulations to Drs. Kwang-Sun Blair (PI), Kimberly Crosland (Co-PI), Cividini-Motta (Co-PI), and Rose Iovannone(Co-I) in the USF Department of Child and Family Studies on their achievement of securing a 4-year, $2M research grant awarded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education.

This significant funding will be dedicated to the development and evaluation of the feasibility and potential promise of positive outcomes of a virtual Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) coaching model, ‘ePTR Coach’. The primary goal of the study is to train school-based professionals to become behavioral coaches, equipping them with the necessary skills to guide individualized behavior support teams through the PTR process. The focus will be on children with disabilities or without disabilities, who are at the highest risk of school failure due to persistent challenging behavior.

To optimize the impact of the project, especially considering the finite resources of schools, this project will use teleconsultation methods (virtual coaching) to train and provide ongoing support to the coaches and their teams.

Collaborating closely with local school districts, this project will have a direct and practical application in real educational settings, ensuring its relevance and potential for creating meaningful change and positive results.