Recent Significant Grants

by Pitt School of Education

The School of Education had $26 million in funded research for more than 50 research projects in 2016-17.

Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity in Humans

Funding Amount: $170 million, divided among 19 research centers
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Investigator: Dr. John Jakicic, Chair, Health and Physical Activity
This is the largest NIH investment into the study of how physical activity improves health and prevents disease


Pennsylvania Alternative System of Assessment – Reading, Math, and Science

Funding Amount: $4.7 million
Funder: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Investigator: Dr. Steven Lyon, Instruction and Learning


Early Head Start

Funding Amount: $4.1 million
Funder: Department of Health and Human Services
Investigator: Dr. Laurie Mulvey, Office of Child Development


Early Head Start

Funding Amount: $4.1 million
Funder: Department of Health and Human Services
Investigator: Dr. John Kim, Office of Child Development


The Effect of Reducing Sedentary Behavior on Blood Pressure

Funding Amount: $3.4 million
Funder: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes of the National Institutes of Health
Investigator: Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs, Health and Physical Activity


Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education (P.R.I.D.E.)

Funding Amount: $1.8 million
Funder: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Investigator: Dr. Shannon Wanless, Office of Child Development


Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health)

Funding Amount: $1.57 million
Funder: Alleghany Health and Human Services
Investigator: Dr. Christina Groark, Office of Child Development


USES: Urban Special Education Scholars

Funding Amount: $1 million
Funder: Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
Investigators: Dr. Doug Kostewicz, Instruction and Learning


Heinz Fellows at the Center for Urban Education

Funding Amount: $800,000
Funder: Heinz Endowments
Investigator: Dr. Rich Milner, Center for Urban Education, Dean’s Office


Integration of Yoga and Mindfulness for the Treatment of Obesity in Adults

Funding Amount: $701,872
Funder: National Institutes of Health; National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Investigator: Dr. John Jakicic, Chair, Health and Physical Activity


Evaluation of KinderTEK IPad Math Program

Funding Amount: $525,000
Funder: The University of Oregon
Investigator: Dr. Shannon Wanless, Office of Child Development


Vira I. Heinz (VIH) Program for Women in Global Leadership

Funding Amount: $525,000
Funder: Pitt University Center for International Studies (UCIS), The Heinz Endowments
Investigator: Sarah Wagner


The Education Doctorate: A Promising Strategy to Promote Smart Use of Research Evidence

Funding Amount: $511,000
Funder: William T. Grant Foundation
Investigator: Dr. Jill Perry, Administrative and Policy Studies; Director, Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate


Development and Validation of the Performance-Based Assessment of
Digital Literacy Competence for Adolescents

Funding Amount: $500,000
Funder: National Research Foundation of Korea
Investigator: Byeong-Young Cho, Instruction and Learning