UMBC Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities

Background: The multidisciplinary Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities (Sherman Center) was established to advance George and Betsy Sherman’s vision of improving learning experiences and outcomes for young children in Baltimore City. As part of this mission, it is establishing the Sherman Center Doctoral Student Research Award. This award seeks to expand knowledge about policies and practices that enhance the learning of young children, ages three through eight, in urban communities like Baltimore. Research topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• evaluation of new or existing school-based and out-of-school time learning interventions;
• school, teacher, family, and community factors associated with academic growth, socio-emotional well-being, and/or positive behavioral outcomes for young children; and
• the impact of school policies on family and community engagement in students’ learning processes and outcomes.

Award Amount: Sherman Center Doctoral Student Research Award recipients will be selected through the competitive review of proposals by members of the Sherman Center campus advisory committee. Awards of up to $15,000 of funding for 12 months will be available. Award recipients will hold the designation of Sherman Center Doctoral Research Fellows during the timeframe of their study.

Proposal Submission: Complete applications must include the following components: the checklist page (provided in the application packet), cover page form (provided in the application packet), budget template and narrative (provided in the application packet), current curriculum vitae (maximum 10 pages), the proposal narrative, CITI confirmation, and two letters of recommendation. Application materials are to be submitted by e-mail to the director of the Sherman Center, Dr. Jennifer Mata-McMahon (jmatamcm@umbc.edu), as a single pdf file. Applicants should coordinate with letter writers to ensure that recommendation letters are received by the deadline. Hardcopy applications will not be accepted.

Deadline: For the AY21-22 competition, the proposal deadline is Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered for this year’s competition. Awards will be announced by Tuesday, March 15, 2022.

Contact: Interested applicants should contact Dr. Jennifer Mata-McMahon, director of the Sherman Center, at jmatamcm@umbc.edu or 410-455-2259 with questions.