CARSON CITY, NV – In February, The Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) Office of Workforce Innovation (OWINN) awarded eight Nevada organizations a combined $268,000 through the Nevada P-20 to Workforce Research Data System (NPWR) Research Grant. The funding supported research projects that use NPWR’s data tool to study Nevada’s most challenging policy issues in areas such as workforce and economic development, and education.
UNLV Associate Professor Federick Ngo and Assistant Professor Kenyon Whitman received a NPWR Research Grant to examine higher education policies in Nevada. Building upon this successful project, Ngo, in collaboration with UNLV Associate Professor Stefani Relles, was awarded a five-year, $1.2 million research grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The money will be used to expand their examination on the impact and implementation of Nevada’s Corequisite Reform, which allows students to enroll directly in college-level math and English courses with corequisite support instead of prerequisite coursework. They will use Nevada’s statewide longitudinal data system (NPWR) to examine the effects of the policy on learning, college outcomes, and post-graduation earnings, and they will partner with NSHE to explore student, faculty, advisor, and administrator experiences of policy implementation.
“This is a great example of how the NPWR Research Portal equips researchers with the data they need to perform evidence-based evaluation of programs and services in Nevada,” said DETR Chief Economist David Schmidt. “We are so proud to have participated in the initial funding that helped demonstrate the value of this research to IES. This is a big win for the State.”
“We hope to provide evidence that can help Nevada policymakers and practitioners understand the impact of the corequisite policy on educational outcomes. Drawing on research evidence can help us make better-informed decisions moving forward,” said Ngo.
Ngo and Relles are seeking two fully-funded graduate assistants (GAs) to join the project in the coming years, including one GA interested in quantitative research experience (e.g., analysis of large-scale secondary data and survey data) and one GA interested in qualitative research (e.g., interviewing, participatory action research). Interested students should contact Ngo directly (federick.ngo@unlv.edu).