Current Projects

• AIM: The Autism Impact Measure: A New Tool for Treatment Outcome Measurement

Coleen Carlson
The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and valid measure of autism symptoms for use in treatment and
interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders.

• ALGEBRA GROWTH: Arithmetical & Cognitive Antecedents & Concomitants of Algebraic Skill

Paul Cirino, Tammy Tolar
This study evaluates early (grades 3-5 and grade 6) and concurrent (beginning of grade 8 or 9 algebra I course)
cognitive and arithmetical predictors of algebra knowledge and skills among first year algebra students.

• ALGEBRA MEASURE II: Predictors of Growth in Algebra Achievement in Adolescents

Tammy Tolar
This study evaluates growth in algebra knowledge and skills from the beginning of algebra I through two
subsequent years of math (e.g., geometry and algebra II), and to evaluate cognitive and arithmetical predictors of
growth in algebra knowledge and skills.

• CARS: National Research & Development Center on Serious Behavior Disorders at the Secondary Level

Paras Mehta
This project is a multi-site, cluster-randomized trial evaluating the effectiveness of a multi-component (student
mental-health, classroom management) intervention in improving academic, emotional and behavioral outcomes
in a sample of at-risk high-school students.

• CDC: Best Evaluation Tools & Techniques for Effective Recommendations for Policies

Paras Mehta, Coleen Carlson
This project uses the Obesity Chronic Care Model to implement and evaluate a comprehensive, systematic
intervention to reduce childhood obesity among underserved children. Using an integrated multi-sector and
multi-level approach, evidence-based interventions is incorporated into primary health care, child care and
schools/after-school programs. Intervention effectiveness and impact is examined at the individual, school and
community level.

• CSAL: Developing instructional approaches suited to the cognitive & motivational needs of struggling adult readers

Chris Barr
This is a five year study of struggling adult readers, that begins with a focus on identifying specific patterns of
literacy skill decrements that contribute to poor literacy ability in adults. Using the identified patterns, targeted
interventions will be implemented with the goal of improving adult literacy ability.

• EESE: Experiencing Ethics

Ioannis Pavlidis, Ioanna Semendeferi

• LD: Texas Center for Learning Disabilities

Jack Fletcher, David Francis, Karla Stuebing, Paul Cirino, Jeremy Miciak
NICHD-funded multidisciplinary studies of children with reading difficulties that provides reading interventions
to Grade 4-5 students (Project 1; Dr. Stuebing)) who also receive cognitive evaluations of executive functions
(Project 2; Dr. Cirino) and structural and functional neuroimaging (Project 4; Dr. Juranek). Cores include
training and dissemination (B; Dr. Roberts), Data Management and Analysis (C; Dr. Francis); and Recruitment
(D; Dr. Fletcher)

• MARS ROVER: The Mars Rover Model Celebration: Enhancing Formal and Informal STEM Education in Grades 3-8 and Improving Teacher Training Using the NASA’s Latest Mars Missions

Coleen Carlson
The purpose of this project is to expand and refine the basic prototype Mars Rover Celebration supplemental
curriculum by strengthening the STEM content, incorporating reading comprehension and vocabulary
instructional activities into the lessons, and strengthening teacher’s knowledge and use of research based
instructional strategies through training and ongoing support. In addition, a pre-post evaluation will be
conducted to examine program effectiveness, and to guide the curricular expansion and refinement process.

• MOMS: A Follow-up of Children Enrolled in the Management of Myelomeningocele Study

Jack Fletcher
The goal of this project is to provide a long-term evaluation of the outcomes of children with spina bifida who
participated in the MOMS fetal surgery trial.

• Pose Estimation for Unconstrained Face Recognition

Ioannis Kakadiaris

• RAMP UP: Reading Achievement Multi-Component Program

Chris Barr
This four year longitudinal study tests the efficacy of two different interventions, one focused on decoding and
one on comprehension, versus business as usual in improving literacy ability for struggling middle school
readers. Two cohorts of struggling 6th grade readers will participate in the intervention for one year with two
years of follow-up to monitor their progress.

• Regularized Classification with Two-Way Functional Data

Siva Tian
The purpose of this project is to develop computationally efficient statistical methods and algorithms to predict
clinical outcomes (e.g. Autism disorders, Alzheimer’s disease) using functional neuroimaging data.

• REPSOL: Data Mining Techniques Applied to Seismic Data

Ricardo Vilalta, Pablo Rondon
The current project, a research collaboration between energy company Repsol and the department of computer
science at the University of Houston, aims at the development of a methodology for automatic classification of
seismic data using modern data mining tools. Specifically, we aim at a software solution that can automatically
identify and delineate geological elements from seismic data.

• RFU: Understanding Malleable cognitive Processes & Integrated Comprehension Interventions for Grades 7 -12

Jack Fletcher, David Francis, Mary York
The goal of this project is to improve our knowledge of cognitive processes that underlie reading for
understanding to identify malleable processes that may be targets for intervention

• SCALE-UP: Scale-up Evaluation of Reading Intervention for First Grade English Learners

David Francis, Coleen Carlson
The purpose of this project is to determine the efficacy of a fully developed first grade literacy and oracy
intervention in Spanish and English when implemented directly by school district (i.e., without special support
from the developer or research team), and to examine the factors that might moderate intervention effectiveness
(e.g., different populations of Hispanic/Latino students, the density of the ELL population in the school, the
poverty level of the school, the language of instruction model of the school, the language of instruction for the
student, and different geographic sites).

• SRCL-TA: Technical Assistance & Logistical Support for Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Grants Funded under the Consolidated Appropriations Act

Angie Durand
Under this subcontract, TIMES provides project management, technical support and related services to all
National Striving Reader grantees (states). TIMES facilitates productive inquiries and shared learning among
grantees to support effective implementation and continuous improvement of each funded project and the
program as a whole.

• STRESS: Using longitudinal and momentary analysis to study the impact of middle school teachers’ stress on teacher effectiveness, student behavior and achievement

Teresa McIntyre, Chris Barr, Angie Durand, Paras Mehta, David Francis
The project aims to establish the link between teacher stress and teacher effectiveness, and its potential impact
on students’ behavior and achievement. It tests an innovative methodology, ecological momentary assessment
(EMA), to study teacher stress in real time, using an iPod-based diary to capture demand, responses and resource
use throughout the work day.

• TEA: Texas Center for Learning Disabilities Intervention Project

Jack Fletcher
Provides support for teachers and dissemination component of Texas Center for Learning Disabilities.

• Tejas LEE: Tejas LEE Assessment Development, Training and Support

Coleen Carlson, David Francis
The purpose of this project is to promote continued development of the Tejas LEE instrument and teacher
training, provide formal training of the assessment to district and campus personnel, and to maintain the
www.tejaslee.org website.

• TX LINKING: Roles of Instruction & Component Skills in Reading Achievement

Pat Taylor
The purpose of this study is to better understand the roles of student skills, instruction, and school contexts on
reading achievement . The project entails a secondary analysis of the Texas Reading First student performance,
and teacher and school observational data.

• TWIN STUDY: Texas Twin Project

Jennifer Tackett
In collaboration with researchers at UT-Austin, we are creating a highly ethnically and economically diverse
sample of twin pairs in Houston, Austin, and the surrounding areas.

• WG: Word Generation: An Efficacy Trial

David Francis
The purpose of this study is examine the efficacy of a middle school vocabulary intervention program entitled
Word Generation. The Word Generation program introduces students to selected academic vocabulary words in
the context of a high-interest passage about a controversial topic. The program is based on a model that requires
collaboration among teachers in all disciplines, as students are exposed to the words and the topics in all
instructional content areas (e.g., language arts, math, science, and social studies). Word Generation’s focus on
vocabulary also supports reading accuracy, fluency, syntax issues, background knowledge, and comprehension.