CALL FOR PROPOSALS

OPRE invites proposals for individual presentations and for entire conference sessions. Proposals will be considered based on:

• Clarity of description
• Relevance to welfare policy or program design and administration
• Innovative approaches or new contributions to the field
• Methodological rigor, especially through the use of experimental designs

Presentations that combine research findings with input from State and local practitioners are especially welcome. OPRE may request a draft presentation or paper prior to making a final decision.

Conference sessions will be 90 minutes in length, and may consist of three presentations, two presentations and one prepared commentary, or some other format. All sessions will reserve time at the end for audience questions and discussion.

Please note that all individuals selected to present at the 2010 conference will be required to use a Section 508-compliant presentation template provided by ACF.

NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR EMERGING SCHOLARS

ACF is particularly interested in featuring work from emerging scholars in the 2010 conference. Emerging scholars include those who are currently in graduate school or are only a few years past completing a degree. ACF will host specific opportunities to feature the work of emerging scholars, including a special track for their proposals. Individuals who are early in their careers are strongly encouraged to submit proposals for the conference. You will be asked to denote whether you are an emerging scholar on the online proposal submission form.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

All proposals must be in English. Proposals should be no more than one page in length (approximately 500 words), exclusive of biographical sketches, and should summarize the content of the presentation. If you are proposing an entire conference session, please include a title for the session along with a general description/rationale and then provide a separate proposal for each presentation to be included in the session (limit three presentations per conference session).

The deadline for proposals is Friday, December 18, 2009. If selected, completed presentations must be received by April 16, 2010.

Proposals should include:

• Presentation title
• Research questions addressed and the data sources and methods utilized (including the response rate for new survey data)
• Relevance to conference themes
• Completion date or estimated completion date of the study
• When and where else the presentation has been or will be presented
• A biographical sketch for each of the proposed presenters/discussants (no more than 150 words each)

Please note: If research was conducted under a grant or contract with DHHS or another part of the Federal government then proposals must include the date funded and stated purpose of the grant or contract as described in the Federal Register or other announcement under which the research was funded.

OPRE may be able to sponsor travel and lodging for a limited number of speakers. Please indicate whether you would like to be considered for sponsorship by checking the appropriate box during the online proposal submission process. Your response to this question will have no impact on the evaluation of your proposal.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

1. Please visit the proposal submission page by simply clicking here and fill in all required fields.
2. When your submission is complete, click on the “Submit” button.

All proposals must be submitted online by Friday, December 18, 2009.

QUESTIONS?

Please direct questions about conference content to Brendan Kelly at Brendan.Kelly@acf.hhs.gov or Erica Zielewski at Erica.Zielewski@acf.hhs.gov.

Please direct any technical questions about using the online proposal submission site or any general questions about conference logistics to WREC2010@esi-dc.com.