Civil Rights Project seeks research projects

Inspired by the spirit of the 50th Anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC), and The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University are jointly commissioning research on “Southeast Asian Educational Opportunity.” The studies, funded by State Farm Insurance, will provide policy-relevant research on the challenges and opportunities that exist for the Southeast Asian community.

Paper proposals in the following areas will be considered: segregation and schooling; educational status; school-community relationships; existing data and data systems; the influence of demographic change; the immigrant and refugee experience; language; and race relations.

Southeast Asian-American community leaders, teachers, and organizers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, in addition to professional researchers and academics, are encouraged to submit proposals. Lead authors are expected to be available to participate in an invitation-only roundtable to discuss first drafts of their papers. This roundtable is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 10. Of the papers accepted, all will be posted electronically, and several will be selected for final publication. A stipend of $1,000 will be paid for each accepted paper. An additional $500 will be provided to authors whose papers are chosen for final publication.

The proposal’s cover page should include the title of the paper; the author(s) and affiliation(s); the name of the primary contact with e-mail and telephone number; and the category into which the proposal fits. Paper proposals should be no longer than five double-spaced pages, excluding references, and should include a separate 250-word abstract on its own page.

To the greatest extent possible, the proposal should describe the questions to be addressed and the population groups to be included; the data sources to be drawn upon; the theoretical framework or philosophical approach; an indication of the amount of work that has already been completed; and initial results, conclusions, or points of view.

Proposals must be received electronically by Jan. 30.

Authors will be notified of selection by Feb. 20. Please submit proposals and questions to Chungmei Lee at clee@law.harvard.edu.

For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/convenings/asian03/call_synopsis.php.