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Education Statistics Quarterly
Vol 6, Issue 4, Topic: Data Products, Other Publications, and Training and Funding Opportunities
Data Products, Other Publications, and Training and Funding Opportunities
 
 
 

Data Products

Other Publications

Training and Funding Opportunities

 

Data Products


Longitudinal School District Fiscal-Nonfiscal File, Fiscal Years 1990 to 2000

This data product includes a new database in SAS format of fiscal and nonfiscal school district data for each fiscal year from 1990 through 2000. The data are for the universe of regular public elementary and secondary school districts. Also included in this data product is documentation describing the creation of the NCES longitudinal school district fiscal-nonfiscal (FNF) file.

The database is available in two forms. The primary FNF file contains a separate record for each regular school district that was open during some years in the 1990s. The other file, the longitudinal unified fiscal-nonfiscal (UFNF) file, combines data from separate elementary districts with the secondary districts they feed, so that each record contains data for a unified K-12 "pseudo-district." The database is designed for research use in testing hypotheses about longitudinal trends in school districts over this period. To facilitate analysis, all missing data have been replaced by statistical imputations, and clearly erroneous responses have been edited and replaced by plausible values.

For questions about this data product, contact Frank Johnson (frank.johnson@ed.gov).

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CCD National Public Education Financial Survey: Fiscal Year 2002, Revised

The Common Core of Data (CCD) "National Public Education Financial Survey" (NPEFS) provides detailed state-level data on public elementary and secondary education finances. Financial data are audited at the end of each fiscal year and then submitted to NCES by the state education agencies (SEAs) from their administrative records. This file provides revised data for fiscal year 2002 (school year 2001-02). The dataset contains 55 records, one for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four of the outlying areas (American Samoa, the Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands). (Guam did not report any data.)

For each state or jurisdiction, the data file includes revenues by source (local, intermediate, state, and federal); local revenues by type (e.g., local property taxes); current expenditures by function (instruction, support, and noninstruction) and by object (e.g., teacher salaries or food service supplies); capital expenditures (e.g., school construction and instructional equipment); average number of students in daily attendance; and total number of students enrolled.

Revisions to the fiscal year 2002 NPEFS data in this final file include data revisions from Arizona, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Tennessee. These changes resulted in changes in imputations and adjustments for other states.

The data can be downloaded from the NCES Electronic Catalog either as an Excel file or as a flat file that can be used with statistical processing programs, such as SPSS or SAS. Documentation is provided in separate files.

For questions about this data product, contact Frank H. Johnson (frank.johnson@ed.gov).

To obtain this data product (NCES 2004-336R).

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CD-ROM: Education Longitudinal Study: 2002 Data Files and Electronic Codebook System

The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) is designed to monitor the transition of a national sample of young people as they progress from 10th grade through high school and on to postsecondary education or the world of work, or both.

ELS:2002 has two distinctive features. First, it is a longitudinal study, that is, the same individuals are surveyed repeatedly over time. Second, it is a multilevel study, involving multiple respondent populations that represent students, their parents, their teachers, their librarians, and their schools. The multilevel aspect of the survey will supply researchers with a comprehensive picture of the home, community, and school environments and their influences on the student.

The first year of data collection (the 2002 base year) included a baseline survey of high school sophomores; cognitive tests in reading and mathematics; and questionnaires administered to parents, math and English teachers, school principals, and heads of library media centers. This CD-ROM contains ELS:2002 public-use data from the base year, electronic codebook software, and documentation.

For questions about this CD-ROM, contact Jeffrey A. Owings (jeffrey.owings@ed.gov).

To obtain this CD-ROM (NCES 2004-404), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827).

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Other Publications

Forum Guide to Building a Culture of Quality Data: A School and District Resource

National Forum on Education Statistics

Quality data, like quality students, come from schools. Recently, there has been a growing awareness that effective teaching, efficient schools, and quality data are related. The quality of information used to develop an instructional plan, run a school, plan a budget, or place a student in a class depends upon the school data clerk, teacher, counselor, and/or school secretary who enter data into a computer. Their understanding of the role of data quality, and of how the data entry process affects that quality, is central to producing quality data. This handbook offers recommendations to staff in schools and school districts about best practices for data entry.

For questions about content, contact Ghedam Bairu (ghedam.bairu@ed.gov).

To obtain this handbook (NFES 2005-801).

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How Does Technology Affect Access in Postsecondary Education? What Do We Really Know?

National Postsecondary Education Cooperative Working Group on Access-Technology

This report examines the relationship between technology and access to postsecondary education in four basic areas: technology and access to postsecondary education in general; access to technology-based learning; preparation for using technology; and the effectiveness of technology in learning. The report reviews recent literature concerning each of these areas, and it offers new analyses of available national data that expand and further inform the knowledge base. The report concludes with recommendations for additional data collection through NCES surveys.

For questions about content, contact Nancy B. Borkow (nancy.borkow@ed.gov).

To obtain this publication (NPEC 2004-831).

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Handbooks Online-Version 2

ESP Solutions Group and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Data Quality Support Project, and Beth Young

Handbooks Online-Version 2 is a searchable web tool that provides access to the NCES data handbooks for elementary, secondary, and early childhood education. These handbooks offer guidance on consistency in data definitions and in maintaining data so that they can be accurately aggregated and analyzed. The updated database includes data elements for students, staff, and education institutions; added data elements for food service, technology, and discipline; and a link to the current NCES accounting handbook.

Author affiliations: ESP Solutions Group and CCSSO Data Quality Support Project; B. Young, NCES.

For questions about content, contact Lee M. Hoffman (lee.hoffman@ed.gov).

To use this handbook (NCES 2005-345), visit the Handbooks Online home page (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/handbook).

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Mini-Digest of Education Statistics 2003

Thomas D. Snyder

The Mini-Digest of Education Statistics 2003 (the 11th edition) is a pocket-size compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. It presents brief text summaries and short tables that serve as a convenient reference for materials found in greater detail in the complete Digest of Education Statistics 2003.

The Mini-Digest includes sections on the number of schools and colleges, elementary/secondary and postsecondary enrollments, teachers and staff, educational outcomes, finances, and federal funds for education. The data are from numerous sources, especially surveys and activities carried out by NCES. Current and past-year data are included, as well as projections for elementary/secondary enrollment through 2013.

Author affiliation: T.D. Snyder, NCES.

For questions about content, contact Thomas D. Snyder (tom.snyder@ed.gov).

To obtain this publication (NCES 2005-017).

To obtain the complete Digest (NCES 2005-025).

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National Institute of Statistical Sciences/Education Statistics Services Institute Task Force on Graduation, Completion, and Dropout Indicators: Final Report

National Institute of Statistical Sciences and the Education Statistics Services Institute

In October 2003, NCES asked the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) and the Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI) to convene a task force of measurement and policy experts to examine current high school graduation, completion, and dropout indicators and recommend improvements in the measures. The task force was asked to consider these issues both in terms of developing indicators for reporting measures of schools and school systems and for broader measures of community-level needs. This report contains key recommendations from the task force.

For questions about content, contact Chris Chapman (chris.chapman@ed.gov).

To obtain this report (NCES 2005-105).

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1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) Data File User's Manual

Steven C. Tourkin, Kathleen Wise Pugh, Sharon E. Fondelier, Randall J. Parmer, Cornette Cole, Betty Jackson, Toni Warner, Gayle Weant, and Elizabeth Walter

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) collects data on public and private elementary and secondary schools. SASS provides data on the characteristics and qualifications of teachers and principals, teacher hiring practices, professional development, class size, and other conditions in schools across the nation. This data file user's manual provides documentation and guidance for users of the public-use data of the 1999-2000 SASS.

Included in the manual are chapters on SASS design, content, and methodology; sample design and implementation; data collection; response rates; data processing; imputation procedures; weighting and variance estimation; reviewing the quality of SASS data; differences between the restricted-use and public-use data files; sampling, created, weighting, and imputation flag variables; and user notes and cautions.

Author affiliations: S.C. Tourkin, K.W. Pugh, S.E. Fondelier, R.J. Parmer, C. Cole, B. Jackson, T. Warner, and G. Weant, U.S. Bureau of the Census; E. Walter, Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc.

For questions about content, contact Kerry Gruber (kerry.gruber@ed.gov).

To obtain this publication (NCES 2004-303).

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Training and Funding Opportunities

Training

NCES is offering a special session of NCES Database Training for Research on American Indian/Alaska Native students, November 7-10, 2005:

In an effort to encourage research on American Indian/Alaska Native students, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, will conduct a 4-day advanced studies seminar on the use of the NCES databases for education research and policy analysis on American Indian/Alaska Native students. This seminar, sponsored by the Office of Indian Education (OIE), will focus primarily on the NAEP database containing both achievement scores for 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders from public and nonpublic schools in various subject areas, and background information on the students who were assessed and their learning environment. In addition, the seminar will provide an overview of other NCES databases that contain information on American Indian/Alaska Native students.

This seminar is aimed at faculty and advanced graduate students from colleges, universities, and tribal colleges and universities. Education researchers and policy analysts with strong statistical skills from state, local, and tribal education agencies and professional associations are also welcome. This special seminar is only for those interested in the education of American Indian and Alaska Native students in the United States.

For general information, contact Beverly Coleman (beverly.coleman@ed.gov).

For more detailed information on this session or if you are interested in attending, please visit the conference/training section of the NCES website: http://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/.

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The AERA Grants Program

Jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCES, and the Institute of Education Sciences, this training and research program is administered by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The program has four major elements: a research grants program, a dissertation grants program, a fellows program, and a training institute. The program is intended to enhance the capability of the U.S. research community to use large-scale datasets, specifically those of the NSF and NCES, to conduct studies that are relevant to educational policy and practice, and to strengthen communications between the educational research community and government staff.

Applications for this program may be submitted at any time. The application review board meets three times per year. The following are examples of grants recently awarded under the program:

Research Grants

  • Sigal Alon, Tel-Aviv University—New Conceptual Framework for Assessing the Influence of Financial Aid on Student Success
  • Jennifer Bausmith, Rutgers University—Reducing the Gap: Factors Associated With High Achievement Growth Among Student Racial/Ethnic Groups
  • Natasha Beretvas, University of Texas at Austin—Extension of the Hierarchical Generalized Linear Model for Validation of Test Scores' Psychometric Functioning
  • Rachelle Brooks, Association of American Universities and University of Maryland—Analyzing Faculty Scholarly Activity Across Disciplines: Individual and Structural Influences on Research Processes and Products
  • David Burkam, University of Michigan—Social Class Instability and Children's Early Academic Growth
  • Robert Crosnoe, University of Texas at Austin—Poverty, Family Processes, and the Transition to Elementary School
  • Jacqueline Shannon, New York University—Minority Fathers' Contributions to Their Young Children's Overall Development: Variations by Race/Ethnicity, SES, and Family Structure
  • Laura Szalacha, Brown University—The Relationship Between Practice-Oriented Education and Post-Graduate Work Experience

Dissertation Grants

  • Nikki Aikens, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill—Out-Of-School and Within-School Influences on Socioeconomic Differences in Reading Trajectories
  • Wade Cole, Stanford University—Legitimating Difference: Minority-Serving Colleges and the Institutionalization of Culture
  • Sarah Crissey, University of Texas at Austin—Gender Differences in the Academic Consequences of Adolescent Romantic Relationships
  • Li Feng, Florida State University—Combating Teacher Shortages: Who Leaves Teaching and Why?
  • Claudia Galindo, Pennsylvania State University—Hispanic Immigrants' Learning Trajectories: The Role of English Ability, Parental Involvement, and Language Support Programs in the First Years of Schooling
  • Allison Gruner, Harvard University—Inclusion: What Is the Impact on Students Without Disabilities?
  • Josh Klugman, Indiana University—Status Competition Among Schools and the Consequences for Students
  • Kimberly Lowry, University of Central Florida—The Paths to Becoming a Mathematics Teacher
  • Yuko Nonoyama, Teachers College, Columbia University—A Cross-National, Multi-Level Study of Family Background and School Effects on Educational Achievement
  • Phyllis Rippeyoung, University of Iowa—Is It Too Late Baby? Pinpointing the Emergence of a Black-White Skills Gap in Infancy
  • Katharine Strunk, Stanford University—Accountability and Local Control: Incentive Response With and Without Authority Over Resource Generation and Allocation
  • Hyunsil Yoo, University of Virginia—School Factors Affecting Postsecondary Career Pursuits of High-Achieving Girls in Math and Science

For more information, visit the AERA Grants Program website (http://www.aera.net/grantsprogram).

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The NAEP Secondary Analysis Grant Program

The NAEP Secondary Analysis Grant Program was developed to encourage education researchers to conduct secondary analysis studies using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the NAEP High School Transcript Studies. This program is open to all public or private organizations and consortia of organizations. The program is typically announced annually, in midsummer, in the Federal Register. Grants awarded under this program run from 12 to 18 months and awards range from $15,000 to $100,000. The following grants were awarded for fiscal year 2005:

  • Joseph Meyer, James Madison University—Comparison of Bridging Methods in Analysis of NAEP Trends With New Race and Ethnicity Subgroup Definitions
  • Edward Ip, Wake Forest University—Multiscale Visualization of National and State NAEP Data Through Interactive Graphics
  • Diane Whitmore, University of Chicago—Advancing Education Improvement by Improving Child Health: An Analysis of NAEP Data
  • Kerry Englert, Mid—Continent Research for Education and Learning-State Policy, Multicultural Teacher Education, and Student Learning
  • Jaekyung Lee, Research Foundation of the State University of New York—Evaluating State Equity and Adequacy in School Resources in Math Achievement: Multilevel Joint Analyses Linking NAEP to SASS and F-33
  • Sarah Lubienski, University of Illinois—A New Look at School Type, Mathematics Achievement and Equity
  • Jimmy de la Torre, Rutgers University—NAEP Proficiency and Skill Profile Comparisons at the State Level

For more information, contact Alex Sedlacek(alex.sedlacek@ed.gov).

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AIR Grants Program

The Association for Institutional Research (AIR), with support from NCES and the National Science Foundation (NSF), has developed a grants program titled Improving Institutional Research in Postsecondary Educational Institutions. The goals of this program are to provide professional development opportunities to doctoral students, institutional researchers, educators, and administrators, and to foster the use of federal databases for institutional research in postsecondary education. The program has the following four major components:

  • dissertation research fellowships for doctoral students;
  • research grants for institutional researchers and faculty;
  • a Summer Data Policy Institute in the Washington, DC, area to study the national databases of NSF and NCES; and
  • a senior fellowship program.

For more information, contact Elise.Miller@ed.gov) or visit the AIR website (www.airweb.org).

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NPEC/AIR Focused Grants

The National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC) and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) have developed a focused grant program to fund research and studies to increase understanding and knowledge in a specific issue area that has been identified by the NPEC Executive Committee as critically important to the postsecondary education community. For the 2006 grant year, the focus is on improving information for student decisions about postsecondary education. Proposals are due January 15 of each year.

In 2005, NPEC and AIR made nine 1-year grant awards ranging up to $15,000 for dissertation work and up to $30,000 for other activities. Grant recipients will make a presentation of their work at an NPEC national policy panel in 2008. Travel to this meeting will be paid for by NPEC.

Following are grants awarded for fiscal year 2005 in the focus area of student success in postsecondary education:

  • Thomas Bailey and Davis Jenkins, Columbia University—Using State Student Record Data to Map Pathways to Success for Underserved Community College Students
  • Rachelle L. Brooks and Dennis M. Kivlighan, Jr., University of Maryland-College Park—A Longitudinal Study of Student Success: The Relation Between Academic Major, Student Demographics, and Broad Student Outcomes
  • Anna Chung, Indiana University-Bloomington—For-Profit Colleges: An Opportunity for the Under- Served? Analysis of Educational and Economic Outcomes for Proprietary Students
  • Lamont A. Flowers, University of Florida—Exploring Racial Differences in the Effects of College on Students' Law School Admission Test Scores
  • Sandra Kortesoja, University of Michigan—Factors Influencing Nontraditional Age Student Participation in Postsecondary Education: How Do Student Motivations and Characteristics Relate to Participation in Credential Programs?
  • Crystal Gafford Muhammad, North Carolina State University—The Black-Black Educational Attainment Gap: Socio-Cultural and Academic Identity at a Crossroads
  • Sarah Rab, University of Wisconsin-Madison—How Complex Postsecondary Educational Transitions Shape Student Success
  • Laura Wilson-Gentry, Daniel Martin, Merrill Pritchett, and Daniel Gerlowski, University of Baltimore—Student Success and Web-Based Graduate Education
  • Po Yang, Columbia University—A Generation on the Move: Education and Economic Attainment of Four-Year College Transfer Students
For more information, contact Roz Korb (roslyn.korb@ed.gov) or visit the AIR website (http://www.airweb.org) for more information and instructions for writing and submitting proposals.

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