Available Data and Related Products

ELS:2002 has recently switched from mailing a CD-ROM with the ELS data on it to an online downloading tool, called EDAT, to provide users access to Public-use data files.

Click on the “EDAT” link above to access EDAT.

EDAT’s advantages over the CD-ROM for Public-use data:

• EDAT does everything the CD-ROM version did, plus it includes all the Base Year (2002), First Follow-up (2004), and Second Follow-up (2006) Public-use ELS data that are available.
  
• EDAT allows you to download syntax files for more programming languages, for more flexibility of analysis.
  
• EDAT includes 100+ composite variables.

Important Information About ELS:2002 Data

• How do you figure out whether you need Public-use or Restricted-use data?
  • It depends on your variables of interest!
  • A spreadsheet for comparing the variables included in all of the ELS Restricted- and Public-use data files can be found here: ELS Variable List (592 KB)
• Restricted-use Data can only be obtained by CD-ROM, after obtaining a Restricted-use license
  • After the license is awarded, the requested data file(s) are mailed to the license holder by express mail.
    • How long does this process generally take? Typically, 3 weeks, provided there is no problem with your license paperwork.
  • Don’t worry if your project changes: Licenses can be amended to obtain additional ELS Restricted-use data or Restricted-use data from other NCES surveys.
• You only need to obtain one ELS data file, because each one includes all prior follow-ups
  • For example, the Public-use EDAT data file includes all data collected in the Base Year and First Follow-Up, as well as the Second Follow-Up.

Summary of all available ELS:2002 data:

ELS:2002 Base Year to Second Follow-Up
Data Source	Public-Use	Restricted Use
Follow-ups included	BY, F1, and F2	BY, F1, high school transcripts, and F2
Brief description of the data file	NCES 2010-338	NCES 2008-346
Access point:	EDAT	Request CD-ROM
Result:
Data File format	One of six programming languages (SAS, Stata, SPSS, Sudaan, R, S-Plus) (or ASCII or CSV)	SAS or SPSS data files containing selected variables
Variable selection	EDAT Tag Files	Electronic codebook (ECB)
Analysis capability	None	None

ELS:2002 Data on CD-ROM, with Electronic Code Book (Restricted-Use)

• These data are available only in the form of an Electronic Codebook (ECB), a Windows application that must be installed on your computer. This ECB performs essentially the same variable selection and analysis file generation functions as the EDAT application.
• Step 1: Obtain a Restricted-use license for the Restricted-use data file:  ELS:2002 Base Year to Second Follow-up Restricted-use data (NCES 2008-346).
• Step 2: Once a license is granted, the requested data are sent by express mail to the licensee by an IES Security Officer.

Other special purpose ELS:2002 Restricted-use data files that can be obtained by license amendment once a license is granted are:

• a data file of residential census tract and block information for ELS:2002 Base Year; and
• a test item database containing the item parameters and sample member item scores for all ELS:2002 tests items; and
• a data file of the Barron’s Competiveness Index for all colleges applied to or attended by an ELS:2002 Second Follow-up sample member.

 

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