Managing an Identity Crisis: Forum Guide to Implementing New Federal Race and Ethnicity Categories - A Comparison of Existing and New U.S. Department of Education Race and Ethnicity Data Reporting Standards

Managing an Identity Crisis: Forum Guide to Implementing New Federal Race and Ethnicity Categories

NFES 2008-802
October 2008

Foreword
- Race and Ethnicity Data Implementation Task Force
- Acknowledgments
- A Comparison of Existing and New U.S. Department of Education Race and Ethnicity Data Reporting Standards
Chapter 1. Making the Case: Background and Rationale
Chapter 2. Setting the Stage: Developing Policies and Procedures
Chapter 3. Getting on the Same Page: Training and Communication
Chapter 4. Getting It Done: Re-Identifying an Individual's Race and Ethnicity
Chapter 5. Getting It Out: Coding, Reporting, Storage, and Bridging
List of Tables & Exhibits
List of Case Studies
List of Appendices
PDF & Related Info
Contact

A Comparison of Existing and New U.S. Department of Education Race and Ethnicity Data Reporting Standards

As of December 2007, school districts and states are required to follow new standards in collecting individual-level race and ethnicity data, and in reporting aggregated categories to the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Below is a comparison of existing¹ and new² standards.

Existing Federal Reporting Standards	New Standards Outlined in ED's Final Guidance
Race and Ethnicity Categories
American Indian or Alaska Native	Same (American Indian or Alaskan Native)
Asian or Pacific Islander	Separate into two categories: Asian Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Black or African American	Same (Black or African American)
Hispanic or Latino	Same, except that individuals are now asked to choose an ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino or not Hispanic or Latino) as the first part of a two-part question, as well as race(s).
White	Same (White)
Individual Data Collection Format
Respondents are to select one of the five racial and ethnic categories above. The category that most closely reflects the respondent's recognition in his community should be used for purposes of reporting on persons who are of mixed racial and/or ethnic origins	Respondents are asked to select both an ethnicity and one or more of the above five racial categories. (Hispanic/Latino is considered an ethnicity, not a race category.)
Some data collections request race and ethnicity separately. If those were used, the minimum designations were: Race (Choose one): American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Black White Ethnicity (Choose one): Hispanic origin Not of Hispanic origin	A two-part question is mandatory, with the ethnicity part asked first. Ethnicity (Choose one): Hispanic/Latino Not Hispanic/Latino Race (Choose one or more, regardless of Ethnicity): American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Black or African American White
Minimum Federal Reporting Categories
If the combined format is used: American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Black, not of Hispanic origin Hispanic White, not of Hispanic origin.	Each student is associated with exactly one of the seven aggregate reporting categories: Hispanic/Latino of any race American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander White Two or more races
Dealing with Missing Information
Individuals (or students' parents) are asked to self-identify themselves. Observer identification is required if individuals decline to choose a race/ethnicity.	Unchanged.
Recordkeeping
Three years. However, when there is litigation, a claim, an audit, or another action involving the records, original responses must be retained until the completion of the action.	Unchanged.

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¹ “The Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (Statistical Policy Directive No. 15)” issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1977.
² “Final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic Data to the U.S. Department of Education,” Federal Register, October 19, 2007.