This article presents a descriptive, critical analysis of the comparability of information concerning students, teachers, and school resources gathered by organisations within government jurisdiction, and the pitfalls for the unwary researcher using government data banks. Differences in the method of compiling information about citizens, and…

Better data is needed on disability in Global Partnership for Education (GPE) partner countries to understand the extent to which children with disabilities are excluded from education, so that countries can make evidence-based and inclusive education policy and plans, and progress can be monitored globally. As part of its work helping to build…

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is urged to submit a report to the General Assembly by December 31, 2021, with information on the reviewed areas and recommendations on how to streamline the school data reporting and collecting systems of the State of Illinois. ISBE supports more than 200 software applications that were created in…

An increased focus on high-impact pedagogical practices at a small, residential, higher education institution led to a grant-funded project to gather and analyze multidimensional data on 10,155 residential foreclosures in central Illinois from 2006 to 2013. Student researchers applied skills gained through academic coursework to investigate a…

In developing countries, population estimates and assessments of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals are based increasingly on household surveys. It is not recognised that they are inappropriate for obtaining information about the poorest of the poor. Typically, they omit "by design:" those not in households because they are…

The Census Bureau has historically grouped high school diploma holders along with those who hold "high school equivalent" credentials. Among these is the credential earned through successfully passing the General Education Development (GED) test. Interest in identifying those with GEDs has recently increased, in part from debate within…

The Decennial Census is the most important data collection activity undertaken by the U.S. federal statistical system. Because census data are used to apportion Congress and draw redistricting lines for thousands of state and local single-member districts to meet the one-person/one-vote guidelines, the census is at the heart of the political…

Reviews the racial classifications used by the U.S. Census and explores the arguments for adding a "multiracial" category to Census data. It may be logical to question the need for any race and ethnicity criteria in the Census, but as long as racism exists, it is necessary to acknowledge it. (SLD)

This document provides background information related to the 1990 Census Mapping Project to assist in evaluating the processes, products, users, and users of data from that program as part of the planning activity for the corresponding Census 2000 activity. Analysis of the data items frequently used, with particular attention to the School…

The Common Core of Data (CCD) statistical program consists of four separate surveys: (1) the Public Elementary/Secondary Education Agency Universe Survey; (2) the Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey; (3) the State Nonfiscal Survey; and (4) the National Public Education Fiscal Survey. This report focuses on an evaluation of the first…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics that is designed to provide information on educational issues that can best be studied through contacting households rather than educational institutions. This report compares the information collected through telephone…

Ethnographic methods were integrated with survey procedures in an experimental daytime count of homeless persons in a major city. Ethnographic data proved valuable for choosing sites, designing questionnaires, developing new interview approaches, and interpreting test results. Recommends a wider use of ethnographic insights in developing surveys,…

This hearing, which is the first of a series of hearings on the 1990 decennial census, focuses on automation activities, pretest preparations, and proposed residency rules. Gene L. Dodaro, associate director of the General Accounting Office, calls on the committee to use special purpose tests to adequately evaluate the following: (1) potential of…

This is the fourth in a series of reports evaluating the Public Library Statistics (PLS) program, an annual census of public libraries in the United States. The census includes, in addition to a full count of public libraries and their outlets, a variety of statistics about the services provided by and, the financial condition and the staffing…

This report contributes to the comprehensive evaluation of the Common Core of Data (CCD) program by providing an analysis of CCD definitions in order to identify potential classification problems. At the time of the evaluation, the CCD program consisted of four surveys. The focus of this evaluation is on the "Public Elementary/Secondary…