This is the decade of data analytics and big data, but not everyone agrees with the definition of big data. Some researchers see it as the future of data analysis, while others consider it as hype and foresee its demise in the near future. No matter how it is defined, big data for the time being is having its glory moment. The most important…

All students deserve a great education, one that affords every opportunity for them to grow into knowledgeable and successful adults. To date, efforts to improve education have operated on a model of mass production, assuming--wrongly--that what works for some students must work for all. To change that model, students and their parents, teachers,…

This is a critical time to understand the benefits and risks of educational research using large data sets. Massive quantities of educational data can now be stored, analyzed, and shared. State longitudinal data systems can track individual students from pre-K through college and work. Districts and schools keep detailed data on individual…

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) requires that Title IV degree-granting institutions disclose annually the graduation rates of first-time, full-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduate students, disaggregated by gender, each major racial/ethnic subgroup, and receipt or non-receipt of a federal Pell grant or subsidized…

This paper examines the effects of Privacy laws on the conduct of legitimate social research. The report focuses on national legislation dealing with individual privacy, in particular the Privacy Act of 1974, and considers several new statutes which concern the privacy of participants in research. A large portion of the paper discusses (1)…

Introduces two data distortion methods (Frequency-Imposed Distortion, Frequency-Imposed Probability Distortion) and uses a Monte Carlo study to compare their performance with that of other distortion methods (Point Distortion, Probability Distortion). Indications that data generated by these two methods produce accurate statistics and protect…

This report of a Louis Harris poll on national opinions toward privacy includes the questions asked of each respondent and the responses given in categories related to age, sex, employment, income, and other factors. There are chapters on privacy and the individual; personal privacy in relation to governmental and business institutions; privacy…

During the first half of 1977, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) initiated a survey of State laws pertaining to the privacy and security of research and statistical information. Two data collection procedures were employed: a library search of State Statutes, and written inquiries to State Attorneys General and to other State…

Presents guidelines for statistics for Web-based information resources developed by the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC). Outlines use elements that must be provided: number of queries, menu selections, sessions, turn-aways, and items examined. Discusses privacy; user, institutional, and consortial confidentiality;…