TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Allocating Federal Funds for State Programs for English Language Learners SN - DO - 10.17226/13090 PY - 2011 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13090/allocating-federal-funds-for-state-programs-for-english-language-learners PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - As the United States continues to be a nation of immigrants and their children, the nation's school systems face increased enrollments of students whose primary language is not English. With the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the allocation of federal funds for programs to assist these students to be proficient in English became formula-based: 80 percent on the basis of the population of children with limited English proficiency1 and 20 percent on the basis of the population of recently immigrated children and youth. Title III of NCLB directs the U.S. Department of Education to allocate funds on the basis of the more accurate of two allowable data sources: the number of students reported to the federal government by each state education agency or data from the American Community Survey (ACS). The department determined that the ACS estimates are more accurate, and since 2005, those data have been basis for the federal distribution of Title III funds. Subsequently, analyses of the two data sources have raised concerns about that decision, especially because the two allowable data sources would allocate quite different amounts to the states. In addition, while shortcomings were noted in the data provided by the states, the ACS estimates were shown to fluctuate between years, causing concern among the states about the unpredictability and unevenness of program funding. In this context, the U.S. Department of Education commissioned the National Research Council to address the accuracy of the estimates from the two data sources and the factors that influence the estimates. The resulting book also considers means of increasing the accuracy of the data sources or alternative data sources that could be used for allocation purposes. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Christopher Edley, Jr. A2 - Judith Koenig A2 - Natalie Nielsen A2 - Constance Citro TI - Monitoring Educational Equity SN - DO - 10.17226/25389 PY - 2019 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25389/monitoring-educational-equity PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Disparities in educational attainment among population groups have characterized the United States throughout its history. Education is sometimes characterized as the "great equalizer," but to date, the country has not found ways to successfully address the adverse effects of socioeconomic circumstances, prejudice, and discrimination that suppress performance for some groups. To ensure that the pursuit of equity encompasses both the goals to which the nation aspires for its children and the mechanisms to attain those goals, a revised set of equity indicators is needed. Measures of educational equity often fail to account for the impact of the circumstances in which students live on their academic engagement, academic progress, and educational attainment. Some of the contextual factors that bear on learning include food and housing insecurity, exposure to violence, unsafe neighborhoods, adverse childhood experiences, and exposure to environmental toxins. Consequently, it is difficult to identify when intervention is necessary and how it should function. A revised set of equity indicators should highlight disparities, provide a way to explore potential causes, and point toward possible improvements. Monitoring Educational Equity proposes a system of indicators of educational equity and presents recommendations for implementation. This report also serves as a framework to help policy makers better understand and combat inequity in the United States' education system. Disparities in educational opportunities reinforce, and often amplify, disparities in outcomes throughout people's lives. Thus, it is critical to ensure that all students receive comprehensive supports that level the playing field in order to improve the well-being of underrepresented individuals and the nation. ER - TY - BOOK A2 - George G. Szpiro TI - The Secret Life of Numbers: 50 Easy Pieces on How Mathematicians Work and Think DO - 10.17226/11543 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11543/the-secret-life-of-numbers-50-easy-pieces-on-how PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Most of us picture mathematicians laboring before a chalkboard, scribbling numbers and obscure symbols as they mutter unintelligibly. This lighthearted (but realistic) sneak-peak into the everyday world of mathematicians turns that stereotype on its head.Most people have little idea what mathematicians do or how they think. It’s often difficult to see how their seemingly arcane and esoteric work applies to our own everyday lives. But mathematics also holds a special allure for many people. We are drawn to its inherent beauty and fascinated by its complexity—but often intimidated by its presumed difficulty. The Secret Life of Numbers opens our eyes to the joys of mathematics, introducing us to the charming, often whimsical side, of the discipline. Divided into several parts, the book looks at interesting and largely unknown historical tidbits, introduces the largerthan- life practitioners of mathematics through the ages, profiles some of the most significant unsolved conjectures, and describes problems and puzzles that have already been solved. Rounding out the table of contents is a host of mathematical miscellany—all of which add up to 50 fun, sometimes cheeky, shorttakes on the field. Chock full of stories, anecdotes, and entertaining vignettes, The Secret Life of Numbers shows us how mathematics really does affect almost every aspect of life—from the law to geography, elections to botany—and we come to appreciate the delight and gratification that mathematics holds for all of us. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Linda Casola TI - Challenges in Machine Generation of Analytic Products from Multi-Source Data: Proceedings of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/24900 PY - 2017 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24900/challenges-in-machine-generation-of-analytic-products-from-multi-source-data PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The Intelligence Community Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop on August 9-10, 2017 to examine challenges in machine generation of analytic products from multi-source data. Workshop speakers and participants discussed research challenges related to machine-based methods for generating analytic products and for automating the evaluation of these products, with special attention to learning from small data, using multi-source data, adversarial learning, and understanding the human-machine relationship. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. ER - TY - BOOK TI - International Benchmarking of US Mathematics Research DO - 10.17226/9089 PY - 1997 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9089/international-benchmarking-of-us-mathematics-research PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Constance F. Citro A2 - Miron L. Straf TI - Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Fifth Edition SN - DO - 10.17226/18318 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18318/principles-and-practices-for-a-federal-statistical-agency-fifth-edition PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Publicly available statistics from government agencies that are credible, relevant, accurate, and timely are essential for policy makers, individuals, households, businesses, academic institutions, and other organizations to make informed decisions. Even more, the effective operation of a democratic system of government depends on the unhindered flow of statistical information to its citizens. In the United States, federal statistical agencies in cabinet departments and independent agencies are the governmental units whose principal function is to compile, analyze, and disseminate information for such statistical purposes as describing population characteristics and trends, planning and monitoring programs, and conducting research and evaluation. The work of these agencies is coordinated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Statistical agencies may acquire information not only from surveys or censuses of people and organizations, but also from such sources as government administrative records, private-sector datasets, and Internet sources that are judged of suitable quality and relevance for statistical use. They may conduct analyses, but they do not advocate policies or take partisan positions. Statistical purposes for which they provide information relate to descriptions of groups and exclude any interest in or identification of an individual person, institution, or economic unit. Four principles are fundamental for a federal statistical agency: relevance to policy issues, credibility among data users, trust among data providers, and independence from political and other undue external influence. Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Fifth Edition explains these four principles in detail. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Constance F. Citro A2 - Michael L. Cohen TI - The Bicentennial Census: New Directions for Methodology in 1990: 30th Anniversary Edition SN - DO - 10.17226/21728 PY - 2015 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21728/the-bicentennial-census-new-directions-for-methodology-in-1990-30th PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - In 1982 the Census Bureau requested the Committee on National Statistics to establish a panel to suggest research and experiments, to recommend improved methods, and to guide the Census Bureau on technical problems in appraising contending methods with regard to the conduct of the decennial census. In response, the panel produced an interim report that focused on recommendations for improvements in census methodology that warranted early investigation and testing. This report updates and expands the ideas and conclusions about decennial census methodology. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Record Linkage Techniques -- 1997: Proceedings of an International Workshop and Exposition DO - 10.17226/6491 PY - 1999 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6491/record-linkage-techniques-1997-proceedings-of-an-international-workshop-and PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Statistical Software Engineering SN - DO - 10.17226/5018 PY - 1996 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5018/statistical-software-engineering PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Computers and Information Technology KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - This book identifies challenges and opportunities in the development and implementation of software that contain significant statistical content. While emphasizing the relevance of using rigorous statistical and probabilistic techniques in software engineering contexts, it presents opportunities for further research in the statistical sciences and their applications to software engineering. It is intended to motivate and attract new researchers from statistics and the mathematical sciences to attack relevant and pressing problems in the software engineering setting. It describes the "big picture," as this approach provides the context in which statistical methods must be developed. The book's survey nature is directed at the mathematical sciences audience, but software engineers should also find the statistical emphasis refreshing and stimulating. It is hoped that the book will have the effect of seeding the field of statistical software engineering by its indication of opportunities where statistical thinking can help to increase understanding, productivity, and quality of software and software production. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Daniel L. Cork A2 - Michael L. Cohen A2 - Benjamin F. King TI - Planning the 2010 Census: Second Interim Report SN - DO - 10.17226/10776 PY - 2003 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10776/planning-the-2010-census-second-interim-report PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The Panel on Research on Future Census Methods has a broad charge to review the early planning process for the 2010 census. Its work includes observing the operation of the 2000 census, deriving lessons for 2010, and advising on effective evaluations and tests. This is the panel's third report; they have previously issued an interim report offering suggestions on the Census Bureau's evaluation plan for 2000 and a letter report commenting on the bureau's proposed general structure for the 2010 census. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Alexandra Beatty A2 - Judith A. Koenig TI - Key National Education Indicators: Workshop Summary SN - DO - 10.17226/13453 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13453/key-national-education-indicators-workshop-summary PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The education system in the United States is continually challenged to adapt and improve, in part because its mission has become far more ambitious than it once was. At the turn of the 20th century, less than one-tenth of students enrolled were expected to graduate from high school. Today, most people expect schools to prepare all students to succeed in postsecondary education and to prosper in a complex, fast-changing global economy. Goals have broadened to include not only rigorous benchmarks in core academic subjects, but also technological literacy and the subtler capacities known as 21st-century skills. To identify the most important measures for education and other issues and provide quality data on them to the American people, Congress authorized the creation of a Key National Indicators System (KNIS). This system will be a single Web-based information source designed to help policy makers and the public better assess the position and progress of the nation across a wide range of areas. Identifying the right set of indicators for each area is not a small challenge. To serve their purpose of providing objective information that can encourage improvement and innovation, the indicators need to be valid and reliable but they also need to capture the report committee's aspirations for education. This report describes a workshop, planned under the aegis of the Board on Testing and Assessment and the Committee on National Statistics of the National Research Council. Key National Education Indicators is a summary of the meeting of a group with extensive experience in research, public policy, and practice. The goal of the workshop was not to make a final selection of indicators, but to take an important first step by clearly identifying the parameters of the challenge. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Daniel L. Cork A2 - Paul R. Voss TI - Once, Only Once, and in the Right Place: Residence Rules in the Decennial Census SN - DO - 10.17226/11727 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11727/once-only-once-and-in-the-right-place-residence-rules PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The usefulness of the U.S. decennial census depends critically on the accuracy with which individual people are counted in specific housing units, at precise geographic locations. The 2000 and other recent censuses have relied on a set of residence rules to craft instructions on the census questionnaire in order to guide respondents to identify their correct "usual residence." Determining the proper place to count such groups as college students, prisoners, and military personnel has always been complicated and controversial; major societal trends such as placement of children in shared custody arrangements and the prevalence of "snowbird" and "sunbird" populations who regularly move to favorable climates further make it difficult to specify ties to one household and one place. Once, Only Once, and in the Right Place reviews the evolution of current residence rules and the way residence concepts are presented to respondents. It proposes major changes to the basic approach of collecting residence information and suggests a program of research to improve the 2010 and future censuses. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Daniel L. Cork TI - Benefits, Burdens, and Prospects of the American Community Survey: Summary of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/18259 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18259/benefits-burdens-and-prospects-of-the-american-community-survey-summary PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - In June 2012, the Committee on National Statistics (sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau) convened a Workshop on the Benefits (and Burdens) of the American Community Survey (ACS)—the detailed demographic and economic survey that began full-scale data collection in 2005 and that replaced the traditional "long form" in the 2010 census. ACS data are used by numerous federal agencies to administer programs, yet the ACS only moved from abstraction to reality for most users in 2010, when the first ACS estimates for small areas (based on 5 years of collected data) were made available. Hence, the workshop marked the opportunity to develop a picture of the breadth of the nonfederal user base of the ACS—among them, the media, policy research and evaluation groups (that distill ACS results for the media and broader public), state and local agencies, businesses and economic development organizations, and local and regional planning authorities—and to gather information on users' experiences with the first full releases of ACS products. In addition to covering innovative uses of the information now available on a continuous basis in the ACS, the workshop gave expression to the challenges and burdens associated with the survey: the time burden places on respondents, the challenges of explaining and interpreting estimates with increased levels of variability, and the privacy and confidentiality implications of some of the ACS content. Benefits, Burdens, and Prospects of the American Community Survey: Summary of a Workshop provides a factual summary of the workshop proceedings and hints at the contours of the ACS user constituency, providing important input to the ongoing review and refinement of the ACS program. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Future of Statistical Software: Proceedings of a Forum SN - DO - 10.17226/1910 PY - 1991 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1910/the-future-of-statistical-software-proceedings-of-a-forum PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Computers and Information Technology KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - This book presents guidelines for the development and evaluation of statistical software designed to ensure minimum acceptable statistical functionality as well as ease of interpretation and use. It consists of the proceedings of a forum that focused on three qualities of statistical software: richness—the availability of layers of output sophistication, guidance—how the package helps a user do an analysis and do it well, and exactness—determining if the output is "correct" and when and how to warn of potential problems. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Lawrence D. Brown A2 - Michael L. Cohen A2 - Daniel L. Cork TI - Experimentation and Evaluation Plans for the 2010 Census: Interim Report SN - DO - 10.17226/12080 PY - 2008 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12080/experimentation-and-evaluation-plans-for-the-2010-census-interim-report PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - For the past 50 years, the Census Bureau has conducted experiments and evaluations with every decennial census involving field data collection during which alternatives to current census processes are assessed for a subset of the population. An "evaluation" is usually a post hoc analysis of data collected as part of the decennial census processing to determine whether individual steps in the census operated as expected. The 2010 Program for Evaluations and Experiments, known as CPEX, has enormous potential to reduce costs and increase effectiveness of the 2020 census by reducing the initial list of potential research topics from 52 to 6. The panel identified three priority experiments for inclusion in the 2010 census to assist 2020 census planning: (1) an experiment on the use of the Internet for data collection; (2) an experiment on the use of administrative records for various census purposes; and (3) an experiment (or set of experiments) on features of the census questionnaire. They also came up with 11 recommendations to improve efficiency and quality of data collection including allowing use of the Internet for data submission and including one or more alternate questionnaire experiments to examine things such as the representation of race and ethnicity. ER - TY - BOOK A2 - John Derbyshire TI - Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics SN - DO - 10.17226/10532 PY - 2003 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10532/prime-obsession-bernhard-riemann-and-the-greatest-unsolved-problem-in PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Explore Science KW - KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - In August 1859 Bernhard Riemann, a little-known 32-year old mathematician, presented a paper to the Berlin Academy titled: "On the Number of Prime Numbers Less Than a Given Quantity." In the middle of that paper, Riemann made an incidental remark — a guess, a hypothesis. What he tossed out to the assembled mathematicians that day has proven to be almost cruelly compelling to countless scholars in the ensuing years. Today, after 150 years of careful research and exhaustive study, the question remains. Is the hypothesis true or false? Riemann's basic inquiry, the primary topic of his paper, concerned a straightforward but nevertheless important matter of arithmetic — defining a precise formula to track and identify the occurrence of prime numbers. But it is that incidental remark — the Riemann Hypothesis — that is the truly astonishing legacy of his 1859 paper. Because Riemann was able to see beyond the pattern of the primes to discern traces of something mysterious and mathematically elegant shrouded in the shadows — subtle variations in the distribution of those prime numbers. Brilliant for its clarity, astounding for its potential consequences, the Hypothesis took on enormous importance in mathematics. Indeed, the successful solution to this puzzle would herald a revolution in prime number theory. Proving or disproving it became the greatest challenge of the age. It has become clear that the Riemann Hypothesis, whose resolution seems to hang tantalizingly just beyond our grasp, holds the key to a variety of scientific and mathematical investigations. The making and breaking of modern codes, which depend on the properties of the prime numbers, have roots in the Hypothesis. In a series of extraordinary developments during the 1970s, it emerged that even the physics of the atomic nucleus is connected in ways not yet fully understood to this strange conundrum. Hunting down the solution to the Riemann Hypothesis has become an obsession for many — the veritable "great white whale" of mathematical research. Yet despite determined efforts by generations of mathematicians, the Riemann Hypothesis defies resolution. Alternating passages of extraordinarily lucid mathematical exposition with chapters of elegantly composed biography and history, Prime Obsession is a fascinating and fluent account of an epic mathematical mystery that continues to challenge and excite the world. Posited a century and a half ago, the Riemann Hypothesis is an intellectual feast for the cognoscenti and the curious alike. Not just a story of numbers and calculations, Prime Obsession is the engrossing tale of a relentless hunt for an elusive proof — and those who have been consumed by it. ER - TY - BOOK A2 - John Derbyshire TI - Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra SN - DO - 10.17226/11540 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11540/unknown-quantity-a-real-and-imaginary-history-of-algebra PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Explore Science KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Prime Obsession taught us not to be afraid to put the math in a math book. Unknown Quantity heeds the lesson well. So grab your graphing calculators, slip out the slide rules, and buckle up! John Derbyshire is introducing us to algebra through the ages -- and it promises to be just what his die-hard fans have been waiting for. "Here is the story of algebra." With this deceptively simple introduction, we begin our journey. Flanked by formulae, shadowed by roots and radicals, escorted by an expert who navigates unerringly on our behalf, we are guaranteed safe passage through even the most treacherous mathematical terrain. Our first encounter with algebraic arithmetic takes us back 38 centuries to the time of Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, Ur and Haran, Sodom and Gomorrah. Moving deftly from Abel's proof to the higher levels of abstraction developed by Galois, we are eventually introduced to what algebraists have been focusing on during the last century. As we travel through the ages, it becomes apparent that the invention of algebra was more than the start of a specific discipline of mathematics -- it was also the birth of a new way of thinking that clarified both basic numeric concepts as well as our perception of the world around us. Algebraists broke new ground when they discarded the simple search for solutions to equations and concentrated instead on abstract groups. This dramatic shift in thinking revolutionized mathematics. Written for those among us who are unencumbered by a fear of formulae, Unknown Quantity delivers on its promise to present a history of algebra. Astonishing in its bold presentation of the math and graced with narrative authority, our journey through the world of algebra is at once intellectually satisfying and pleasantly challenging. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Collecting Compensation Data from Employers SN - DO - 10.17226/13496 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13496/collecting-compensation-data-from-employers PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Industry and Labor KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - U.S. agencies with responsibilities for enforcing equal employment opportunity laws have long relied on detailed information that is obtained from employers on employment in job groups by gender and race/ethnicity for identifying the possibility of discriminatory practices. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance programs of the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice have developed processes that use these employment data as well as other sources of information to target employers for further investigation and to perform statistical analysis that is used in enforcing the anti-discrimination laws. The limited data from employers do not include (with a few exceptions) the ongoing measurement of possible discrimination in compensation. The proposed Paycheck Fairness Act of 2009 would have required EEOC to issue regulations mandating that employers provide the EEOC with information on pay by the race, gender, and national origin of employees. The legislation was not enacted. If the legislation had become law, the EEOC would have been required to confront issues regarding currently available and potential data sources, methodological requirements, and appropriate statistical techniques for the measurement and collection of employer pay data. The panel concludes that the collection of earnings data would be a significant undertaking for the EEOC and that there might be an increased reporting burden on some employers. Currently, there is no clearly articulated vision of how the data on wages could be used in the conduct of the enforcement responsibilities of the relevant agencies. Collecting Compensation Data from Employers gives recommendations for targeting employers for investigation regarding their compliance with antidiscrimination laws. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Data on Federal Research and Development Investments: A Pathway to Modernization SN - DO - 10.17226/12772 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12772/data-on-federal-research-and-development-investments-a-pathway-to PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Policy for Science and Technology KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Two surveys of the National Science Foundation's Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) provide some of the most significant data available to understand research and development spending and policy in the United States. These are the Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development and the Survey of Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions. These surveys help reach conclusions about fundamental policy questions, such as whether a given field of research is adequately funded, whether funding is balanced among fields, and whether deficiencies in funding may be contributing to a loss of U.S. scientific or economic competitiveness. However, the survey data are of insufficient quality and timeliness to support many of the demands put on them. In addition the surveys are increasingly difficult to conduct in times of constrained resources, and their technological, procedural, and conceptual infrastructure has not been modernized for procedure or content. Data on Federal Research and Development Investments reviews the uses and collection of data on federal funds and federal support for science and technology and recommends future directions for the program based on an assessment of these uses and the adequacy of the surveys. The book also considers the classification structure, or taxonomy, for the fields of science and engineering. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Daniel L. Cork A2 - Michael L. Cohen A2 - Benjamin F. King TI - Reengineering the 2010 Census: Risks and Challenges SN - DO - 10.17226/10959 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10959/reengineering-the-2010-census-risks-and-challenges PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - At the request of the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Research Council’s Committee on National Statistics established the Panel on Research on Future Census Methods to review the early planning process for the 2010 census. This new report documents the panel’s strong support for the major aims of the Census Bureau’s emerging plan for 2010. At the same time, it notes the considerable challenges that must be overcome if the bureau’s innovations are to be successful. The panel agrees with the Census Bureau that implementation of the American Community Survey and, with it, the separation of the long form from the census process are excellent concepts. Moreover, it concurs that the critically important Master Address File and TIGER geographic systems are in dire need of comprehensive updating and that new technologies have the potential to improve the accuracy of the count. The report identifies the risks and rewards of these and other components of the Census Bureau’s plan. The report emphasizes the need for the bureau to link its research and evaluation efforts much more closely to operational planning and the importance of funding for a comprehensive and rigorous testing program before 2010. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Realizing the Potential of the American Community Survey: Challenges, Tradeoffs, and Opportunities SN - DO - 10.17226/21653 PY - 2015 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21653/realizing-the-potential-of-the-american-community-survey-challenges-tradeoffs PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The American Community Survey (ACS) was conceptualized as a replacement to the census long form, which collected detailed population and housing data from a sample of the U.S. population, once a decade, as part of the decennial census operations. The long form was traditionally the main source of socio-economic information for areas below the national level. The data provided for small areas, such as counties, municipalities, and neighborhoods is what made the long form unique, and what makes the ACS unique today. Since the successful transition from the decennial long form in 2005, the ACS has become an invaluable resource for many stakeholders, particularly for meeting national and state level data needs. However, due to inadequate sample sizes, a major challenge for the survey is producing reliable estimates for smaller geographic areas, which is a concern because of the unique role fulfilled by the long form, and now the ACS, of providing data with a geographic granularity that no other federal survey could provide. In addition to the primary challenge associated with the reliability of the estimates, this is also a good time to assess other aspects of the survey in order to identify opportunities for refinement based on the experience of the first few years. Realizing the Potential of the American Community Survey provides input on ways of improving the ACS, focusing on two priority areas: identifying methods that could improve the quality of the data available for small areas, and suggesting changes that would increase the survey's efficiency in responding to new data needs. This report considers changes that the ACS office should consider over the course of the next few years in order to further improve the ACS data. The recommendations of Realizing the Potential of the American Community Survey will help the Census Bureau improve performance in several areas, which may ultimately lead to improved data products as the survey enters its next decade. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Alicia Carriquiry A2 - Malay Majmundar TI - Options for Estimating Illegal Entries at the U.S.-Mexico Border SN - DO - 10.17226/13498 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13498/options-for-estimating-illegal-entries-at-the-us-mexico-border PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for securing and managing the nation's borders. Over the past decade, DHS has dramatically stepped up its enforcement efforts at the U.S.-Mexico border, increasing the number of U.S. Border patrol (USBP) agents, expanding the deployment of technological assets, and implementing a variety of "consequence programs" intended to deter illegal immigration. During this same period, there has also been a sharp decline in the number of unauthorized migrants apprehended at the border. Trends in total apprehensions do not, however, by themselves speak to the effectiveness of DHS's investments in immigration enforcement. In particular, to evaluate whether heightened enforcement efforts have contributed to reducing the flow of undocumented migrants, it is critical to estimate the number of border-crossing attempts during the same period for which apprehensions data are available. With these issues in mind, DHS charged the National Research Council (NRC) with providing guidance on the use of surveys and other methodologies to estimate the number of unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, preferably by geographic region and on a quarterly basis. Options for Estimating Illegal Entries at the U.S.-Mexico Border focuses on Mexican migrants since Mexican nationals account for the vast majority (around 90 percent) of attempted unauthorized border crossings across the U.S.-Mexico border. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Kenneth Prewitt A2 - Christopher D. Mackie A2 - Hermann Habermann TI - Civic Engagement and Social Cohesion: Measuring Dimensions of Social Capital to Inform Policy SN - DO - 10.17226/18831 PY - 2014 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18831/civic-engagement-and-social-cohesion-measuring-dimensions-of-social-capital PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - People's bonds, associations and networks - as well as the civil, political, and institutional characteristics of the society in which they live - can be powerful drivers affecting the quality of life among a community's, a city's, or a nation's inhabitants and their ability to achieve both individual and societal goals. Civic engagement, social cohesion, and other dimensions of social capital affect social, economic and health outcomes for individuals and communities. Can these be measured, and can federal surveys contribute toward this end? Can this information be collected elsewhere, and if so, how should it be collected? Civic Engagement and Social Cohesion identifies measurement approaches that can lead to improved understanding of civic engagement, social cohesion, and social capital - and their potential role in explaining the functioning of society. With the needs of data users in mind, this report examines conceptual frameworks developed in the literature to determine promising measures and measurement methods for informing public policy discourse. The report identifies working definitions of key terms; advises on the feasibility and specifications of indicators relevant to analyses of social, economic, and health domains; and assesses the strength of the evidence regarding the relationship between these indicators and observed trends in crime, employment, and resilience to shocks such as natural disasters. Civic Engagement and Social Cohesion weighs the relative merits of surveys, administrative records, and non-government data sources, and considers the appropriate role of the federal statistical system. This report makes recommendations to improve the measurement of civic health through population surveys conducted by the government and identifies priority areas for research, development, and implementation. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Constance F. Citro A2 - Daniel L. Cork A2 - Janet L. Norwood TI - The 2000 Census: Counting Under Adversity SN - DO - 10.17226/10907 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10907/the-2000-census-counting-under-adversity PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The decennial census was the federal government’s largest and most complex peacetime operation. This report of a panel of the National Research Council’s Committee on National Statistics comprehensively reviews the conduct of the 2000 census and the quality of the resulting data. The panel’s findings cover the planning process for 2000, which was marked by an atmosphere of intense controversy about the proposed role of statistical techniques in the census enumeration and possible adjustment for errors in counting the population. The report addresses the success and problems of major innovations in census operations, the completeness of population coverage in 2000, and the quality of both the basic demographic data collected from all census respondents and the detailed socioeconomic data collected from the census long-form sample (about one-sixth of the population). The panel draws comparisons with the 1990 experience and recommends improvements in the planning process and design for 2010. The 2000 Census: Counting Under Adversity will be an invaluable resource for users of the 2000 data and for policymakers and census planners. It provides a trove of information about the issues that have fueled debate about the census process and about the operations and quality of the nation’s twenty-second decennial enumeration. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Nancy T. Tippins A2 - Margaret L. Hilton TI - A Database for a Changing Economy: Review of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) SN - DO - 10.17226/12814 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12814/a-database-for-a-changing-economy-review-of-the-occupational PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Industry and Labor KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Information about the characteristics of jobs and the individuals who fill them is valuable for career guidance, reemployment counseling, workforce development, human resource management, and other purposes. To meet these needs, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in 1998 launched the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), which consists of a content model--a framework for organizing occupational data--and an electronic database. The O*NET content model includes hundreds of descriptors of work and workers organized into domains, such as skills, knowledge, and work activities. Data are collected using a classification system that organizes job titles into 1,102 occupations. The National Center for O*NET Development (the O*NET Center) continually collects data related to these occupations. In 2008, DOL requested the National Academies to review O*NET and consider its future directions. In response, the present volume inventories and evaluates the uses of O*NET; explores the linkage of O*NET with the Standard Occupational Classification System and other data sets; and identifies ways to improve O*NET, particularly in the areas of cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and currency. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Mathematical Sciences' Role in Homeland Security: Proceedings of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/10940 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10940/the-mathematical-sciences-role-in-homeland-security-proceedings-of-a PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Computers and Information Technology KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Mathematical sciences play a key role in many important areas of Homeland Security including data mining and image analysis and voice recognition for intelligence analysis, encryption and decryption for intelligence gathering and computer security, detection and epidemiology of bioterriost attacks to determine their scope, and data fusion to analyze information coming from simultaneously from several sources. This report presents the results of a workshop focusing on mathematical methods and techniques for addressing these areas. The goal of the workshop is to help mathematical scientists and policy makers understand the connections between mathematical sciences research and these homeland security applications. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Paul R. Voss A2 - Krisztina Marton TI - Small Populations, Large Effects: Improving the Measurement of the Group Quarters Population in the American Community Survey SN - DO - 10.17226/13387 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13387/small-populations-large-effects-improving-the-measurement-of-the-group PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - In the early 1990s, the Census Bureau proposed a program of continuous measurement as a possible alternative to the gathering of detailed social, economic, and housing data from a sample of the U.S. population as part of the decennial census. The American Community Survey (ACS) became a reality in 2005, and has included group quarters (GQ)-such places as correctional facilities for adults, student housing, nursing facilities, inpatient hospice facilities, and military barracks-since 2006, primarily to more closely replicate the design and data products of the census long-form sample. The decision to include group quarters in the ACS enables the Census Bureau to provide a comprehensive benchmark of the total U.S. population (not just those living in households). However, the fact that the ACS must rely on a sample of what is a small and very diverse population, combined with limited funding available for survey operations, makes the ACS GQ sampling, data collection, weighting, and estimation procedures more complex and the estimates more susceptible to problems stemming from these limitations. The concerns are magnified in small areas, particularly in terms of detrimental effects on the total population estimates produced for small areas. Small Populations, Large Effects provides an in-depth review of the statistical methodology for measuring the GQ population in the ACS. This report addresses difficulties associated with measuring the GQ population and the rationale for including GQs in the ACS. Considering user needs for ACS data and of operational feasibility and compatibility with the treatment of the household population in the ACS, the report recommends alternatives to the survey design and other methodological features that can make the ACS more useful for users of small-area data. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Measuring the Science and Engineering Enterprise: Priorities for the Division of Science Resources Studies SN - DO - 10.17226/9775 PY - 2000 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9775/measuring-the-science-and-engineering-enterprise-priorities-for-the-division PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Industry and Labor KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The science and engineering enterprise has continued to evolve, responding over the last decade to increased economic globalization, a post-cold war military, federal budget fluctuations, and structural changes in the way science and engineering are conducted and innovations are adopted. This report suggests ways to revise the data collection activities of the Science Resources Studies Division (SRS) of the National Science Foundation to better capture the current realities of R&D funding and S&E human resources. The report's recommendations would improve the relevance of the data on graduate education, the labor market for scientists and engineers, and the funding and conduct of research and development, and thus better meet the data needs of policymakers, managers, and researchers. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Measuring the 21st Century Science and Engineering Workforce Population: Evolving Needs SN - DO - 10.17226/24968 PY - 2018 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24968/measuring-the-21st-century-science-and-engineering-workforce-population-evolving PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), one of the nation’s principal statistical agencies, is charged to collect, acquire, analyze, report, and disseminate statistical data related to the science and engineering enterprise in the United States and other nations that is relevant and useful to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and to the public. NCSES data, based primarily on several flagship surveys, have become the major evidence base for American science and technology policy, and the agency is well respected globally for these data. This report assesses and provides guidance on NCSES’s approach to measuring the science and engineering workforce population in the United States. It also proposes a framework for measuring the science and engineering workforce in the next decade and beyond, with flexibility to examine emerging issues related to this unique population while at the same time allowing for stability in the estimation of key trends ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Robert M. Hauser A2 - Maxine Weinstein A2 - Robert Pool A2 - Barney Cohen TI - Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata SN - DO - 10.17226/12942 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12942/conducting-biosocial-surveys-collecting-storing-accessing-and-protecting-biospecimens-and PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Computers and Information Technology KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Recent years have seen a growing tendency for social scientists to collect biological specimens such as blood, urine, and saliva as part of large-scale household surveys. By combining biological and social data, scientists are opening up new fields of inquiry and are able for the first time to address many new questions and connections. But including biospecimens in social surveys also adds a great deal of complexity and cost to the investigator's task. Along with the usual concerns about informed consent, privacy issues, and the best ways to collect, store, and share data, researchers now face a variety of issues that are much less familiar or that appear in a new light. In particular, collecting and storing human biological materials for use in social science research raises additional legal, ethical, and social issues, as well as practical issues related to the storage, retrieval, and sharing of data. For example, acquiring biological data and linking them to social science databases requires a more complex informed consent process, the development of a biorepository, the establishment of data sharing policies, and the creation of a process for deciding how the data are going to be shared and used for secondary analysis--all of which add cost to a survey and require additional time and attention from the investigators. These issues also are likely to be unfamiliar to social scientists who have not worked with biological specimens in the past. Adding to the attraction of collecting biospecimens but also to the complexity of sharing and protecting the data is the fact that this is an era of incredibly rapid gains in our understanding of complex biological and physiological phenomena. Thus the tradeoffs between the risks and opportunities of expanding access to research data are constantly changing. Conducting Biosocial Surveys offers findings and recommendations concerning the best approaches to the collection, storage, use, and sharing of biospecimens gathered in social science surveys and the digital representations of biological data derived therefrom. It is aimed at researchers interested in carrying out such surveys, their institutions, and their funding agencies. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Constance F. Citro A2 - Graham Kalton TI - Using the American Community Survey: Benefits and Challenges SN - DO - 10.17226/11901 PY - 2007 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11901/using-the-american-community-survey-benefits-and-challenges PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The American Community Survey (ACS) is a major new initiative from the U.S. Census Bureau designed to provide continuously updated information on the numbers and characteristics of the nation’s people and housing. It replaces the “long form” of the decennial census. Using the American Community Survey covers the basics of how the ACS design and operations differ from the long-form sample; using the ACS for such applications as formula allocation of federal and state funds, transportation planning, and public information; and challenges in working with ACS estimates that cover periods of 12, 36, or 60 months depending on the population size of an area. This book also recommends priority areas for continued research and development by the U.S. Census Bureau to guide the evolution of the ACS, and provides detailed, comprehensive analysis and guidance for users in federal, state, and local government agencies, academia, and media. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Mathematical Sciences: A Report DO - 10.17226/9549 PY - 1968 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9549/the-mathematical-sciences-a-report PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Policy for Science and Technology KW - Surveys and Statistics ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Willis D. Hawley A2 - Timothy Ready TI - Measuring Access to Learning Opportunities SN - DO - 10.17226/10673 PY - 2003 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10673/measuring-access-to-learning-opportunities PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Since 1968 the Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Compliance Report (known as the E&S survey) has been used to gather information about possible disparities in access to learning opportunities and violations of students’ civil rights. Thirty-five years after the initiation of the E&S survey, large disparities remain both in educational outcomes and in access to learning opportunities and resources. These disparities may reflect violations of students’ civil rights, the failure of education policies and practices to provide students from all backgrounds with a similar educational experience, or both. They may also reflect the failure of schools to fully compensate for disparities and current differences in parents’ education, income, and family structure. The Committee on Improving Measures of Access to Equal Educational Opportunities concludes that the E&S survey continues to play an essential role in documenting these disparities and in providing information that is useful both in guiding efforts to protect students’ civil rights and for informing educational policy and practice. The committee also concludes that the survey’s usefulness and access to the survey data could be improved. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Monitoring Progress Toward Successful K-12 STEM Education: A Nation Advancing? SN - DO - 10.17226/13509 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13509/monitoring-progress-toward-successful-k-12-stem-education-a-nation PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Following a 2011 report by the National Research Council (NRC) on successful K-12 education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Congress asked the National Science Foundation to identify methods for tracking progress toward the report's recommendations. In response, the NRC convened the Committee on an Evaluation Framework for Successful K-12 STEM Education to take on this assignment. The committee developed 14 indicators linked to the 2011 report's recommendations. By providing a focused set of key indicators related to students' access to quality learning, educator's capacity, and policy and funding initiatives in STEM, the committee addresses the need for research and data that can be used to monitor progress in K-12 STEM education and make informed decisions about improving it. The recommended indicators provide a framework for Congress and relevant deferral agencies to create and implement a national-level monitoring and reporting system that: assesses progress toward key improvements recommended by a previous National Research Council (2011) committee; measures student knowledge, interest, and participation in the STEM disciplines and STEM-related activities; tracks financial, human capital, and material investments in K-12 STEM education at the federal, state, and local levels; provides information about the capabilities of the STEM education workforce, including teachers and principals; and facilitates strategic planning for federal investments in STEM education and workforce development when used with labor force projections. All 14 indicators explained in this report are intended to form the core of this system. Monitoring Progress Toward Successful K-12 STEM Education: A Nation Advancing? summarizes the 14 indicators and tracks progress towards the initial report's recommendations. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Michele Ver Ploeg A2 - Edward Perrin TI - Eliminating Health Disparities: Measurement and Data Needs SN - DO - 10.17226/10979 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10979/eliminating-health-disparities-measurement-and-data-needs PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Disparities in health and health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States are well documented. The reasons for these disparities are, however, not well understood. Current data available on race, ethnicity, SEP, and accumulation and language use are severely limited. The report examines data collection and reporting systems relating to the collection of data on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic position and offers recommendations. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Lawrence D. Brown A2 - Michael L. Cohen A2 - Daniel L. Cork A2 - Constance F. Citro TI - Envisioning the 2020 Census SN - DO - 10.17226/12865 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12865/envisioning-the-2020-census PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Planning for the 2020 census is already beginning. This book from the National Research Council examines several aspects of census planning, including questionnaire design, address updating, non-response follow-up, coverage follow-up, de-duplication of housing units and residents, editing and imputation procedures, and several other census operations. This book recommends that the Census Bureau overhaul its approach to research and development. The report urges the Bureau to set cost and quality goals for the 2020 and future censuses, improving efficiency by taking advantage of new technologies. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Mark B. Rosenberg A2 - Margaret L. Hilton A2 - Kenne A. Dibner TI - Indicators for Monitoring Undergraduate STEM Education SN - DO - 10.17226/24943 PY - 2018 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24943/indicators-for-monitoring-undergraduate-stem-education PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals generate a stream of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that fuel job creation and national economic growth. Ensuring a robust supply of these professionals is critical for sustaining growth and creating jobs growth at a time of intense global competition. Undergraduate STEM education prepares the STEM professionals of today and those of tomorrow, while also helping all students develop knowledge and skills they can draw on in a variety of occupations and as individual citizens. However, many capable students intending to major in STEM later switch to another field or drop out of higher education altogether, partly because of documented weaknesses in STEM teaching, learning and student supports. Improving undergraduate STEM education to address these weaknesses is a national imperative. Many initiatives are now underway to improve the quality of undergraduate STEM teaching and learning. Some focus on the national level, others involve multi-institution collaborations, and others take place on individual campuses. At present, however, policymakers and the public do not know whether these various initiatives are accomplishing their goals and leading to nationwide improvement in undergraduate STEM education. Indicators for Monitoring Undergraduate STEM Education outlines a framework and a set of indicators that document the status and quality of undergraduate STEM education at the national level over multiple years. It also indicates areas where additional research is needed in order to develop appropriate measures. This publication will be valuable to government agencies that make investments in higher education, institutions of higher education, private funders of higher education programs, and industry stakeholders. It will also be of interest to researchers who study higher education. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Allen L. Schirm A2 - Nancy J. Kirkendall TI - Using American Community Survey Data to Expand Access to the School Meals Programs SN - DO - 10.17226/13409 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13409/using-american-community-survey-data-to-expand-access-to-the-school-meals-programs PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Food and Nutrition KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are key components of the nation's food security safety net, providing free or low-cost meals to millions of schoolchildren each day. To qualify their children each year for free or reduced-price meals, many families must submit applications that school officials distribute and review. To reduce this burden on families and schools and to encourage more children to partake of nutritious meals, USDA regulations allow school districts to operate their meals programs under special provisions that eliminate the application process and other administrative procedures in exchange for providing free meals to all students enrolled in one or more school in a district. FNS asked the National Academies' Committee on National Statistics and Food and Nutrition Board to convene a panel of experts to investigate the technical and operational feasibility of using data from the continuous American Community Survey (ACS) to estimate students eligible for free and reduced-price meals for schools and school districts. The ACS eligibility estimates would be used to develop "claiming percentages" that, if sufficiently accurate, would determine the USDA reimbursements to districts for schools that provided free meals to all students under a new special provision that eliminated the ongoing base-year requirements of current provisions. Using American Community Survey Data to Expand Access to the School Meals Program was conducted in two phases. It first issued an interim report (National Research Council, 2010), describing its planned approach for assessing the utility of ACS-based estimates for a special provision to expand access to free school meals. This report is the final phase which presents the panel's findings and recommendations. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum: Proceedings of a National Symposium SN - DO - 10.17226/6286 PY - 1998 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6286/the-nature-and-role-of-algebra-in-the-k-14-curriculum PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Education KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - With the 1989 release of Everybody Counts by the Mathematical Sciences Education Board (MSEB) of the National Research Council and the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the "standards movement" in K-12 education was launched. Since that time, the MSEB and the NCTM have remained committed to deepening the public debate, discourse, and understanding of the principles and implications of standards-based reform. One of the main tenets in the NCTM Standards is commitment to providing high-quality mathematical experiences to all students. Another feature of the Standards is emphasis on development of specific mathematical topics across the grades. In particular, the Standards emphasize the importance of algebraic thinking as an essential strand in the elementary school curriculum. Issues related to school algebra are pivotal in many ways. Traditionally, algebra in high school or earlier has been considered a gatekeeper, critical to participation in postsecondary education, especially for minority students. Yet, as traditionally taught, first-year algebra courses have been characterized as an unmitigated disaster for most students. There have been many shifts in the algebra curriculum in schools within recent years. Some of these have been successful first steps in increasing enrollment in algebra and in broadening the scope of the algebra curriculum. Others have compounded existing problems. Algebra is not yet conceived of as a K-14 subject. Issues of opportunity and equity persist. Because there is no one answer to the dilemma of how to deal with algebra, making progress requires sustained dialogue, experimentation, reflection, and communication of ideas and practices at both the local and national levels. As an initial step in moving from national-level dialogue and speculations to concerted local and state level work on the role of algebra in the curriculum, the MSEB and the NCTM co-sponsored a national symposium, "The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum," on May 27 and 28, 1997, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Rebecca M. Blank A2 - Marilyn Dabady A2 - Constance F. Citro TI - Measuring Racial Discrimination SN - DO - 10.17226/10887 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10887/measuring-racial-discrimination PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - Many racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including blacks, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, and others, have historically faced severe discrimination—pervasive and open denial of civil, social, political, educational, and economic opportunities. Today, large differences among racial and ethnic groups continue to exist in employment, income and wealth, housing, education, criminal justice, health, and other areas. While many factors may contribute to such differences, their size and extent suggest that various forms of discriminatory treatment persist in U.S. society and serve to undercut the achievement of equal opportunity. Measuring Racial Discrimination considers the definition of race and racial discrimination, reviews the existing techniques used to measure racial discrimination, and identifies new tools and areas for future research. The book conducts a thorough evaluation of current methodologies for a wide range of circumstances in which racial discrimination may occur, and makes recommendations on how to better assess the presence and effects of discrimination. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Robert M. Groves A2 - Daniel L. Cork TI - Ensuring the Quality, Credibility, and Relevance of U.S. Justice Statistics SN - DO - 10.17226/12671 PY - 2009 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12671/ensuring-the-quality-credibility-and-relevance-of-us-justice-statistics PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Surveys and Statistics AB - The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) of the U.S. Department of Justice is one of the smallest of the U.S. principal statistical agencies but shoulders one of the most expansive and detailed legal mandates among those agencies. Ensuring the Quality, Credibility, and Relevance of U.S. Justice Statistics examines the full range of BJS programs and suggests priorities for data collection. BJS's data collection portfolio is a solid body of work, well justified by public information needs or legal requirements and a commendable effort to meet its broad mandate given less-than-commensurate fiscal resources. The book identifies some major gaps in the substantive coverage of BJS data, but notes that filling those gaps would require increased and sustained support in terms of staff and fiscal resources. In suggesting strategic goals for BJS, the book argues that the bureau's foremost goal should be to establish and maintain a strong position of independence. To avoid structural or political interference in BJS work, the report suggests changing the administrative placement of BJS within the Justice Department and making the BJS directorship a fixed-term appointment. In its thirtieth year, BJS can look back on a solid body of accomplishment; this book suggests further directions for improvement to give the nation the justice statistics--and the BJS--that it deserves. ER -