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December 21, 2007

Recent ICPSR updates and additions - New Releases through 2007-12-21

Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive along with a list of released data collections that have been updated:

New Additions

3725 National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE), March 1996-April 1997
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/03725.xml

4610 CBS News/New York Times Monthly Poll #1, January 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04610.xml

4612 CBS News Monthly Poll #2, February 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04612.xml

4613 CBS News Monthly Poll #1, March 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04613.xml

4614 CBS News Monthly Poll #1, April 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04614.xml

4664 ABC News Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Poll, August 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04664.xml

4702 Afrobarometer: Round 2.5 Survey of South Africa, 2004
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04702.xml

4709 American Time Use Survey, 2005
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04709.xml

20004 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), 2006 [United States]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20004.xml

20060 New Approach to Evaluating Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) Data Imputation, 1990-1995
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20060.xml

20301 Nine Chester County, Pennsylvania Tax Lists, 1693-1799
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20301.xml

20348 Evaluation of Drug Treatment Programs at the State Correctional Institution in Chester, Pennsylvania, 2003-2004
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20348.xml

20351 Multi-Method Study of Police Special Weapons and Tactics Teams in the United States, 1986-1998
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20351.xml

20353 Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI) Research Partnership in Detroit, Michigan, 1999-2003
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20353.xml

20440 Nations, Development, and Democracy, 1800-2005
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20440.xml

20623 Multiple Cause of Death Public Use Files, 2004
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20623.xml

21100 Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Alumnae Survey, 1976-2003 [United States]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21100.xml

21140 Preparedness of Large Retail Malls to Prevent and Respond to Terrorist Attack, 2004 [United States]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21140.xml

Updates

2492 ABC News/Washington Post Race and Crime Poll, June 1997
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/02492.xml

7002 Negro Political Attitudes, 1964
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/07002.xml

7552 Census Tract-Level Data, 1960
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/07552.xml

7846 Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facility Census, 1979
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/07846.xml

9248 ABC News West Germany Poll, May 1989
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/09248.xml

9286 International Crisis Behavior Project, 1918-2004
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/09286.xml

20022 Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (12th-Grade Survey), 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20022.xml

20240 Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), 2001-2003 [United States]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20240.xml

20380 National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2005
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20380.xml

21240 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21240.xml

You can also view a list of all studies added and updated in the last ninety days by visiting the ICPSR Web site at
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR/access/recent.html.

Posted by ronbo at 05:09 PM

December 20, 2007

From IES Newsflash: NEW REPORT! Projections of Education Statistics to 2016

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just released the report "Projections of Education Statistics to 2016."

This publication provides projections for key education statistics. It includes statistics on enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools, and enrollment, earned degrees conferred, and current-fund expenditures of degree-granting institutions. For the Nation, the tables, figures, and text contain data on enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures for the past 14 years and projections to the year 2016. For the 50 States and the District of Columbia, the tables, figures, and text contain data on projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2016. In addition, the report includes a methodology section describing models and assumptions used to develop national and state-level projections.

To browse the report or to download, view and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/projections/projections2016/

Posted by ronbo at 10:33 PM

December 18, 2007

From ICPSR: ICPSR Undergraduate Research Paper Competitions - Papers Due Jan 31!

Dear Colleagues:

I am writing to remind you about the ICPSR Undergraduate Research Paper Competitions - and to remind you that ICPSR is sponsoring two undergraduate research paper competitions for the 2007/2008 academic year. The first competition, sponsored by the general archive at ICPSR, requires a research paper supported by quantitative analysis of any dataset(s) held within the ICPSR archive or any of its special topic archives.

The second competition is sponsored by the Minority Data Resource Center (MDRC). The paper must address issues relevant to underrepresented minorities in the United States including immigrants, and data must be drawn from the MDRC. A separate committee will be formed to judge this competition.

With the exception of the dataset and topic requirements, the competitions are identical in awards, eligibility, and preparation requirements.

The purpose of these competitions is to highlight the best undergraduate student research papers using quantitative data. The objective is to encourage undergraduates to explore the social sciences by means of critical analysis of a topic supported by quantitative analysis of a dataset(s) held within the ICPSR archives and presented in written form.

· Up to three cash prizes will be awarded for each competition. The winner will receive a monetary award of $1,000. Second place receives $750 and third place $500.

· Deadline for submission is January 31, 2008.

Flyers appropriate for sharing with students and faculty as a means to promote the competition and recruit student authors are available on the website. More details can be found at: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/prize/.

What better way than to spend the upcoming holiday break preparing the research paper for submission - please remind your undergraduate students!

Linda Detterman
Marketing & Membership Director
ICPSR
University of Michigan
lindamd@umich.edu
734.615.5494

Posted by ronbo at 02:50 PM

December 17, 2007

Statistics from ResourceShelf Blog: US Federal Tax Rates & Global Cancer Facts

Historical Effective Federal Tax Rates: 1979 to 2005 (PDF)

The following tables update the series of historical effective tax rates estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) by providing values for an additional calendar year–2005.1 The tables show effective tax rates for the four largest sources of federal revenues–individual income taxes, social insurance (payroll) taxes, corporate income taxes, and excise taxes–as well as the total effective rate for the four taxes combined. The tables also present average pretax and after-tax household income; counts of households; and shares of taxes, income, and households for each fifth (quintile) of the income distribution and for the top percentiles of households.

+ Supplemental tables (xls; 284 KB)

Source: Source: Congressional Budget Office

Global Cancer Facts and Figures 2007

Cancer will claim 7.6 million lives worldwide this year, and more than 12 million people will receive cancer diagnoses, according to Global Cancer Facts and Figures 2007, the newest edition to the American Cancer Society’s family of Facts and Figures reports.

The report, based on data compiled by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), reveals disparities in how cancer affects the developed and developing world. Infection plays a greater role in shaping cancer incidence in developing countries, where the number of infection-related cancers is 3 times higher than in developed nations.

Direct to: Global Cancer Facts and Figures 2007 (52 pages; PDF)

See Also: More ACS 2007 Stats

Source: ACS

ResourceShelf

Posted by ronbo at 02:31 PM

December 14, 2007

From Census Update (11/14/07): Hot Tip - If You Want to Get Technical About It!

Ever had a really detailed question about the data you were reviewing, but couldn't find an answer? The Census Bureau has a vast amount of technical documentation and working papers online (both historical and present) which may be useful for that nettlesome question. From the Census Bureau home page, click "Publications," then click "Technical Documentation/Working Papers." Keep this link in your favorites list!

Posted by ronbo at 08:02 PM

December 13, 2007

From IES Newsflash: Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) Longitudinal 9-Month-Preschool Restricted-Use Data File and Electronic Codebook and Users Manual

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just released two data products from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS).

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) Longitudinal 9-Month-Preschool Restricted-Use Data File and Electronic Codebook

This CD-ROM contains an electronic codebook (ECB), a restricted-use data file, and survey and ECB documentation for the first, second and third waves of data collection for the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS–B). It also contains the Reading Aloud Profile--Together supplemental data file.

For information, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008034

User's Manual for the ECLS-B Longitudinal 9-Month--Preschool Restricted-Use Data File and Electronic Codebook

The User's Manual describes the design, collection, and data processing of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort of 2001 (ECLS-B), with a special focus on the preschool wave data collection. It contains information to help users access and use the data files and electronic codebook. It also documents the Reading Aloud Profile--Together supplemental data file. This manual is only available on the ECLS-B Longitudinal 9-month--Preschool CD ROM.

For information, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008024

Posted by ronbo at 06:13 PM

From IES Newsflash: 21st Annual Management Information Systems Conference

Dear Potential Conference Participant -

The 21st Annual Management Information Systems Conference will be held in San Francisco, California -- February 25-29, 2008. The session proposal deadline this Friday, December 14th. If you would like to submit a proposal to present at this Conference, you may do so by visiting http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/

Additionally, Conference pre-registration will end on Friday December 21, 2007. After this data, your name will not appear in the participant's list that is included in the full Conference agenda. Please register as soon as possible!

If you have questions or need more information, contact Mary McCrory -- mary.mccrory@ed.gov

Posted by ronbo at 05:30 PM

December 12, 2007

From ANES list: Only 35 days left to propose questions for the American National Election Studies (ANES)!

There are only 35 days left to propose questions for inclusion on two American National Election Studies (ANES) projects!

... You may submit a proposal for questions to be included in the 2008 ANES Time Series face-to-face presidential election study (the latest in a series of surveys dating back to 1948) - the deadline is January 15. You can propose changes to the ANES "core" questions that are usually included in the survey, and you can propose to ask new questions that have not been asked before. These proposals will be evaluated in a competition, and some of the proposed questions will be included in the survey.

... You may propose to assure that specific new questions are asked on the 2008 ANES Time Series study by paying for them through our new "Bonus Minutes" program. This program allows you to purchase the interview time necessary to ask specific questions during the ANES interviews. Such proposals are due on January 15.

... You may propose specific questions about terrorism, natural disasters, risk perception, and preparedness, to be included on our 2008-2009 ANES Panel Study (being conducted on the Internet) and/or the 2008 ANES Time Series study. Such proposals are due January 15.

Question proposals for these initiatives will only be accepted via the ANES Online Commons - please go to its website to get information about these opportunities and learn how to submit proposals:
http://www.electionstudies.org/onlinecommons.htm

We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Jon Krosnick and Skip Lupia
Principal Investigators
American National Election Studies (ANES)

ANES is funded by the American National Science Foundation (NSF).

Posted by ronbo at 01:05 AM

December 11, 2007

Recent ICPSR updates and additions - New Releases through 2007-12-09

Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive along with a list of released data collections that have been updated:

New Additions

4661 ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, June 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04661.xml

4663 ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, August 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04663.xml

4725 Controversial Facilities in Japan, 1955-1995
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04725.xml

20761 Eurobarometer 65.3: Neighbors of the European Union, Services of General Interest, Employment and Social Policy, Energy Technologies, and Family Planning, May-June 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20761.xml

21281 Eurobarometer 66.1: European Values and Societal Issues, Mobile Phone Use, and Farm Animal Welfare, September-October 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21281.xml

Updates

2038 State Court Processing Statistics, 1990-2004: Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/02038.xml

2258 Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study (DATOS), 1991-1994: [United States]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/02258.xml

3486 Immigrants Admitted to the United States, 2000
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/03486.xml

4216 Community Tracking Study Household Survey, 2003: [United States]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04216.xml

4341 Eurobarometer 62.1: The Constitutional Treaty, Economic Challenges, Vocational Training, Information Technology at Work, Environmental Issues, and Services of General Interest, October-November 2004
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04341.xml

4412 National Hospital Discharge Survey, 1979-2000: Multi-Year Public Use File
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04412.xml

6561 American Public Opinion and U.S. Foreign Policy, 1994
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/06561.xml

8038 Census of Population and Housing, 1980 [United States]: Summary Tape File 3C
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/08038.xml

8205 Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facility Census, 1982-1983
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/08205.xml

8420 Annual Housing Survey, 1983 [United States]: SMSA Files
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/08420.xml

20540 Multiple Cause of Death Public Use Files, 2003
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20540.xml

21240 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21240.xml

You can also view a list of all studies added and updated in the last ninety days by visiting the ICPSR Web site at
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR/access/recent.html.

Posted by ronbo at 03:46 AM

December 07, 2007

From IES Newsflash: NEW REPORT! NAEP Validity Study: Mathematics Assessment

As part of the continued pursuit of excellence, Mark Schneider, the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), asked the NAEP Validity Studies (NVS) Panel to undertake a study to examine the quality of the NAEP Mathematics Assessments at grades 4 and 8.

The NVS report has been published, and NCES has commented on the findings. These comments have added importance given the new frameworks in reading, mathematics and science for 2009 assessments. NCES is refining the item creation and expert review process, including additional review by language experts and accessibility specialists.

Read NCES Commissioner Mark Schneider's comments in full at
http://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/commissioner/remarks2007/11_23_2007.asp

To find a link to the full NVS report and appendices, go to
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/researchcenter/nvspapers.asp#validitystudy

Posted by ronbo at 01:52 PM

December 06, 2007

Selections form ArcWatch (November 2007): Make Better Maps & GIS for Historians

Learn to Make Better Maps with ArcGIS 9.2

An exercise from ArcUser magazine explains how to make a karst map using the new cartographic representations in ArcGIS 9.2. Cartographic representations allow control over how and where features in a spatial database will be depicted on a map. Try the exercise [PDF-712 KB].

Historians Turning to GIS

Though it’s still new to many historians, GIS can be a valuable teaching and research technology for them. GIS visualizations can play a particularly important role in increasing the understanding of topics such as the histories of major world regions or of the world itself. Read the article.

Posted by ronbo at 11:47 AM

From IES Newsflash: NEW REPORT! Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004-05

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just released the report "Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004-05"

This report presents findings on the numbers and rates of public school students who dropped out of school in school years 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05, using data from the CCD State-Level Public Use Data File on Public School Dropouts for these years. The report includes high school dropout rates by state, region, school district size, and several student characteristics.

To browse this report and to view, download and print the report as a pdf file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/hsdropouts/

Posted by ronbo at 11:36 AM

News from QSR: Pre order NVivo 8 today and save

Announcements - Pre order NVivo 8 today and save

While our new NVIvo 8 software is set for release in March 2008, you can pre order it today and receive a 10% discount.

Posted by yan at 02:35 AM

SPSS Text Analysis for Surveys demonstration

Dec 12, 2007
United States
Begins at: 11:00 a.m. CT
Duration: 45 minutes

Register Today!

Maximize survey research value with open text responses.

Open-ended survey questions allow people to express themselves in their own words; and give researchers rich new insights into attitudes and preferences regarding service, purchase decisions, product design, employment, operations, whatever the issue under study.

If you’ve limited your surveys to close-ended questions due to the time and expense of reading and manually coding text responses, this session can be your organization’s first step toward maximizing the value of your survey data.

Created specifically for open-ended survey responses, SPSS Text Analysis for Surveys uses proven technologies in computational linguistics to make it far more powerful than typical text-coding procedures. It allows you to categorize hundreds, even thousands of responses in a fraction of the time it would take to do so manually. Then easily export results for further analysis and graphing.

Gather interested co-workers and register now for this SPSS survey research software demonstration. You’ll discover:

• How to turn text into quantitative data
• How to save even more time by automating the creation of categories and the coding of responses
• How to uncover category relationships using visualizations such as bar charts and tables
• How to export results to Excel, SPSS or other software for analysis
• And more!

Find out how easy it is to capture the power of text responses for your survey research.

Register Today!

Posted by yan at 02:17 AM

December 05, 2007

Roper Center Newsletter, December 2007

Tip of the Month!

Missed the Warren J. Mitofsky Award Dinner? Wish you were there? Come and check out our first ever fundraiser. Click here to view a slide show of photos from the dinner. We hope you enjoy them and join us for next years event!

Topics at a Glance!--"Europe"
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/roperweb/pom/pom.htx;start=HS_special_topics?Topic=europe

How do you feel about European people? How would you rate their leaders? How about our national relationship towards them? What about their politics? Do you feel European countries are our allies or enemies? Find out how others feel about this topic and more in this month's Topic at a Glance--Europe!

Based on a new topic each month, TAG offers a generous free sampling of related polling data and details of survey datasets held by the Roper Center, along with articles previously published in Public Perspective magazine.

Experience the depth of information housed in the Roper Center archives - The complete list of "Topics at a Glance!" http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/Roperweb/pom/pom.htx;start=HS_pom_list

Newly spotlighted datasets
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/roperweb/Catalog40/Catalog40.htx;start=HS_surveyspot

Updated as of December 3, 2007

Special studies of interest recently added to iPOLL. The database now contains nearly a half million questions!
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/data_access/ipoll/ipoll.html

Title: Public Agenda Confidence in US Foreign Policy Index Poll [September, 2007]
Source:
Methodology: Conducted by Public Agenda Foundation, September 17-September 27, 2007 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,011.
Search for: Searched iPOLL: Organization: 'Public Agenda Foundation'; Date: '09/17/2007 to 9/17/07'

Title: AARP Prescription Drugs and Medicare Part D Survey [October,2007]
Source: Survey by AARP.
Methodology: Conducted by Woelfel Research, October 5-October 26, 2007 and based on telephone interviews with a national adults age 50 & over sample of 800. The sample included 400 respondents aged 50-64 and 400 respondents age 65 & over who have Medicare Part D. The responses for the two groups are shown separately.
Search for: Searched iPOLL for Organization: 'AARP', Date: '10/05/2007 to 10/05/2007'

Title: Health Confidence Survey [May,2007]
Source: Survey by Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Methodology: Conducted by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, May 17-June 10, 2007 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,000.
Search for: Searched iPOLL for: Keyword: 'health'; Date: '05/17/2007 to 05/17/2007'

Title: Harvard School of Public Health/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Americans' Views on the Health Care System Survey [April,2007]
Source: Survey by Harvard School of Public Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Methodology: Conducted by ICR-International Communications Research, April 13-April 15, 2007 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,128.
Search for: Searched iPOLL for:Organization: 'Harvard School of Public Health'; Date: '04/13/2007 to 04/13/2007'

Title: Harvard School of Public Health/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Americans' Views on Public Health Survey [April,2007]
Source: Survey by Harvard School of Public Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Methodology: Conducted by ICR-International Communications Research, April 11-April 15, 2007 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,102.
Search for: Searched iPOLL for: Organization: 'Harvard School of Public Health'; Date: '04/11/2007 to 04/11/2007'

Additional resources - Web sites with special survey samples

CBS News/New York Times Iowa and New Hampshire Polls
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll_111307.pdf

ABC News/Washington Post Iowa Republican Caucus Poll
http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1051a2IowaReps.pdf

ABC News/Washington Post Iowa Democratic Caucus Poll
http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1051a1IowaDems.pdf

Mason-Dixon Polling Florida Poll
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/acrobat/2007-11/33818342.pdf

CNN/WMUR New Hampshire Poll
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/11/20/relnh6b.pdf

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics New Hampshire Poll
http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/FOX_NH_2008_release113007_web.pdf

Posted by ronbo at 06:55 PM

From IES Newsflash: NEW REPORT! Educational Technology in Teacher Education Programs for Initial Licensure

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just released the report "Educational Technology in Teacher Education Programs for Initial Licensure"

This report details findings from "Educational Technology in Teacher Education Programs for Initial Licensure," a survey that was designed to provide policy makers, researchers, educators, and administrators with timely baseline information on a range of topics involving educational technology and teacher education programs for initial licensure at 4-year postsecondary institutions.

Findings suggest that teacher education programs for initial licensure were oriented toward preparing teacher candidates to use educational technology. For example, while about half of all institutions with teacher education programs for initial licensure offered 3- or 4-credit stand-alone courses in educational technology in their programs, many also taught educational technology within methods courses (93 percent), within the field experiences of teacher candidates (79 percent), and within content courses (71 percent). Large majorities of institutions agreed (strongly or somewhat) that their program graduates possess the skills and experience to integrate technology into instruction, and can construct project-based learning lessons involving educational technology. However, institutions reported a variety of barriers that impeded efforts to prepare teacher candidates to use educational technology within both program coursework and field experiences. For example, a majority of institutions reported a variety of moderate or major barriers to the ability of teacher candidates to practice educational technology-related skills and knowledge during their field experiences, including competing priorities in the classroom (74 percent), available technology infrastructure in the schools (73 percent), and lack of training or skill (64 percent), time (62 percent), and willingness (53 percent) on the part of supervising teachers to integrate technology in their classrooms.

To download, view and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008040

Posted by ronbo at 06:48 PM

December 04, 2007

From Stanford GIS list: $2, 500 student scholarship award for GIS mapping

It's time for the 2nd annual Bay Area Automated Mapping Association (BAAMA) Education award and mapping challenge. The competition is designed to support students in higher education using GIS both as a major field of study and in support of their own research fields. The top prize is $2,500 with a one-year membership in BAAMA, and a complementary entry to CalGIS in April, 2008 where you'll present your work. Entries are due February 15, 2008. More information can be found at the BAAMA website (www.baama.org). It would be great to have a Stanford student win this year!

***

Julie Sweetkind-Singer
Head Librarian, GIS & Map Librarian
Branner Earth Sciences Library & Map Collections
Stanford University
650-725-1102

Posted by ronbo at 06:36 PM

From IES Newsflash: NEW REPORT! Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students on Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences summarizes the performance of U.S. 15-year-old students on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006, comparing their scores with their peers internationally. The report contains findings on science literacy (the focal subject in 2006) and mathematics literacy.

PISA is sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of 30 industrialized countries, and has been administered three times, in 2000, 2003, and 2006. The United States participated in all three administrations. In 2006, 57 education systems (called jurisdictions in the report) participated, including all 30 OECD countries and 27 non-OECD jurisdictions.

Results show that the average score for U.S. students in science literacy was lower than the average of other OECD countries (489 vs. 500). Compared to the 29 other OECD countries, the United States scored lower, on average, than 16 OECD countries, not significantly different from 8, and higher than 5.

Compared with all 56 other jurisdictions, the United States scored lower than 22 jurisdictions, not significantly different from 12, and higher than 22.

When comparing the highest-achieving students in science literacy (those at the 90th percentile), there was no significant difference between the United States and OECD average scores. Among the OECD countries, 9 had higher average scores for students at the 90th percentile than the United States. Among all jurisdictions, 12 jurisdictions had higher average scores at the 90th percentile than the United States.

In 2003, the U.S. average for science literacy was below the OECD average and the U.S. placement among OECD countries was about the same as in 2006. It is not possible to compare science literacy scores between 2006 and 2003 directly because of a change in the assessment framework.

Other findings include:

* On two of the three science subscales (explaining phenomena scientifically and using scientific evidence) U.S. 15-year-old students had an average score below the OECD average in 2006. There was no difference between the U.S. average score and the OECD average on the identifying scientific issues subscale.

* The U.S. average score in mathematics literacy (474) was lower than the OECD average (498). There was no significant change in the U.S. score when compared to 2003.

* In mathematics literacy, U.S. students scored lower than their peers in 23 OECD countries, not significantly different from their peers in 2, and higher than their peers in 4. When comparing the highest-achieving students (those at the 90th percentile), U.S. students scored lower than the OECD average in mathematics literacy (593 vs. 615).

* The international report contains results on reading literacy for other participating jurisdictions. U.S. data on reading literacy were judged invalid by OECD because of an error in the test administration.

For more information on PISA visit http://nces.ed.gov/Surveys/PISA/

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008016

Posted by ronbo at 12:25 PM

From AHRQ digest: Recently Released Medical Expenditure Panel Study (MEPS) Data Products

AHRQ is pleased to announce the recent release of the following MEPS data products:

Recent MEPS Data:

MEPS HC-097: 2005 Full Year Consolidated Data File
Release Date: November 2007
Released as an ASCII file (with related SAS and SPSS programming statements) and a SAS transport dataset, this public use file provides information collected on a nationally representative sample of the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States for calendar year 2005. This file consists of MEPS survey data obtained in Rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Panel 9 and Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Panel 10 (i.e., the rounds for the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2005) and consolidates all of the final 2005 person-level variables onto one file. This file contains the following variables previously released on HC-092: survey administration, language of interview variable, demographics, parent identifiers, health status, disability days variables, access to care, employment, quality of care, patient satisfaction, health insurance and use variables. The HC-097 file also includes these variables: income variables and expenditure variables. This public use data file can be accessed at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-097

MEPS HC-096: 2005 Medical Conditions File
Release Date: November 2007
This public use data file provides information on household-reported medical conditions collected on a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States for the 2005 MEPS Household Component. Released as an ASCII file (with SAS and SPSS programming statements, and also in SAS transport format), this public use file provides information on the household-reported medical conditions reported in the 2005 portion of Round 3 and Rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 9, as well as Rounds 1 and 2 and the 2005 portion of Round 3 for Panel 10 (i.e., rounds for MEPS panels covering calendar year 2005). ICD-9 and Clinical Classification Codes are provided. This public use data file can be accessed at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-096

MEPS HC-036: MEPS 1996-2005 Pooled Estimation Linkage File
Release Date: November 2007
This file is provided for use with pooled data from the MEPS FY 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 public use files (HC-012, HC-020, HC-028, HC-038, HC-050, HC-060, HC-070, HC-079, HC-089, and HC-097 respectively). Released as an ASCII file (with SAS user statements) and in SAS Transport format, this person-level file contains 1996-2005 combined variance stratum and PSU variables, along with the standard MEPS person ID variables for linking with the 1996-2005 MEPS person-level public use files. There is one record for each of the 169,717 persons who are on the MEPS FY 1996-2005 public use files. This public use data file can be accessed at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-036

MEPS HC-036BRR: MEPS 1996-2005 Replicates for Calculating Variances File
Release Date: November 2007
This file is provided for use with pooled data from the MEPS FY 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 public use files (HC-012, HC-020, HC-028, HC-038, HC-050, HC-060, HC-070, HC-079, HC-089, and HC-097 respectively). Released as an ASCII file (with SAS user statements) and in SAS Transport format, this person-level file contains 1996-2005 combined variance stratum and PSU variables, along with the standard MEPS person ID variables for linking with the 1996-2005 MEPS person-level public use files. There is one record for each of the 169,717 persons who are on the MEPS FY 1996-2005 public use files. This public use data file can be accessed at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-036BRR

MEPS HC-094I: Appendix to MEPS 2005 Event Files
Release Date: November 2007
This public use release is one in a series of public use event files drawn from the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household (HC) and Medical Provider Components (MPC). This release contains 2 data files each of which is provided as an ASCII file with SAS and SPSS programming statements and as a SAS transport file. File 1 is used for linking the MEPS 2005 condition file (HC-096) with the MEPS 2005 event files (HC-094A through HC-094H); File 2 is used for linking the MEPS 2005 prescribed medicines event file (HC-095A) with other 2005 event files. This release also includes two tables provided as PDF files: Table 1, the "MEPS 2005 Condition-Event Frequency" table contains unweighted and weighted counts of records on the MEPS 2005 event files for each of the condition, procedure and clinical classification codes on the MEPS 2005 condition file; Table 2, the "MEPS 2005 Utilization and Expenditures Summary" table contains statistics for all of the utilization and expenditure variables contained on the MEPS 2005 person-level and event-level files. This public use data file can be accessed at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-094I

MEPS HC-094D: 2005 Hospital Inpatient Stays File
Release Date: October 2007
This file is one in a series of public use event files from the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS HC) and Medical Provider Component (MPC). Released as an ASCII data file and SAS transport file (with SAS and SPSS user statements) this public use file provides detailed information on household-reported prescribed medicines for a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and can be used to make estimates of prescribed medicine utilization and expenditures for calendar year 2005. Each record represents one household-reported prescribed medicine that was purchased during calendar year 2005. These data were collected during the 2005 portion of Round 3 and Rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 9, as well as Rounds 1, 2 and the 2005 portion of Round 3 for Panel 10 of the MEPS HC. Each record on this event file represents a unique prescribed medicine event; that is, a prescribed medicine reported as being purchased or otherwise obtained by the household respondent, and includes the following: an identifier for each unique prescribed medicine; detailed characteristics associated with the event (e.g., national drug code (NDC), medicine name, etc.); selected Multum Lexicon variables; conditions, if any, associated with the medicine; the date on which the person first used the medicine; total expenditure and sources of payments; types of pharmacies that filled the household's prescriptions; and a full-year person level weight. This public use data file can be accessed at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-094D

MEPS HC-094A: 2005 Prescribed Medicines File
Release Date: October 2007
This file is one in a series of public use event files from the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS HC) and Medical Provider Component (MPC). Released as an ASCII data file and SAS transport file (with SAS and SPSS user statements) this public use file provides detailed information on household-reported prescribed medicines for a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and can be used to make estimates of prescribed medicine utilization and expenditures for calendar year 2005. Each record represents one household-reported prescribed medicine that was purchased during calendar year 2005. These data were collected during the 2005 portion of Round 3 and Rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 9, as well as Rounds 1, 2 and the 2005 portion of Round 3 for Panel 10 of the MEPS HC. Each record on this event file represents a unique prescribed medicine event; that is, a prescribed medicine reported as being purchased or otherwise obtained by the household respondent, and includes the following: an identifier for each unique prescribed medicine; detailed characteristics associated with the event (e.g., national drug code (NDC), medicine name, etc.); selected Multum Lexicon variables; conditions, if any, associated with the medicine; the date on which the person first used the medicine; total expenditure and sources of payments; types of pharmacies that filled the household's prescriptions; and a full-year person level weight. This public use data file can be accessed at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-094A

MEPS HC-095: 2005 Person Round Plan Public Use File
Release Date: October 2007
This MEPS public use release is one in a series of data releases drawn from the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household Component (HC). This release contains the Person Round Plan (PRPL) file for 2005. This file contains records for persons insured through private establishments providing hospital/physician, medigap, dental, vision or prescription medication coverage and includes variables pertaining to managed care and experiences with plans. These are designed to facilitate research on the sometimes complex and dynamic relationships between consumers and their private insurance. Released as an ASCII file with SAS and SPSS programming statements, and in SAS Transport format, the PRPL file is not a person-level file and linking it to a MEPS full year person-level file requires users making analytic decisions based on understanding the complexity of the PRPL file. This public use data file can be accessed at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-095

Recent MEPS Tabular Data:

2005 New MEPS Household Prescribed Drug Estimates: Top 10 Therapeutic Classes, by Total Expenditures and Total Purchases
The tables are available on the MEPS website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/quick_tables_results.jsp?component=1&subcomponent=0&year=2005&tableSeries=5&searchText=&searchMethod=1&Action=Search

2005 New MEPS Household Prescribed Drug Estimates: Top 25 Prescribed Drugs by Total Expenditures and Top 10 Prescribed Drugs by Total Purchases
The tables are available on the MEPS website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/quick_tables_results.jsp?component=1&subcomponent=0&year=2005&tableSeries=5&searchText=&searchMethod=1&Action=Search

New Health Insurance Deductible, Copayment, and Coinsurance Tables Added for 2002-2005 MEPS Insurance Component Survey

The tables are available on the MEPS website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/quick_tables.jsp#insurance

Posted by ronbo at 09:44 AM

December 03, 2007

From IES Newsflash: State Education Reforms Website updated!

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just expanded the State Education Reforms (SER) website. This website was first based on the report "Overview and Inventory of State Education Reforms: 1990 to 2000" and is updated periodically to incorporate new data on state education reform activities.

The SER website, which draws primarily on data collected by organizations other than NCES, compiles and disseminates data on state-level education reform efforts in four areas: 1) standards, assessment, and accountability, 2) school finance reforms, 3) resources for learning, and 4) state support for school choice options. Specific reform areas include student and teacher assessments, adequate yearly progress, statewide exit exams, highly qualified teachers, open enrollments laws, and charter schools.

In the Standards, Assessment, and Accountability area of the website, two tables were updated. Two tables were updated and two new tables were added to the Resources for Learning section. To locate these tables on the State Education Reforms website, please look for the "New!" and "Updated!" tags next to the table titles.

To view the site, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/

Posted by ronbo at 08:00 PM

From IES Newsflash: NEW REPORT! Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just released the report "Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007"

A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform the Nation on the nature of crime in schools. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources--the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety and the School and Staffing Survey. Data on crime away from school are also presented to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society.

To browse this report and to view, download and print the report as a pdf file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/crimeindicators2007/

Posted by ronbo at 07:59 PM