Social Science Data and Software (SSDS) Blog: April 2009 Archives

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April 29, 2009

New IES Report from the National Center for Education Statistics: "New Indicators of Career/Technical Education Coursetaking: Class of 2005"

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "New Indicators of Career/Technical Education Coursetaking: Class of 2005."

This Statistics in Brief uses data from the 2005 High School Transcript Study (HSTS) to examine the career/technical education (CTE) coursetaking of public high school graduates using new indicators of participation. These indicators examine the extent to which students participate in CTE and in specific occupational areas (such as agriculture and business) broadly (many students earning credits) versus deeply (many credits earned by participating students).

First, the brief looks at student participation across the three main CTE curriculum areas (family and consumer sciences education, general labor market preparation, and occupational education). Second, the brief looks at coursetaking within occupational areas, including occupational concentration. Finally, the brief examines coursetaking across occupational areas, including the areas that students tend to combine.

Findings indicate that high school graduates' use of the CTE curriculum is generally broad rather than narrow in the sense that most (70 percent) earn credits in both occupational education and either general labor market preparation or family and consumer sciences education, and most (58 percent) earn credits in more than one occupational area. Five occupational areas had the broadest participation (i.e., had the greatest number of graduates earning credits in the area): business; communications and design; manufacturing, repair, and transportation; consumer and culinary services; and computer and information sciences). The occupational areas with the deepest levels of participation were manufacturing, repair, and transportation; agriculture and natural resources; health sciences; and construction and architecture. Finally, some occupational areas were more likely than others to be taken together. For example, marketing coursetakers were more likely than other occupational !
coursetakers to earn credits in business.

To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009038

Posted by ronbo at 02:38 PM

April 27, 2009

From IES Newsflash: Will The NAEP Trend Continue? Learn More on April 28 at the 2008 Long-Term Trend Online Discussion!

In 2004, the percentage of 13-year-olds taking algebra was higher than in any previous assessment year. Students enrolled in algebra had higher scores on the 2004 long-term trend mathematics assessment than those in other courses. Will the trend continue? Find out when the 2008 NAEP long-term trend report is released on April 28.

Associate Commissioner Peggy G. Carr will be online answering your questions on April 28 at 2 p.m. Submit your questions now about the assessment, the results, or the differences between long-term trend and main NAEP at http://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/statchat

Questions submitted early will be answered first!

NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Posted by ronbo at 05:57 PM

April 24, 2009

From IES Newsflash: STATS-DC 2009 Data Conference deadlines are approaching

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), will sponsor the 2009 National Forum on Education Statistics and the NCES Summer Data Conference at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The Forum will be held on July 27-29, 2009. The NCES Summer Data Conference will be held July 29-31, 2009.

******REMINDER******
The deadline to submit a concurrent session or demonstration proposal for the 2009 Summer Data Conference is Friday, May 8, 2009.
The deadline for your name to appear in the program participants' list is Monday, June 1, 2009.

The theme for this year’s conference is "Decisions Begin with Good Data." For more information about the conference or to register and optionally submit a concurrent session or demonstration proposal, please visit http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=421

Posted by ronbo at 01:51 PM

April 22, 2009

From IES Newsflash: ELS:2002 and NELS:88 Training Seminars

NCES has announced two summer training seminars to be held in Washington, DC. on using NCES's high school longitudinal studies data. There are no fees to attend these seminars for accepted applicants. NCES will provide training materials, as well as computers for hands-on practice. NCES will also pay for transportation, hotel accommodations, and a fixed per diem for meals and incidental expenses during the training seminars.

Both seminars--one in July and the other in August--are the same. Each one will focus on both the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88).

The first seminar will be on July 13-15, 2009 and the second seminar will be on August 17-19, 2009. Each seminar will include the following:

* an overview of ELS:2002 and NELS:88 sample designs, data components, and coverage;
* methodological and technological issues relevant to data use;
* instruction and practice on how to analyze longitudinal data; and
* hands-on experience in analyzing research issues posed by the participants.

For the July 13-15th seminar, please visit http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=404 to view the full announcement and application information.

For the August 17-19th seminar, please visit http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=413

Posted by ronbo at 03:27 PM

New NCES Report: Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008

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.

Posted by ronbo at 03:21 PM

From Stanford Speaking of Computers (4/13/2009): New Business Databases for Stanford Community

by Mihoko Hosoi

"The Jackson Library at the Graduate School of Business (GSB) recently acquired campus-wide access to the following databases: Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage, Thomson One Banker, Thomson Research, Thomson Investext, and Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS). These resources were previously available only to library users via GSB network. The expanded access will facilitate business-related research activities for all at Stanford."

[Read full article with database descriptions here.]

Posted by ronbo at 03:18 PM

April 20, 2009

From American Community Survey Alert, Number 66: Request for Input and Feedback on Advanced Query (AQ) System for ACS Data

The Census Bureau seeks your input and feedback on whether it would be
useful to have an Advanced Query (AQ) system for the tabulation of data
from the ACS and the Census 2010 short form.

As part of Census 2000 data dissemination, the Census Bureau developed an
AQ system that allowed for no-cost, user-specified tabulations from the
full microdata file for a limited number of users (because of its
experimental nature, the AQ system had restricted access.) It included
safeguards against disclosure of identifying information about individuals
and housing units.

The AQ system was discontinued in November 2008 due to concerns with
emerging IT security risk trends, information on newly discovered
vulnerabilities in the legacy AQ system, and the obsolescence of the
hardware. Since then, the Census Bureau has been discussing the
possibility of developing a new AQ system for the tabulation of ACS and
2010 Census data.

If you think you would be able to make productive use of such a system,
please respond to michelle.e.jiles@census.gov by May 1, 2009, with examples
of the kinds of analyses you would perform with those data.

Posted by ronbo at 01:50 PM

April 16, 2009

From Census Product Update (4/16/2009): Hot Tip - Fact Sheets in American FactFinder

Need quick, up-to-date data for your state, county, or town? FactFinder's Fact Sheet lookup has what you want!! From American FactFinder's main page, just click on Fact Sheet. A profile of the most recent data available will appear for the United States. If you want to specify your state, county, or town, just look for the grey box in the upper right-hand corner of the page, enter the name, select your state, and click Go. The profile also contains links ("show more") that provide greater detailed information which can be easily printed or downloaded! There's even an option to view a narrative text profile with graphs for easy analysis. Fact Sheets are also available for races, ethnic groups, and ancestries. Just click on Factsheet for a Race, Ethnic Group, or Ancestry and follow the directions.

Posted by ronbo at 04:24 PM

April 15, 2009

From IES Newsflash: NPSAS:08 First Look Report and Data now Available

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the first round of results from the 2008 National Student Postsecondary Aid Study (NPSAS:08). This nationally representative study provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive look at postsecondary student characteristics and student financial aid for the 2007-08 academic year.

First Look.
The First Look report focuses on the types and sources of student financial aid, including loans and grants from federal, state, and institutional resources.

NPSAS:08 Data.
NPSAS:08 data are a rich source of information on student demographics, family background, education and work experiences, and student financial aid, including federal, state, institutional, and other sources. The NPSAS:08 study contains a sample of 128,000 students which represent 21 million undergraduates and 3 million graduate students enrolled in postsecondary education anytime between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.

Selected NPSAS:08 Findings.
Among the NPSAS:08 findings:

* Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of all undergraduates received some type of financial aid. For those receiving any aid, the total average amount was $9,100.

* About one-half (52 percent) of all undergraduates received grant aid, and more than one-third (38 percent) obtained student loans. The average grant amount was $4,900, and the average loan amount was $7,100.

* Nearly one-half (47 percent) of all undergraduates received some type of federal student aid. About one-fourth (28 percent) received an average of $2,800 in federal Pell grants, and about one-third (35 percent) obtained an average of $5,100 in federal student loans.

* Among undergraduates financially dependent on their parents, 28 percent came from families with incomes under $40,000 and another 28 percent from families with incomes of $100,000 or more.

* Three-fourths (74 percent) of all graduate students received some type of financial aid, with an average amount of $17,600. Forty-three percent took out an average of $18,500 in student loans, and about one-fifth (22 percent) received tuition aid from their employers.

To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009166

To Use the Data Analysis System (DAS) online, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/dasol/

Posted by ronbo at 03:58 PM

From IES Newsflash: The Nation's Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress 2008

Results from the NAEP long-term trend assessment are scheduled to be released on April 28, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. "The Nation's Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress 2008" continues a 35-year trend in national reading and mathematics results for 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds. For more information on the assessment and to view the last results from 2004, visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ltt/

View a live webcast of the release from 10 to 11 a.m. at http://nationsreportcard.gov. Then, at 2 p.m. on the day of the release, join Associate Commissioner Peggy G. Carr for an online chat about the results. Submit your questions for the chat at any time before or during the chat at http://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/statchat

NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Posted by ronbo at 03:57 PM

From IES Newsflash: New NAEP Research Funding and Training Opportunities!

FUNDING
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has released the FY2010 Request For Applications (RFAs), including CFDA 84.305D Statistical and Research Methodology in Education, which is especially relevant to NAEP. Letters of Intent are due April 27, 2009.

To learn more, go to http://ies.ed.gov/funding/
and click Statistical and Research Methodology in Education.

Additional information is available here:
*Overview
http://ies.ed.gov/funding/ncer_rfas/methodology.asp
*Details of the RFA (84.305D)
http://ies.ed.gov/funding/10rfas.asp
*Search the IES database of funded grants and contracts to read about previous awards involving NAEP:
http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/index.asp

TRAINING
Two NAEP training courses are available this summer. Space is limited and early registration is advised.

*Using NAEP for Research and Policy Analysis
On July 7-10 the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences will sponsor an advanced studies seminar on the use of the NAEP database for education research and policy analysis. The main NAEP database contains nationally representative achievement scores on 4th-, 8th-, and 12th- graders from public and non-public schools in a variety of academic subjects. The database also contains background information on the students assessed and their learning environment.

*HSTS Database Training Seminar
On July 22-24, NCES will sponsor an advanced studies seminar on the use of the NAEP High School Transcript Study (HSTS) database for education research and policy analysis.

For more information on NAEP data:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/
For more information on HSTS:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/hsts/

NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Posted by ronbo at 03:50 PM

From IES Newsflash: QuickStats - NEW Online Tool Makes Data Available to Public

The National Center for Education Statistics announces the availability of QuickStats, a new data tool that makes several postsecondary education datasets easily accessible to the public.

QuickStats allows public access for data consumers -- such as policy makers, legislative staff, journalists, students, and others -- to answer questions using data collected by NCES. Users can easily create tables by selecting from a list of datasets, then selecting variables contained within as column and row categories, employing a simple drag-and-drop process. Once the tables are produced, they can choose to view their results in bar graph form, downloads into MS Excel, create a printer layout, or save them by generating a unique table ID for quick retrieval.

QuickStats allows users to obtain data from the following studies:

* NEW! National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08). Just released, NPSAS:08 is the most current nationally representative study of U.S. undergraduate and graduate students, with a special focus on how students and their families pay for college. QuickStats also includes data from NPSAS:04.
* Baccalaureate and Beyond (B & B), a study of bachelor's degree recipients and their plans for and experiences after college graduation, including graduate study. The 1992-1993 longitudinal cohort was followed periodically for 10 years after graduation.
* Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), which follows first-time students beginning their postsecondary education, typically over a period of 6 years. The 1995-96 cohort was followed through 2001. The 2003-04 cohort was interviewed in 2006 and is currently being interviewed again.
* National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF), a study of full-time and part-time postsecondary faculty and instructional staff at 2-year and 4-year institutions. NSOPF was last conducted in 2004.

QuickStats users can answer such questions as:

* What percentage of all undergraduates are obtaining student loans and how much have they borrowed?
* What is the average cost of attending one year at a private 4-year college?
* What percentage of low-income freshmen who started college in fall 2003 were still enrolled three years later?
* What was the average debt of graduating seniors in 2008?
* What percentage of Hispanic 2008 bachelor's degree recipients enrolled in graduate study?

For more information, visit QuickStats at http://nces.ed.gov/datalab

Posted by ronbo at 03:49 PM

April 13, 2009

From MAPSS: Luc Anselin - Spatial Data

The Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) will hear from Arizona State University professor Luc Anselin this Thursday on new tools for the analysis of spatial data.

Pizza will be served outside Building 260, Room 113 at 12:10PM, talk starts at 12:20PM. (RSVP for food at https://iriss.stanford.edu/mapss_colloquium_signup).

Thursday, April 16th
12:10 PM
Building 260, Room 113
(Language Corner)

OpenGeoDa, PySAL and GeoDaSpace, new tools for the analysis of spatial data

The talk will introduce the latest software tools developed at the GeoDa Center at ASU, i.e., OpenGeoDa the open source and cross-platform version of GeoDa, PySAL, a software library for spatial analysis written in Python and GeoDaSpace, a specialized package for advanced spatial econometrics. It will focus on the motivation for the tools, methodological background and illustrate their features.

Luc E. Anselin is Foundation Professor of Geographical Sciences, Director of the School of Geographical Sciences and Interim Director of the School of Planning at Arizona State University. He is also Founding Director of the GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation at ASU. His Ph.D. in Regional Science is from Cornell University and he holds a Masters in Econometrics, Statistics and Operations Research from the Free University of Brussels, where he also obtained an undergraduate degree in Economics. Dr. Anselin's research deals with various aspects of spatial data analysis and geographic information science, ranging from exploratory spatial data analysis to geocomputation, spatial statistics and spatial econometrics, with substantive applications in regional economics, environmental economics, real estate economics as well as in epidemiology, criminology and political science. He is the developer of the SpaceStat and GeoDa software packages. He was elected a Fellow of the Regional Science Association International in 2004, obtained the Walter Isard Award in 2005, the William Alonso Memorial Prize in 2006 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2008.

Don't Forget to Sign Up for the Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) Colloquium when you choose your classes this upcoming quarter. We bring in distinguished researchers from across the social sciences to provide useful lessons on broadly applicable methods for data collection and analysis.

PoliSci 402 or Comm 310

The Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences is a program of the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences

Posted by ronbo at 07:31 PM

From Stanford GIS List: GISSIG Lunch meeting April 20: Open Street Map

OpenStreetMap or OSM (http://openstreetmap.org/) is a free editable
map of the whole world. It allows anyone to view, edit and use
geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth. Sarah
Manley from Cloudmade will be our guest and will discuss how and why
OSM exists, how to contribute to the project, and ways to get
involved. She will also present on ways to engage students through
OSM, and the open source curricula is developing.

Sarah Manley is the community ambassador at Cloudmade.com for
OpenStreetMap in the Bay Area of California. As community ambassador
she works to engage a wider range of participants in OpenStreetMap by
organizing mapping parties, speaking engagements and collaborations
with community groups. She is also working to develop a curriculum
that utilizes OpenStreetMap's data and tools.

Before joining CloudMade, Sarah worked as an educator at a New York
City-based environmental organization. There, she developed and
delivered curriculum to students that focused on renewable energy
technologies, local ecology and sustainable design. Sarah is also a co-
founder and board member of an environmentally focused charter school
in New York City.

WHERE: Stanford Humanities Center, Board Room
WHEN: April 20, 2009 12noon-1

If you plan to attend please RSVP to cengel [at] stanford.

GISSIG events are sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center (http://shc.stanford.edu) and the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (http://iriss.stanford.edu).

For a calendar or GIS related events @ Stanford see:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/gissig/cgi-bin/wordpress/events

Posted by ronbo at 05:41 PM

April 09, 2009

From IES Newsflash: NAEP Releases New NAEP Data Explorer

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has released a new version of the NAEP Data Explorer (NDE).
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/

The new tool takes advantage of the latest internet technology to present users with a friendlier interface, enhanced analysis selections, and improved reporting options to aid researchers, policy-makers, the media, and others interested in investigating the results from NAEP assessments. NDE users will find powerful graphing capabilities, achievement levels as variables or statistics, new Large Central City and National Private jurisdictions, and the option to perform gap analysis on any combination of variables, years, or jurisdictions.

The new NDE will also improve the way in which the user is able to interact with the reports he has created, customizing them and exporting them beyond the NDE application into a variety of formats, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PDF, and HTML.

NAEP has provided informative alerts and detailed Help to assist users in taking advantage of the new NDE capabilities. Find it all at
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/

NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Posted by ronbo at 02:34 PM

April 08, 2009

SAS Publishing News - April 2009: Improvements for SAS 9.2 Documentation

With the release of SAS 9.2, we've rolled out some new features for the documentation:

* an improved front page to our SAS 9.2 documentation on support.sas.com
* quick access to all SAS 9.2 language elements, regardless of product area: SAS 9.2 Language Reference by Name, Product, and Category
* updated SAS Intelligence Platform administration documentation, including a new migration guide
* new documents for particular tasks, such as encryption, grid computing, logging, scheduling, and much more!

Posted by ronbo at 07:15 PM

From Stanford Software Licensing: Software Info: Upcoming Stanford Mathematica talk - April 17th

Mathematica: A Technical Overview

Come hear author and educator Paul Wellin talk about Mathematica 7 and beyond. See how Mathematica is used for everyday computation as well as high-performance computing from the bio-sciences, finance, engineering, and mathematics. Mathematica features include built-in parallel computing, image processing, information and data visualization, computable data sources, and much more.

Presenter Bio
Paul Wellin directs the Wolfram Education Group at Wolfram Research and is the author of several books on Mathematica, including one on programming and another on simulations. He founded, and was the Editor-in-Chief of, the journal Mathematica in Education and Research for its first five years. Prior to joining Wolfram Research in 1993, he taught mathematics at Sonoma State University.

When: April 17, 2009
Time: 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Where: Stanford University - Turing Auditorium, Polya Hall, Room 111, at 255 Panama Street

Posted by ronbo at 06:46 PM

Call for applications - National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program - Summer 2009

*CALL FOR APPLICATIONS*

*NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES PROGRAM
GREAT WESTERN DEVELOPMENT, RURAL PEASANTS, AND WATER POLICY ACROSS
CHINA’S LOESS PLATEAU
*
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Central Washington University and the National Science Foundation (NSF),
in cooperation with the Center for Historical Environment and
Socioeconomic Development of Shaanxi Normal University, the Northwest
Socioeconomic Development Research Center at Northwest University of
China, and the Qinghai University for Nationalities announce the call
for applications for the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates
(REU) program GREAT WESTERN DEVELOPMENT, RURAL PEASANTS, AND WATER
POLICY ACROSS CHINA’S LOESS PLATEAU for summer 2009. This unique program
in social science research will be conducted in Ellensburg, WA, Gansu,
Qinghai, and Shaanxi provinces of China in the summer of 2009. Twelve
highly-qualified undergraduates and a team of faculty mentors will
undertake collaborative research on how economic development and
societal change is impacting China’s already precarious environmental
position across the Yellow River loess plateau. The seven-week program
will be conducted between June 16 and August 4, 2009.

The program’s primary objective is to mentor students through the
complete process of designing a research agenda and performing primary
research in the social sciences at an international field site. It
includes a unique combination of close mentoring, student/faculty
teamwork, multidisciplinary research, and international field
experience. Student participation will be encouraged from all fields of
the social sciences including sociology, anthropology, geography,
environmental studies, economics, political science, Asia-Pacific
studies, history, and land/resource management. Juniors and
non-graduating seniors are particularly encouraged to apply. Graduate
students are not eligible. Applicants are limited to U.S. citizens and
permanent residents.

Faculty mentors include Richard Mack (economics), Hong Xiao (sociology),
and James Cook (Asian Studies) of Central Washington University, and
Roberta Soltz (biology). We will also be working with a large team of
Chinese researchers and students.

*Costs of participation (travel, room, board), including the payment of
a significant research stipend, will be paid by the program. Student
participants are responsible for their travel to/from Central Washington
University, passport and visa fees, and personal incidentals.*

*Deadline for applications is April 20, 2009*. Additional information
and application forms can be found at
http://www.cwu.edu/~studyabroad/faculty-led.html.

Or contact Rebecca Garate in the Study Abroad & Exchange Programs office
via email (garater@cwu.edu ) or phone
(509-963-3620).

Central Washington University is an EEO/AA/Title IX Institution/TDD.

Posted by ronbo at 06:27 PM

From MAPSS: Joon Nak Choi - Think Tanks as Social Networks

The Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) will hear from Sociology Ph.D. Candidate Joon Nak Choi this Thursday on the relationships between US think tanks as a social network.

Pizza will be served outside Building 260, Room 113 at 12:10PM, talk starts at 12:20PM. (RSVP for food at https://iriss.stanford.edu/mapss_colloquium_signup).

Thursday, April 9th
12:10 PM
Building 260, Room 113
(Language Corner)

Ideology, Interests and Imprinting in the U.S. Policymaking Elite: A Social Network Analysis of U.S. Think Tanks

Independent public policy research institutes, commonly called “think tanks”, exhibit a puzzling mix of ideological polarization and cross-ideology cooperation. An examination of the social network formed by think tank co-affiliations, like scholar exchanges and board interlocks, reveals that conservative and center-left think tanks form two largely-disconnected clusters. However, this gap is bridged by two center-right think tanks, including the Hoover Institution. This research proposes that this pattern is explained by the interaction between homophily and shared research interests, organizational imprinting, and ongoing resource dependencies. Regression analysis of the dyads linking the 52 think tanks that were most frequently cited in the U.S. Congress supports these theoretical propositions. This research supports the quantitative model proposed by Baldassari and Bearman (2007), and has implications for the efficacy of U.S. policymaking research.

Joon Nak Choi is a PhD Candidate in Sociology focusing on economic sociology and organizational behavior. His research interests center on the effects social networks have upon the financial sector (hedge funds) and the policymaking world (political parties, think tanks).

Don't Forget to Sign Up for the Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) Colloquium when you choose your classes this upcoming quarter. We bring in distinguished researchers from across the social sciences to provide useful lessons on broadly applicable methods for data collection and analysis. See the spring tentative schedule below.

PoliSci 402 or Comm 310

The Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences is a program of the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences

Posted by ronbo at 05:50 PM

From ICPSR: Release of Integrated Fertility Survey Series (IFSS) Website

ICPSR is pleased to announce the launch of the Integrated Fertility Survey Series (IFSS) project website, which is located at: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/IFSS/

With funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, the Integrated Fertility Survey Series project seeks to produce a harmonized dataset of U.S. family and fertility surveys spanning the 1955-2002 period, including the 1955 and 1960 Growth of American Families (GAF); the 1965 and 1970 National Fertility Surveys (NFS); and the 1973, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1995, and 2002 National Surveys of Family Growth (NSFG). The Integrated Fertility Survey Series (IFSS) and its associated data products will facilitate analyses across time, yielding new insights into changes in fertility and the family.

The accompanying IFSS website enables users to access standardized data files and documentation, use Survey Documentation Analysis (SDA), and browse related publications for each of the ten component surveys. Future tools will permit users to navigate harmonized data files, evaluate variable comparability across time, and conduct analyses with ease.

Posted by ronbo at 05:29 PM

From ICPSR: Self Help for the Data Community

Need a little help working with data? Visit ICPSR's Data User Help Center where the goal is to provide data users with comprehensive answers to the most common problems experienced when working with ICPSR data and related resources. And, we are delighted to announce that a new tutorial on using SDA has just been added!

Posted by ronbo at 05:28 PM

From ICPSR: Where Will You Be This Summer?

Ann Arbor is the place to be this summer! Registration for the ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods is now open and seats are filling fast. Four-week courses start June 22, 2009, with three- and five-day workshops starting even earlier. Some courses are offered in other locations to make travel easier.

Posted by ronbo at 05:27 PM

From ICPSR: Undergrads Writing for Fame & Fortune - by May 31!

The ICPSR Undergraduate Research Paper Competition is now in its third year. There are actually two competitions, each with a top cash prize of $1,000, and ICPSR publishes the winning papers. Please remind students and faculty that the deadline is coming soon - May 31, 2009.

Posted by ronbo at 05:26 PM

From IES Newsflash: Career/Technical Education Statistics Website updated

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences has just updated the Career/Technical Education Statistics (CTES) website.

The CTES website includes tables describing career/technical education (CTE) at three levels: 1) secondary/high school CTE, 2) postsecondary/college career education, and 3) adult education for work. These tables are updated periodically to incorporate new CTE-related topics and data from new surveys. In this update, two sets of tables were added to the postsecondary/college career education tables: 1) a set of 21 tables with state-level information on institutional offerings and credentials awarded in CTE, and 2) a set of 7 tables describing CTE students' enrollment characteristics, for the 12 states that were oversampled in the 2003-04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.

To view the site, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ctes/

Posted by ronbo at 05:25 PM

From IES Newsflash: Register Now for NAEP-Related Training Courses at the 2009 AERA Conference

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) staff members will host several training mini-courses at the 2009 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference. Be sure to register soon (see information below).

PDC09. Psychometrics Behind National Assessment of Educational Progress: Understanding and Analyzing NAEP Data. April 12, 9:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m.

The goal of this course is to introduce potential users to NAEP and to the AM analysis tool, which makes the rich NAEP database more accessible to researchers than it has ever been before. AM is a free statistical software package for analyzing data from complex samples, especially large-scale assessments. This course will introduce users to (a) the psychometric design of NAEP, (b) the sampling design of NAEP, and (c) data analysis strategies required by these design features, including the marginal maximum likelihood approach to computing subscale and composite scale scores, selection and use of appropriate sampling weights, and appropriate variance estimation procedures. Note: Full participation will require a laptop with wireless capability.

PDC13. Advanced Hands-On Exploration of NAEP Data on the Web. April 14, 8:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m.

Get to know the new NAEP Data Explorer (NDE), a powerful web tool recently refreshed with enhanced analysis and reporting tools. This mini-course will focus on the latest NAEP results from the 2007 assessment of mathematics, reading, and writing. Participants will be guided through a full examination of the data, with an emphasis on data that link student performance with teacher and school characteristics. The course is structured around hands-on learning and active participation and will include a short demo of the redesigned system’s features. Note: Full participation will require a laptop with wireless capability.

PDC29. Accessing and Analyzing High School Transcript Study Data for Educational Research Purposes. April 16, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

This mini-course will provide graduate students, faculty, and institutional researchers with information on how to access and analyze the NAEP High School Transcript Study (HSTS) data. Topics covered will include (a) the HSTS survey design, (b) technical issues in the proper use and handling of sampling weights and plausible values, and (c) a discussion and demonstration of current specialized software for accessing and analyzing HSTS data. The course will include extensive demonstrations, independent exercises, and group discussions. Note: Full participation will require a laptop with wireless capability.

For more information or to register for these courses, visit
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/aera.asp

NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Posted by ronbo at 05:23 PM

Meta-Analysis in Stata: An Updated Collection from the Stata Journal

Meta-Analysis in Stata: An Updated Collection from the Stata Journal, edited by Jonathan A. C. Sterne, gathers all the Stata Journal articles about meta-analysis into one place. Interestingly, meta-analysis in Stata is one of Stata’s strengths, yet all the commands to implement it are user-written. Having nowhere to look in the Stata documentation made it tedious for those interested in meta-analysis to gather the requisite packages and documentation. Well, no more! With this meta-analysis collection, researchers can find what they need quickly and efficiently. Moreover, many of the articles and associated software have been updated for the collection. In particular, support for modern Stata graphics has been added to several commands.

The structure of the collection is simple: it splits the topics by complexity, starting with meta-analysis and meta-regression, then looking at both graphical and analytic tools for detecting bias, and finally moving on to recent advanced topics such as meta-analysis for dose–response curves, diagnostic accuracy, multivariate analyses, and studies containing missing values. The collection touches on both common and complex methods for conducting a meta-analysis, including implementations of contemporary advances that will help keep the reader up to date.

For further details or to order online, please visit the book's page in Stata Bookstore.

Posted by yan at 12:02 PM

ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods

The ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research offers a comprehensive, integrated program of studies in research design, statistics, data analysis, and social methodology. The ICPSR Summer Program offers more than 50 different courses. Examples of topics covered in previous courses include the following:

Regression analysis
Categorical data analysis
Hierarchical linear models
Time-series analysis
Longitudinal methods
Spatial analysis
Scaling and dimensional analysis
Bayesian methods
Game theory
LISREL models
Network analysis

The Summer Program offers basic methodological and technical training, along with opportunities for advanced work in specialized areas. It also provides active, participatory data-analytic experiences that complement formal lectures and discussions.

ICPSR has offered educational opportunities through the Summer Program since 1963, when the first cohort of 82 participants arrived in Ann Arbor, Michigan for intensive training in quantitative methods. The Program has grown mightily. It continues to provide quality instruction and to offer an impressive range of course options. Last year, a record 827 scholars attended the Summer Program. They represented 26 disciplines, 267 institutions, and more than a score of nations. The Program faculty represented 50 institutions and 11 disciplines.

In addition to two 4-week sets of courses, ICPSR offers intensive 1-week workshops in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and at several additional sites.

One-week workshops begin May 18, 2009. Four-week courses begin June 22, 2009.

For more information about course schedules, instructors, and fees, please visit www.icpsr.umich.edu/sumprog or contact the Program at sumprog@icpsr.umich.edu

Posted by yan at 12:00 PM

SPSS Statistics 17.0.2 Patch Available

The latest SPSS Statistics patch is now available for download from the SPSS Support Website. This patch will upgrade your existing SPSS Statistics 17.0 or 17.0.1 for Windows to version 17.0.2. This patch incorporates any previously released hotfixes for SPSS Statistics 17.0.

Note: This patch does not apply to the student version.

For detailed information on the description of the Statistics 17.0.2 patch, installation instructions, and downloading go to: http://support.spss.com/default.asp?refpage=ProductsExt/Statistics/Patches/index.html

In addition to addressing known issues, the patch will implement the new product name - PASW Statistics. For more information regarding the renaming of SPSS Inc. products, please see the letter from Jason Verlen, Vice President and Chief Product Strategist of SPSS Inc. available at http://www.spss.com/software/product-name-guide/

Posted by yan at 11:51 AM

April 07, 2009

From IES Newsflash: NAEP to Release New NAEP Data Explorer

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will be unveiling a new version of the NAEP Data Explorer (NDE) in the coming weeks. The current version is still available until the transition at
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/

The new tool will take advantage of the latest internet technology to present users with a friendlier interface, enhanced analysis selections, and improved reporting options to aid researchers, policy-makers, and others interested in investigating the results from NAEP assessments. Watch for another NewsFlash next week with the new URL and a more detailed description of the tool enhancements.

Attendees at the 2009 American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference can learn more about the features of the new NDE by registering for the mini-course "Advanced Hands-On Exploration of NAEP Data on the Web" (PDC13), on April 14, from 8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Course attendees will explore the new interface and capabilities with developers of the NDE. For more information or to register for this course, visit the official AERA website. Find a comprehensive list of other NAEP-related courses planned for the AERA conference at
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/aera.asp

NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Posted by ronbo at 03:36 PM

April 06, 2009

From ESS Distribution List: ESS Data User Bulletin 9 (April 2009)

1. Selection of Questionnaire Design Teams for ESS Round 5

Two teams have been selected by the ESS Scientific Advisory Board to design two 50-item rotating module for ESS Round 5. The successful teams are:

* ‘Work, Family and Well-being: The Implications of Economic Recession’: led by Duncan Gallie at Nuffield College, Oxford, UK, Martina Dieckhoff at WZB, Germany, Helen Russell at ESRI, Ireland, Nadia Steiber at Vienna University of Economics, Austria and Michael Tahlin at Stockholm University, Sweden. This module will repeat many of the items from the ‘Work, Family and Well-being’ module included in ESS Round 2.

* ‘Trust in Criminal Justice: A Comparative European Analysis’: led by Jonathan Jackson at the London School of Economics, UK, Mike Hough from Kings College London, UK, Stephen Farrall at the University of Sheffield, UK, Kauko Aromaa at HEUNI, Finland and Jan de Keijser at the Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Netherlands.

Further information and the proposals for each module can be found on the ESS website. Fieldwork for ESS Round 5 will start in September 2010.

2. ESS Round 4

A record 31 countries are participating in ESS Round 4 and most fieldwork is now complete. Croatia and Lithuania are participating for the first time in Round 4 and Israel, the Czech Republic and Greece have taken part again after missing one or more rounds. A first data release is expected in Autumn of this year including data from the rotating modules on ‘Experiences and attitudes towards Ageism’ and ‘Welfare attitudes in a changing Europe’. The first release will include all countries who have deposited their data in due time.

3. ESS Training Course – call for applicants

A call for applicants for the 7th ESSTrain course on the subject of socio-demographic background variables for cross-national comparative social research in Europe has now been issued. The course will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia on the 12th and 13th October 2009. The objective of this course is to provide participants with a thorough background on survey methods for comparative measurement of socio-demographic background variables. The emphasis will be on ensuring equivalence in survey questionnaires. Practical and theoretical considerations for the design and implementation of fieldwork instruments aimed to provide comparisons between European countries will also be discussed.

There are places for up to 60 participants on this course and a limited amount of funding is available to cover travel and accommodation costs for a select number of participants. All participants will be provided with lunch for all course days and a dinner after the first day of the course. For more information about the course and details on how to apply please click here. Applications must be submitted by 4th May 2009.

4. ESS Findings Brochure

A 24-page ESS ‘Findings Booklet’ has recently been published, bringing together selected findings from the first three rounds of the ESS. Topics include; ageing and financial security, trust, education and politics, families and work, public responses to migration, sex and sexuality, and the digital divide. Please click here for more information about the booklet and how to obtain a copy.

5. ESRA Conference

The 3rd Conference of the European Survey Research Association will be held between 29th June and 3rd July 2009 in Warsaw, Poland. More information about the conference can be found on the ESRA website.

6. ESS Publications: A reminder

The ESS Bibliography currently holds close to 400 titles and the latest entries are listed on the front page of the bibliography. The bibliography has recently been updated and the new version includes "edited volume" as a separate category under ‘publication type’.

Please take this opportunity to check if all your ESS related publications are included in the Bibliography. If any are not included, please use the "Add Publication" function to register your publications. If you have any queries concerning the bibliography please contact the ESS Bibliography Team (contact details can be found at the end of this bulletin). It is vital for future funding of the ESS that the bibliography maps the full range of publications generated using ESS data.

7. New topic for ESS EduNet

There is now a new topic on ESS EduNet. This focuses on well-being and is called ‘Personal & Social Well-being: Creating indicators for a flourishing Europe’. The topic was written by Saamah Abdallah, who is a researcher at the New Economics Foundation (nef) and investigates different aspects of the concept of well-being using data from the third round of the ESS. The topic can be accessed here.

8. About the ESS

The European Social Survey (ESS) is an academically-driven social survey designed to chart and explain the interaction between Europe's changing institutions and the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of its diverse populations. The survey covers over 30 European nations and employs rigorous methodology. Funding for the central design and coordination of the ESS comes from the European Commission via its Framework Programmes, supplemented by support from the European Science Foundation which initiated the project. Funding for national data collection and coordination comes from funding agencies in participating countries. The European Commission also funds the ESS as an infrastructure.

The project is directed by a Central Co-ordinating Team (CCT) and associated members including: City University London UK, University of Leuven Belgium, NSD Norway, GESIS Germany, ESADE of the Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain, SCP Netherlands and University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

9. Contact information & websites

To contact the CCT: e-mail: ess@city.ac.uk
To contact the ESS Data Archive team: e-mail: essdata@nsd.uib.no
To contact the ESS Bibliography Team: email: essbibl@nsd.uib.no

Main website: www.europeansocialsurvey.org
Data website: http://ess.nsd.uib.no

Posted by ronbo at 06:33 PM

Recent ICPSR updates and additions - New Releases through 2009-04-05

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

4517 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2004 Panel
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04517

20425 Testing a New Mediational Model of the Link Between Maltreatment and
Aggression in Adolescence in Upstate New York, 2002-2004
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR20425

20622 Assessing Identity Theft Offenders' Strategies and Perceptions of Risk
in the United States, 2006-2007
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR20622

21840 Evaluation of the Bully-Proofing Your School Program in Colorado,
2001-2006
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR21840

22208 Afrobarometer Round 3: The Quality of Democracy and Governance in
Namibia, 2006
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR22208

24382 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), 2003
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR24382

24642 Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities, 2005
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR24642

25002 Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, Criminal Cases, 2008
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR25002

Updates

3088 Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS), 1996-1999: [United States]
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03088

6084 CBS News Monthly Poll #2, August 1992
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06084

6198 CBS News Los Angeles Poll, January 1993
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06198

6330 CBS News Monthly Poll #1, December 1993
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06330

6542 National Youth Survey [United States]: Wave VII, 1987
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06542

9146 CBS News California Poll, October 1988
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09146

9233 CBS News "48 Hours" Gun Poll, March 1989
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09233

9613 CBS News Iraq Poll, September 1990
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09613

22300 Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2007
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR22300

22580 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES): 2003 Cohort
[United States]
http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR22580

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 06:07 PM

From Stanford GIS List: This week-- Field Equipment Workshop

Planning your summer research?

Discover The School of Earth Science’s GIS, GPS, geophysical equipment, field computers, and staff resources available to Stanford faculty, staff and students.

This workshop on April 10th (10 am to noon) will introduce students to available field equipment and resources for their summer research. Nigel Crook (Shared Field Measurement Facility), Mindy Syfert (GIS Manager, Branner Earth Science Library), Trevor Hebert (GIS Manager, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve), and Max Borella (SES Field Program Coordinator) will be available from noon to1:00 to display the equipment and discuss individual needs. For more information and to register visit http://pangea.stanford.edu/research/groups/sfmf/index.php?page=12 or contact Max Borella at mborella@stanford.edu or Nigel Crook at ncrook@stanford.edu.

Posted by ronbo at 05:20 PM

April 03, 2009

From Census Product Update (April 3, 2009): Hot Tip - Facts For Features

Our “Facts for Features & Special Editions” webpage consists of collections of statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas intended to commemorate anniversaries or observances, or to provide background information for topics in the news. You can find this webpage by clicking “Facts for Features” on the Census homepage. Check out the interesting statistics we’ve compiled on numerous topics!

Posted by ronbo at 02:21 PM

From IES Newsflash: 2009 National Forum on Education Statistics and the NCES Summer Data Conference

National Forum - Members, join your colleagues from local, state, and federal education agencies and national associations as they continue work on tools for improving education data through best practice guides on longitudinal data systems, data ethics, metadata (and its importance); and collecting and managing data on displaced students. Learn about state data system initiatives and policy affecting data collection and use. For more information about the forum, visit http://nces.ed.gov/forum.

NCES Summer Data Conference - Join us for professional networking, updates on federal and national activities affecting data collection and reporting, and information about the best new approaches in collecting, reporting, and using education statistics. This year's conference will offer more than 80 presentations, demonstrations, and workshops. Conference offering will include training and business meetings for state CCD and EDFacts data coordinators; informative sessions on school finance, building and managing data systems, data standards, and data delivery and use; and information about changes in how the U.S. Department of Education collects and uses data.

You are invited to attend the 2009 Summer Data Conference and to submit a proposal for presenting a session that will contribute to the conference's interest and usefulness. Topics are invited from all sources, but the major focus will be on education data system design and management, data standards, data delivery methods, and strategies for improving data use.

Deadline for submitting proposals for presentations, workshops, or demonstrations: Friday, May 8, 2009

For conference information and registration, visit: http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=421

Posted by ronbo at 02:20 PM

From IES Newsflash: 27 States Win Fiscal Year 2009 Grants for Longitudinal Data Systems

The Institute of Education Sciences has awarded grants to 27 state education agencies for the design and implementation of statewide longitudinal data systems. The multi-year value of individual state grants ranges from $2.5 million to $9.0 million for projects that will extend for three to five years. The full, multi-year value of all 27 grants is $150 million.

For more information, see
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/

The competition for these grants was held last fall.

Posted by ronbo at 02:19 PM

April 02, 2009

From IES Newsflash: Upcoming ECLS Training Seminars

NCES announces two summer training seminars, to be held in Washington, DC. There are no fees to attend these seminars for accepted applicants. NCES will provide training materials, as well as computers for hands-on practice. NCES will also pay for transportation, hotel accommodations, and a fixed per diem for meals and incidental expenses during the training seminars.

******
Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) Database for Research and Policy Discussion Tuesday, August 4 - Thursday, August 6, 2009, Washington, DC

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, will sponsor a 3-day advanced studies seminar on the use of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) database. The ECLS-K allows researchers to examine the relationships among a wide range of child, family, teacher, classroom, and school characteristics and children's development and performance in elementary and middle school.

Please visit http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=403&cid=2 to view the full announcement and application information for the seminar.

******
Using the National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) Databasesfor Research and Policy Analyses
Monday, August 10 - Wednesday, August 12, 2009, Washington, DC

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, will sponsor a 3-day advanced studies seminar on the use of the National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) databases for research and policy analyses. NHES is a series of surveys designed to address a wide range of education-related issues. It provides descriptive data on the educational activities of the U.S. population, from early childhood to adult education, and offers policymakers, researchers, and educators a variety of statistics on the condition of education in the United States.

Please visit http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=414&cid=2 to view the full announcement and application information for the seminar.

Posted by ronbo at 09:28 PM