BACCALAUREATE AND BEYOND LONGITUDINAL STUDY, 2001 (B&B 2000/01)

The Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, 2001(B&B:2000/01) is a longitudinal study of a subsample of bachelor’s degree recipients from the sample of students included in the 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000), which is described below. The subsample includes members of the NPSAS:2000 cohort who completed a bachelor’s degree between July 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000.

The estimates reported in this publication are based on data collected in the first follow-up of this subsample of bachelor’s degree recipients in 2001, 1 year after they graduated from college. These B&B:2000/01 data provide a profile of the 1999–2000 cohort of college graduates, including degree recipients who have enrolled sporadically over time as well as those who enrolled in college immediately after completing high school. The data set contains comprehensive data on the enrollment, attendance, and demographic characteristics of college students and provides a unique opportunity to understand their immediate transitions into work, graduate school, or other endeavors.

Unless otherwise specified, all estimates using data from the Baccalaureate and Beyond Study include students in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Data from B&B:2000/01 are used in indicator 38.

BEGINNING POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS (BPS) LONGITUDINAL STUDY

The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) is a survey of students who enrolled in postsecondary education for the first time in the year of the survey. Data are collected concerning students’ persistence in and completion of postsecondary education programs, the relationships between their work and education efforts, and the effect of postsecondary education on their lives. Like the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B), the BPS is based on a subsample of students from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). The first BPS followed about 8,000 students who began postsecondary education in the 1989–90 academic year and were sampled in NPSAS:90 and responded to the NPSAS questionnaires. These students were surveyed again in spring 1992 (BPS:90/92) and spring 1994 (BPS:90/94), about 5 years after they had first enrolled in postsecondary education. NPSAS:90 collected data on more than 6,000 parents of those students. In addition, BPS collected financial aid records covering the entire period that students were enrolled to provide complete information on their progress and persistence. A second BPS followed a cohort of students drawn from NPSAS:96, who were first followed up in 1998 (BPS:96/98) and then again in 2001 (BPS:96/01), about 6 years after students had first enrolled. To allow comparisons of 5-year outcomes for students covered by the BPS:90/94 and BPS:96/01 surveys, the later cohort was asked about enrollment and attainment in 2000 as well as in 2001 when surveyed in 2001.

Unless otherwise specified, all estimates using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Study include students in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Indicators 19 and 29 use data from the BPS. Further information about the survey is available at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/

COMMON CORE OF DATA (CCD)

The Common Core of Data (CCD), the Department of Education’s primary database on public elementary and secondary education in the United States, is a comprehensive annual, national statistical database of information concerning all public elementary and secondary schools (approximately 91,000) and school districts (approximately 16,000). The CCD consists of five surveys that state education departments complete annually from their administrative records. The database includes a general description of schools and school districts; data on students and staff, including demographics; and fiscal data, including revenues and current expenditures.

Indicators 4 and 35 use data from the CCD. Further information about the database is available at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/

EARLY CHILDHOOD LONGITUDINAL STUDY, KINDERGARTEN CLASS OF 1998–99 (ECLS–K)

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS–K) is an ongoing study conducted by NCES. Launched in fall 1998, the study follows a nationally representative sample of children from kindergarten through 5th grade. The purpose of the ECLS–K is twofold: to be both descriptive and analytic. First, the ECLS–K provides descriptive national data on children’s status at entry into school; children’s transition into school; and their progression through 5th grade. Second, the ECLS–K provides a rich data set that enables researchers to study how a wide range of family, school, community, and individual variables affect children’s early success in school.

A nationally representative sample of 21,260 children enrolled in 1,277 kindergarten programs participated in the initial survey during the 1998–99 school year. These children were selected from both public and private kindergartens, offering full- and half-day programs. The sample consists of children from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and includes an oversample of Asian/Pacific Islander children. All kindergarten children within the sampled schools were eligible for the sampling process, including language minority and special education students. The sample design for the ECLS–K is a dual-frame, multistage sample. First, 100 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs), which are counties or groups of counties, were selected. Schools within the PSUs were then selected—public schools from a public school frame and private schools from a private school frame, which oversampled private kindergartens. In fall 1998, approximately 23 kindergartners were selected within each of the sampled schools.

Data on the kindergarten cohort were collected in the fall and spring of the kindergarten year from the children, their parents, and their teachers. In addition, information was collected from children’s schools and school districts in the spring of the kindergarten year. During the 1999–2000 school year, when most of the cohort moved to the 1st grade, data were again collected from a 30 percent subsample of the cohort in the fall and from the full sample in the spring. Spring 1st-grade data were obtained between March and July 2000, and spring 3rd-grade data were obtained between March and July 2002, with 80 percent of the assessments at each round conducted between early April and late May.

Trained evaluators assessed children in their schools and collected information from parents over the telephone. Teachers and school administrators were contacted in their school and asked to complete questionnaires. The children and their families, teachers, and schools provided information on children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Information was also collected on the children’s home environment, home educational practices, school and classroom environments, curricula, and teacher qualifications. Additional surveys of the sampled children are planned for spring 2004 (when children are in the 5th grade).

ECLS–K constructed a family risk index consisting of whether the household income was below the poverty level, the primary home language was other than English, the mother’s highest level of education was less than a high school diploma or GED, and whether the child lived in a single-parent household. The percentage of fall 1998 kindergartners with each level of family risk factors was zero (62 percent), one (23 percent), two (12 percent), three (3 percent), and four (rounds to zero).

Indicator 8 is based on the ECLS–K. Further information on the survey is available at http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/kindergarten.asp/

EDUCATION LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF 2002 (ELS:2002)

The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) is the fourth major national longitudinal survey of high school students conducted by NCES. Three similar previous surveys were the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS—72), the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 (HS&B:80), and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Like its predecessors, ELS:2002 is designed to provide information to researchers, policymakers, and the public about high school students’ experiences and activities, and to track changes in these young people’s lives as they mature in the years after high school. ELS:2002 sampled and collected data from 10th-graders in spring 2002 (the base year), along with data from their English and mathematics teachers, their school’s librarian and principal, and one parent for each student. The base-year data include 10th-graders’ scores on cognitive tests in reading and mathematics, and the first follow-up will include a test in mathematics. Follow-up surveys are currently planned for 2004 (when most students in the cohort will be seniors preparing for high school graduation) and 2006. About 750 schools were selected (in both the public and private sectors); about 15,000 students in these schools completed base-year surveys, along with about 13,000 of their parents, 7,000 of their teachers, 700 principals, and 700 librarians.

ELS:2002 collected information on students’ experiences while in high school (including their coursetaking, achievement, extracurricular activities, social lives, employment, and risk-taking behaviors); students’ aspirations, life goals, attitudes, and values; and the influence of family members, friends, teachers, and other people in their lives. Following the same cohort of students over time allows data users to monitor changes in students’ lives, including their progress through high school, participation in postsecondary education (entry, persistence, achievement, and attainment), early experiences in the labor market, family formation, and civic participation. In addition, by combining data about students’ school programs, coursetaking experiences, and cognitive outcomes with information from teachers and principals, the ELS:2002 data support investigation of numerous educational policy issues. Such policy questions include the influence of different curriculum paths, instructional methods, and teacher characteristics and whether the effectiveness of high schools varies with their size, organization, student body composition, academic climate, and other characteristics.

Indicator 15 uses data from the ELS. For further details on the survey, see http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/els2002/overview.asp

FAST RESPONSE SURVEY SYSTEM (FRSS)

The Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) was established in 1975 to collect and report data on key educational issues at the elementary and secondary level quickly and with minimum response burden. The surveys were designed to meet the data needs of the Department of Education’s analysts, planners, and decisionmakers when information cannot be collected quickly through traditional NCES surveys. Data collected through FRSS surveys are representative at the national level, drawing from a universe that is appropriate for each study. FRSS collects data from state education agencies and national samples of other educational organizations and participants, including local education agencies, public and private elementary and secondary schools, elementary and secondary school teachers and principals, and public and school libraries.

Indicators 2 and 27 use data from the FRSS. Further information on the surveys are available at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/

INTEGRATED POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION DATA SYSTEM (IPEDS)

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is the core program that NCES uses for collecting data on postsecondary education (before IPEDS some of the same information was collected by the Higher Education General Information Survey [HEGIS]). IPEDS is a single, comprehensive system that encompasses all identified institutions whose primary purpose is to provide postsecondary education.

IPEDS consists of institution-level data that can be used to describe trends in postsecondary education at the institution, state, and/or national levels. For example, researchers can use IPEDS to analyze information on (1) enrollments of undergraduates, first-time freshmen, and graduate and first-professional students by race/ethnicity and sex; (2) institutional revenue and expenditure patterns by source of income and type of expense; (3) salaries of full-time instructional faculty by academic rank and tenure status; (4) completions (awards) by type of program, level of award, race/ethnicity, and sex; (5) characteristics of postsecondary institutions, including tuition, room and board charges, calendar systems, and so on; (6) status of postsecondary vocational education programs; and (7) other issues of interest.

Data are collected from approximately 9,900 postsecondary institutions, including the following: baccalaureate or higher degree-granting institutions, 2-year award institutions, and less-than-2-year institutions (i.e., institutions whose awards usually result in terminal occupational awards or are creditable toward a formal 2-year or higher award). Each of these three categories is further disaggregated by control (public, private not-for-profit, private for-profit), resulting in nine institutional categories or sectors.

The completion of all IPEDS surveys is mandatory for all institutions that participate or are applicants for participation in any federal financial assistance program authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Indicators 6, 20, 31, and the special analysis use data from the IPEDS. The institutional categories used in the surveys are described in supplemental note 8. Further information about IPEDS is available at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

NATIONAL EDUCATION LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF 1988 (NELS)

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is the third major secondary school student longitudinal study sponsored by NCES. The two studies that preceded NELS:88, the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS–72) and the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 (HS&B:80), surveyed high school seniors (and sophomores in HS&B) through high school, postsecondary education, and work and family formation experiences. Unlike its predecessors, NELS:88 begins with a cohort of 8th-grade students. In 1988, some 25,000 8th-graders and their parents, teachers, and school principals were surveyed. Follow-ups were conducted in 1990, 1992, and 1994, when a majority of these students were in 10th and 12th grades, and then 2 years after their scheduled high school graduation. A fourth follow-up was conducted in 2000.

NELS:88 is designed to provide trend data about critical transitions experienced by young people as they develop, attend school, and embark on their careers. It complements and strengthens state and local efforts by furnishing new information on how school policies, teacher practices, and family involvement affect student educational outcomes (i.e., academic achievement, persistence in school, and participation in postsecondary education). For the base year, NELS:88 includes a multifaceted student questionnaire, four cognitive tests, and separate questionnaires for parents, teachers, and schools.

In 1990, when the students were in 10th grade, the students, school dropouts, teachers, and school principals were surveyed. The 1988 survey of parents was not a part of the 1990 follow-up. In 1992, when most of the students were in 12th grade, the second follow-up conducted surveys of students, dropouts, parents, teachers, and school principals. Also, information from the students’ transcripts were collected.

Indicators 15, 18, and 21 use data from NELS:88. Further information about the survey is available at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/nels88/

NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD EDUCATION SURVEYS PROGRAM (NHES)

The National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES), conducted in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2003, collects data on educational issues that cannot be addressed by school-level data. Each survey collects data from households on at least two topics, such as adult education, early childhood program participation, parental involvement in education, and before- and afterschool activities.

NHES surveys the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Interviews are conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviewing. Data are collected from adults and occasionally from older children (grades 6–12). Whether older or younger children are sampled, data about them are collected from the parent or guardian who is most knowledgeable.

Although NHES is conducted primarily in English, provisions are made to interview persons who speak only Spanish. Questionnaires are translated into Spanish, and bilingual interviewers, who are trained to complete the interview in either English or Spanish, are employed.

Indicators 7, 25, 33, and 34 use data from the NHES. Further information about the program is available at http://nces.ed.gov/nhes/

NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS)

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a continuing nationwide sample survey of the noninstitutionalized civilian population. It collects data by conducting personal household interviews, at which time interviewers obtain self-reported information on personal and demographic characteristics, including race and ethnicity, or information from another member of the household. Investigators also collect data about illnesses, injuries, impairments, chronic conditions, activity limitation caused by chronic conditions, utilization of health services, and other health topics. The survey asks respondents about their general health and the effects of any physical, mental, or emotional health problems. Each year the survey is reviewed and special topics are added or deleted. For most health topics, the survey collects data over an entire year.

The NHIS sample includes an oversample of Black and Hispanic persons and is designed to allow researchers to develop national estimates of health conditions, the utilization of health services, and health problems of the U.S. noninstitutionalized civilian population. The response rate for the ongoing part of the survey has been between 94 and 98 percent over the years. In 1997, the NHIS was redesigned, so estimates beginning in 1997 are likely to vary slightly from those for previous years. Interviewers collected information for the basic questionnaire on 100,618 persons in 2000, including 28,495 children.

Indicator 12 uses data from the NHIS. Further information about the survey is available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm

NATIONAL POSTSECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY (NPSAS)

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is based on a nationally representative sample of all students in postsecondary education institutions, including undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students. For NPSAS:2000, information was obtained from more than 900 postsecondary institutions on approximately 50,000 undergraduate, 9,000 graduate, and 3,000 first-professional students. They represented nearly 17 million undergraduates, 2.4 million graduate students, and 300,000 first-professional students who were enrolled at some time between July 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000.

NPSAS is a comprehensive nationwide study designed to determine how students and their families pay for postsecondary education and to describe some demographic and other characteristics of those enrolled. Students attending all types and levels of institutions are represented, including public and private not-for-profit and for-profit institutions and less-than-2-year institutions, community colleges, and 4-year colleges and universities.

To be eligible for inclusion in the institutional sample, an institution must have satisfied the following conditions: (1) offers an education program designed for persons who have completed secondary education; (2) offers an academic, occupational, or vocational program of study lasting 3 months or longer; (3) offers access to the general public; (4) offers more than just correspondence courses; and (5) is located in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Part-time and full-time students enrolled in academic or vocational courses or programs at these institutions, and not concurrently enrolled in a high school completion program, are eligible for inclusion in NPSAS. The first NPSAS, conducted in 1986–87, sampled students enrolled in fall 1986. Since the 1989–90 NPSAS, students enrolled at any time during the year have been eligible for inclusion in the survey. This design change provides the opportunity to collect data necessary to estimate full-year financial aid awards.

Unless otherwise specified, all estimates in The Condition of Education using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study include students in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Each NPSAS survey provides information on the cost of postsecondary education, the distribution of financial aid, and the characteristics of both aided and nonaided students and their families. Following each survey, NCES publishes three major reports: Student Financing of Undergraduate Education (NCES 2002–167), Student Financing of Graduate and First-Professional Education (NCES 2002–166), and Profile of Undergraduates in U.S Postsecondary Education Institutions (NCES 2002–168).

Indicators 29, 37, and the special analysis use data from NPSAS. Further information about the survey is available at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/

POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION QUICK INFORMATION SURVEY (PEQIS)

The Postsecondary Education Quick Information Survey (PEQIS) was established by NCES to collect timely data on focused issues needed for program planning and policy development with a minimum burden on respondents. The survey was designed to assist postsecondary policy analysts, program planners, and decisionmakers who frequently need data on emerging issues quickly. It is not always feasible for NCES to use its large, recurring surveys to provide such data quickly due to the length of time required to implement large-scale data collection efforts. In addition to obtaining information on emerging issues in a timely manner, PEQIS surveys are used to assess the feasibility of developing large-scale data collection efforts on a given topic or to supplement other NCES postsecondary surveys.

PEQIS uses a standing sample (panel) of approximately 1,600 postsecondary education institutions at the 2- and 4-year levels. The nationally representative panel includes public and private colleges and universities that award associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. PEQIS can also conduct surveys of states’ higher education agencies.

Indicators 31 and 32 use data from the PEQIS. Further information about the survey is available at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/peqis/

SCHOOLS AND STAFFING SURVEY (SASS)

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) is the nation’s largest sample survey of America’s elementary and secondary schools. First conducted in 1987–88, SASS periodically surveys the following:

• public schools and collects data on school districts, schools, principals, teachers, and library media centers;
  
  
• private schools and collects data on schools, principals, teachers, and library media centers;
  
  
• schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and collects data on schools, principals, teachers, and library media centers; and
  
  
• public charter schools and collects data on schools, principals, teachers, and library media centers.

To ensure that the samples contain sufficient numbers for estimates, SASS uses a stratified schools are oversampled into groups based on certain characteristics. After schools are stratified and sampled, so are the teachers within the schools based on their characteristics. Due to the relatively few numbers of these schools, all charter schools under state supervision that were in existence during the 1998–99 school year and all schools run by the BIA or American Indian/Alaska Native tribes were included in the 1999–2000 SASS.

Indicators 24, 26, and 28 use data from the SASS. Further information about the survey is available at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/