ERIC Number: EJ1194866
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2332-8584
EISSN: N/A
The Future of NCES's Longitudinal Student Surveys: Balancing Bold Vision and Realism
Warren, John Robert
AERA Open, v1 n2 Apr-Jun 2015
The National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) longitudinal student surveys have long been exceptionally useful for many purpose. Despite their many virtues, however, these surveys cannot be used to monitor trends at short time intervals, they do not allow for flexible changes to survey content, they cannot generally be used to infer policy effects, they are not useful for international comparisons, and they are of limited value to local stakeholders. NCES should consider doing to its longitudinal students surveys what the Census Bureau did to the decennial census long form and what NORC has long done for the General Social Survey: Move to annual rotating panels and allow outside investigators to field (and fund) supplemental topical modules. NCES should also continue to work with the research community to explore new survey content areas and modes of observation, improve the quality of spatial measures, and pursue record linkage to administrative data.
Descriptors: Public Agencies, Longitudinal Studies, Student Surveys, Federal Government, Research Problems, Educational Research, Surveys, Improvement
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: General Social Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A