APDU is seeking members who are interested in serving as guest editors for the newsletter or writing newsletter articles about a subject of expertise/ interest to them. Newsletter articles can span a wide variety of public data topics, including news about public data products or services, developments related to federal statistical policy, or data access/ dissemination issues. Contributors can be data users or representatives from data-producing agencies. The newsletter is an excellent conduit for communication between data users and producers and provides a vehicle for users to communicate issues of interest to them. It also allows producers to seek feedback from users or communicate new product developments.
Responsibilities of the guest editor include identifying 3-4 contributors to write articles for an upcoming edition of the newsletter and coordinating with CREC staff to review the content before publishing. Members interested in serving as a guest editor or contributing an article should notify Bob Scardamalia or Sean McNamara by Friday, April 15, 2011.
Open Government Data Sites to Go Dark in May
Several of President Obama’s open government initiative data websites are scheduled to go dark in May due to lack of funding. Funding will run out on April 20 for IT Dashboard; Data.gov, which provides enhanced access to publicly available federal datasets; and Paymentaccuracy.gov, which tracks improper payments from government programs. Other open government public data sites scheduled to go dark after July 30 are USASpending.gov, which provides detailed information on federal contracts, and Apps.gov, a site that tracks how federal agencies use free web applications. More information about the proposed cuts is available here.
Census Bureau Director Outlines His Vision for Moving Bureau Forward
Census Bureau Director Robert M. Goves recently spoke before the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security about lessons learned from the 2010 Census and preparation for the 2020 Census. Access his remarks here.
Census Bureau Releases Report on Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010
The Census Bureau recently released its report Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010. The report provides a high-level analysis of national and regional population change, state-level change, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area change, county change, and change in incorporated places.
Census Bureau Releases Report on Dynamics of Economic Well-Being
The Census Bureau recently released its report Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Fluctuations in U.S. Income Distribution, 2004-2007. The report divides the nation’s 106 million households into quintiles of 21.3 million based on income and compares their characteristics and movements between and within the quintiles. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the report traces the changing income levels of a representative sample of U.S. residents over a 48-month period (February 2004 to January 2008).
ETA Releases Guide to State and Local Workforce Data
GAO Releases Report on Recent Study of Key Indicator Systems
The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently released a report on its study of key indicator systems that integrate reliable statistical information on a jurisdiction’s economic, social, and environmental conditions. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 authorized the National Academy of Sciences to oversee the development of a key national indicator system for the U.S. and directed the GAO to study how indicator systems are being used; how indicator systems are designed and developed; some factors necessary to sustain a system; and potential implications for the development and use of a U.S. system.
NCES Announces Details of Seminar on Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort Database
The National Center for Education Statistics is sponsoring a three-day advanced studies seminar on the use of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) database, June 1-3, 2011 in Washington, DC. The ECLS-B is designed to support research on a wide range of topics pertaining to young children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development and their health status across multiple contexts.
Advanced graduate students and faculty members from colleges and universities nationwide and researchers, education practitioners, and policy analysts from federal, state, and local education, human services agencies, and professional associations are invited to apply. Access more information and register here.
IES Announces Grant Opportunities
The Institute of Education Statistics recently released its FY2012 funding announcements for grant competitions in education and special education research and training. Letters of intent are due by April 21, 2011. Several of the grant programs are appropriate for National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) research—for instance, Education Research Grants (84.305A); Special Education Research Grants (84.324A); Statistical and Research Methodology in Education (84.305D); and Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Policies (84.305E). Full details are available here, information about recently funded NAEP research is available here, and information about IES funding opportunity webinars is available here.
Notable Data Publications
Each week, the APDU Data Update identifies recent statistical data releases of interest to APDU members.
Department of Housing and Urban Development: 2009 Topcode Files for Seattle and New Orleans
Calls for Comment
APDU maintains a list of open calls for comment on proposed federal data collections (http://www.apdu.org/advocacy.asp). We periodically alert APDU members to newly added calls for comment. Over the last several weeks, calls for comment on the following proposed data collections were published in the Federal Register (with due date):
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Direct Investment Surveys: BE-15, Annual Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States (May 31, 2011)
Expenditures Incurred by Recipients of Biomedical Research and Development Awards From the National Institutes of Health (June 3, 2011)
Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (May 5, 2011)
Employment and Training Administration
National Agricultural Workers Survey (June 6, 2011)
Office of Justice Programs
Survey of State Court Criminal Appeals (May 4, 2011)
Police Public Contact Survey (May 4, 2011)
National Institutes of Health
Short Follow-Up Questionnaire for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP Diet and Health Study (NCI) (May 6, 2011)
The APDU Data Update is delivered to you as a membership service. Take advantage of your other membership benefits by accessing the APDU member area.
April 7, 2011
Upcoming Events
Call for Proposals: Summer Forum and STATS-DC 2011 Data Conference
Deadline: April 29, 2011
The National Center for Education Statistics is seeking proposals for presentations at its Summer Forum and STATS-DC 2011 Data Conference, held July 25-29, 2011 in Bethesda, Maryland. Proposals on topics about “101” introductory sessions, data collection and management, data dissemination, data linking beyond K-12, data privacy, data standards/quality, data usage, and finance are welcome. More information is available here.
Beginning in 2006, the Consumer Expenditures (CE) program at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has hosted a free annual workshop designed to give microdata users of all levels experience in using the data. As part of this program, the BLS is
