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School District DMI CommunityViewer |
School District Census: Data Collection, Tabulation and Analysis School district censuses are now undertaken by a large number of school districts throughout the U.S. Many statewide school district census programs exist, some conducted annually. This section covers topics including school district census data collection, tabulation and analysis. Proximity helps school districts with school district census operations in a holistic manner. Developing useful data and information from a census involves more than sending out a form, tabulating the results, and preparing reports. Importance. As we move further and further from Census 2000, it becomes increasingly important to have updated data about school age children, the state of education, and children's living environments. It is not enough to use only administratively reported data about students enrolled in school. Model-based demographic estimates and projections help provide insights but may be seriously flawed, particularly in districts with rapid change and pockets of change trending differently. Benefits and Uses. There are many benefits that result from conducting a census. • Improved ability to forecast growth/declines in enrollment to plan capacity • Improved ability to forecast growth/declines in enrollment to make staffing decisions • Better anticipate classroom space requirements • Improved means of identifying children eligible for pre-k and early childhood programs • Learn more about what numbers of the population under 5 years are in the pipeline and where • Find out where programs should be expanded or re-organized (e.g., capacity of pre-k programs vs. number of pre-k children) • Better means of spotting problems such as relevant children not enrolled in school How We Can Help. There is no one set of resources, procedures, nor plan that is best for all districts. While some things remain in common, others vary as the result of size, dispersion, urban/rural character, respondent characteristics, and other reasons. Selected Web-based Proximity resources that relate to school district censuses: • Census 2000 Data Access & Use • School District Special Tabulation • School District Decision Making Information • School district mapping and geography • School district demographics online • School district demographic profile analyst • School District Management Information System We provide a checklist of key items to consider as a part of our no fee consultation. Contact us to schedule a time to discuss the consultation. Learn more about our special knowledge and skills and reasons why we can help you. If you are already conducting school district censuses, we can help you develop ways to eliminate the barrage of forms that are unpopular with parents, improve response rates, and minimize error prone operations through Web-based data collection. This data collection form is one example of how this might be done. Proximity can develop this Web-based capability for you and work with you to install it on your server. GIS Tools. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools can play a vital role in collecting school district census data. Data from the census can be analyzed using the same tools. View students and households as markers/icons making a dot density map. See patterns as they relate to neighborhoods, schools, and locations of unique importance in your district. Aggregate the individual respondent data to census blocks, attendance areas and any other geographic area. Which Demographics? How should you be tabulating respondent data? The decennial census school district special tabulation can be used as a guide and more. Various aspects of this program can be applied to your situation -- from structure of census form through which and how data are summarized through how data are made accessible and analyzed. We can help you learn more about how to compare demographic characteristics from Census 2000 to current demographic composition and trends based on your census. Ideally, school district demographics should be summarized by 6 key universes: Total population Grade Relevant children (ages 3-19 years of age) Enrolled in school Public Private Not Enrolled Summary data should be developed for: Total population Total Households Households with children Children's own characteristics Children's parents/caregivers Children's households Data Organization and Summary Statistics. See examples of demographics data tables via School District Demographics Online that you can use to help design your data tables and access tools. Your summaries would be by block, attendance area, neighborhood, community and district. Data Access, Analysis and Interpretation. Use the Web links summarized above for more information on how to develop interpretative data and maps. We can apply our experience and know-how in developing Census Bureau statistical reports and data to your situation. There are enormous opportunities to benefit from the investment in developing these data that go far beyond simple aggregates of the respondent data. Our Experience. Proximity has people with the experience and interest in helping you with school district census and demographics. We have developed many tools and data resources that are immediately available for your use. Warren Glimpse, founder of Proximity, brings a wide range of skills and experience that can be applied to meet your specific needs. • Statistician; Demographer; Economist/econometrician • Experienced -- providing data and analyses to thousands of school districts • Former director, Census Bureau Data Access and User Services -- developer of State Data Center Program • Management of national scale statistical programs • Former associate director, U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards • Developer, 1990 Census School District Special Tabulation • Developer, first set of national scale school district boundary/map files • Developer, Census 2000 School District Special Tabulation design and data access structure • Developer, School District Management Information System [goto top] |
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