11 The Census for School Districts: American Community Survey from the Census Bureau and School District Tabulations from the US Department of Education Bettie Landauer-Menchik, Director Data Services Unit, K-12 Outreach College of Education, MSU

School District demographic information is a tremendous tool for applying for grants, driving school improvement, and allocating resources.

3 Overview What is the American Community Survey? Content Survey Methodology Data Products How is it different from Census 2000? What happens when Census data goes to the Department of Education?

: Lots of stuff you want to know about your district without the cost of a survey : Lots of stuff you want to know about your district without the cost of a survey

55 What is the American Community Survey?

66 Decennial Census In Census 2000, the census used 2 forms 1.“short” form – asked for basic demographic and housing information, such as age, sex, race, how many people lived in the housing unit, and if the housing unit was owned or rented by the resident 2.“long” form – collected the same information as the short form but also collected more in-depth information such as income, education, and language spoken at home Only a small portion of the population, a sample of 1 in 7 households, received the long form.

77 Since 2000, the Census Bureau has collected long form data as a sample and releases it as the American Community Survey (ACS) The 2010 Census will focus only on counting the entire U.S. population – the short form data The sample data from the long form are now collected every year and reported in ACS.

What’s in ACS?

99 American Community Survey Demographic Characteristics Sex Age Race Hispanic Origin

10 American Community Survey Social Characteristics Education Marital Status Fertility Grandparent Caregivers Veterans Disability Status Place of Birth Citizenship Year of Entry Language Spoken at Home Ancestry / Tribal Affiliation

11 American Community Survey Economic Characteristics Income Benefits Employment Status Occupation Industry Commuting to Work Place of Work

12 American Community Survey Housing Characteristics Tenure Occupancy & Structure Housing Value Taxes & Insurance Utilities Mortgage/Monthly Rent

13 American Community Survey Period Estimates ACS estimates are period estimates, describing the average characteristics over a specified period Contrast with point-in-time estimates that describe the characteristics of an area on a specific date (like 2000 Census) 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year estimates are released for geographic areas that meet specific population thresholds

14 American Community Survey Key Differences from Census 2000 The goal of ACS is to produce data comparable to the Census 2000 long form data These estimates will cover the same small areas as Census 2000 but with smaller sample sizes Smaller sample sizes for 5-year ACS estimates results in reductions in the reliability of estimates

15 American Community Survey Key Differences from Census 2000 Beginning in 2010, data for small geographic areas will be produced every year versus once every 10 years Census 2000 data described the population and housing as of April 1, 2000 while ACS data describe a period of time and require data for 12 months, 36 months, or 60 months

ACS Data Products Release Schedule Five-year estimates will be available for areas as small as census tracts and block groups from the Census Bureau 131 All districts 25

The newest data is ACS Social, Economic, Housing, and Demographic 3-Year Estimates On October 28, 2009, the Census Bureau released the ACS 3-year estimates. These estimates are based on data collected from January 2006 through December The estimates are published for geographic areas with populations of 20,000 or more, 131 Michigan school districts.

Using the ACS 3-Year Data Comparing ACS 3-Year Data with Census 2000 Data - The Census Bureau supports comparisons made between the ACS 3-year data and Census 2000 data but cautions users about important differences between the two data sets. Item by item guidance is provided Comparing ACS 3-Year Data with 2008 ACS 1-Year Data - When comparing estimates across geographies or small population groups, users should compare the same period length for each estimate. Whenever you are comparing state-level data with sub-state data for an area with a population below 65,000 you should use the 3-year estimates for the state to compare with the 3-year estimates for the sub-state area. Comparing ACS 3-Year Data with ACS 3-Year Data - Because of the complexities of interpretation, the Census Bureau discourages direct comparisons between estimates for overlapping periods. Ideally comparisons should be made based on non-overlapping periods (e.g. comparing a ACS 3-year estimate with a ACS 3-year estimate).

ACS numbering system 1,358 detailed tables Base tables are denoted with a “B” in the unique table ID, e.g.. B02001 Collapsed versions of base tables are identified with a “C,” e.g. C Collapsed tables are sometimes available when base tables are suppressed. Collapsed tables are not available for all ACS base tables.

Examples of B and C tables

21 American Community Survey Comparing Data 21

22 American Community Survey Data Products Profiles –Data Profiles –Narrative Profiles –Comparison Profiles –Selected Population Profiles Tables –Detailed Tables –Subject Tables –Ranking Tables –Geographic Comparison Tables Thematic Maps

Let’s Try it out ….

What happens to ACS when it goes to NCES? It becomes the School District Demographic System (SDDS) with some very nice features…..

Note, when you select ACS 2007, you’ll get the year data

Use Data Viewer: for single district, couple of tables. Use Download Data for multiple districts (and other geographies) and multiple tables

Snapshot Reports: there are 5 topics with 3-5 tables in each. Still need to be crunched.

A Profiles Comparison gives you just that – 2 districts, very cursory information. Fast and easy.

ACS morphs into School District Demographics

ACS School District Tabulation unique characteristics 61 tables exist with an alphabetic suffix – indicating they are repeated for nine major race and Hispanic/Latino groups. These selected tables are repeated by the following: White alone, Black alone, etc. Unlike ACS data, SDT includes iterations for race and ethnicity together; Black alone, not Hispanic or Latino and Black Hispanic or Latino.

Child Specific Universes Total Children Relevant Children Enrolled and Not Enrolled Relevant Children-Not Enrolled Relevant Children-Enrolled Relevant Children-Enrolled Public Relevant Children-Enrolled Private What’s a Relevant Child? you ask……. One who lives within the territory of the district and whose assigned grade falls within the grade range for which a district is financially responsible

Let’s Try it out ….

If your district isn’t yet reported, use the 2000 School District Demographics until the 5 year data is released for all districts.

Lots of Tables –Where to start? Population tables begin with letter P Housing tables begin with letter H Some tables begin with PCT or HCT. Tables become more complex as numbers get larger. Print out the table outlines if you prefer to view tables (I always use the table outlines)

Tables are organized by topics Educational Attainment Income Poverty Employment Families and Households etc. But there’s lots of repetition in the different files.

For Example: Tables on Educational Attainment P37: Sex by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and overP37: Sex by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and over (25 variables) P148A-I: Sex by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 years and overP148A-I: Sex by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 years and over for White alone, Black alone, American Indian alone, Hispanic, Asian alone, 2+races, White alone and non Hispanic. (17 x 9)

P37: Sex by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and over PC: or CP The same SDD table can be used for different perspectives. For example: P37: Sex by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and over PC: How many Parents with Children did not graduate from high school? or CP: How many Children have Parents who did not graduate from high school?

Two Choices: –One table for a single school district – easy to print out or download ….. OR –Download 10 tables at a time for all districts in a state or all school districts in the US a. Files are zipped b. Numeric files and text labels are in separate files. The Nuts and Bolts

What happens with School District Tabulation when the 5 year average is available? Then only the 5 year data will be available on the NCES website. The Universes from the 2000 data will probably all be available. The enrollment categories will remain the same. Not clear how many longitudinal files will be maintained by NCES as the size (read, cost) increases.

Let’s Try it out ….

Key Documents for Census junkees Using the ACS data compared to the 2000 SF3 Census data: htm htm The technical documentation for the School District Tabulation – call Bettie. It’s not on the web. Or just call me… or