Big News! Federal race & ethnicity collection standards have CHANGED

Federal Race and Ethnicity Collection Standards Have Changed

Check it out!

There are a lot to read about in the newly revised OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethinicity, published 3-29-2024. 

Federal Register citation is 89 FR 22182. There are several key revisions but one of the most important is the inclusion of Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) as a race.

How do you think about this change?

This revision has received over 1800 public comments. If you are interested in reading those comments and need assistance with finding and accessing the information, email govhelp@rice.edu or visit Kelley Center informaiton desk for help.

While not quite ready to rival McDonalds' number of hamburgers sold yet

the Office of Information Policy did recently announce that in 2023 the 120 federal government agencies combined processed over one million Freedom of Information Act requests. 

This number of requests is nearly 30% higher than in 2022 and indicates a continuing trend of growing demand for government information. 

All data on information requests is held at FOIA.gov which since 2011 has been the dashboard for reporting by government agencies on statistics concerning FOIA requests. Reporting FOIA statistics is required by law; each agency must submit a report to the Attorney General annually. Since these reports are all published on FOIA.gov, the public can retrieve historical data as well as compile comparative data among agencies. There is no central agency for receiving and processing FOIA requests, but FOIA.gov is the central arena for agencies to submit their reports. 

The Freedom of Information Act was first passed by Congress in 1966 and last amended in 2016. It gives any member of the public the right to request information from any federal agency. There are nine exemptions to agencies’ required response based on personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. Agencies are required to report partial information on requested topics when they can. The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) helps resolve disputes between requesters of information and government agencies who say they cannot disclose the information requested. The Office of Information Policy within the Department of Justice is responsible for guidance to the government agencies on FOIA.

Celebrate World Statistics Day

 

October 20, 2020 is #WorldStatisticsDay. Celebrate the impactful stats and innovative data solutions that drive decision-making with the @USCensusBureau. Explore #DataTools on the #WorldStatsDay page: census.gov/WSD2020 #StatsDay2020 

Every 5 years, #WorldStatisticsDay is celebrated around the world to recognize the value of statistical systems.

Exploring Census Data Webinar Series: New Businesses Statistics Census Bureau’s subject matter experts will provide practical ways to use our business data from economic programs to dive into business expansions and contractions. Join Us The session will explore several dimensions of births and deaths of businesses with highlights to include demographic components of new businesses. The webinar includes a segment on available resources and data tools with the opportunity for questions and answers. Date: August 11 Time: 2:00 p.m. ET Dial In: 888-989-6421 Passcode: 9494158 Link: Log In Details Event Password: census (If required, this password is only for users who join from a WebEx application or mobile app.)

Discontinuing Statistical Abstract

For many Statistical Abstract is the first source of statistical information they consult. Data that would take countless hours to compile is often available there in a table with source information included.  It appears that 2012 budget cuts will mean the demise of this statistical bible. Under the topic "Statistical Abstract and the Consolidated Federal Funds Report, and other noted publications from the Statistical Compendia Branch (Census Bureau)" the Government Printing Office (GPO) help site states:

Question

We've heard the Census Bureau has announced it is going to discontinue the Statistical Abstract and the Consolidated Federal Funds Report. Can you confirm this information? Answer A representative of the agency states: "The just released 2012 budget does not include funding for the Statistical Compendia Branch which would mean the elimination of not only the Statistical Abstract, but all titles produced by that branch (State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book, USA Counties, Quick Facts). No new editions would be produced in print or online. We have already started work on the Statistical Abstract 2012 edition and are still working on the local area products. We will continue to work on these products and have a contingency plan to have the Statistical Abtract 2012 out by the end of September, due to our uncertain future." The Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) was proposed for termination in the FY 2012 Budget.  The FY 2010 CFFR will be the last publication. The data can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/govs/cffr/.

The proposed elimination of the Statistical Compendia Branch originated in the U.S. Census Bureau's Budget Estimates as Presented to Congress, February 2011. Librarians across the country are uniting in protest of the proposed cut and starting a campaign to write Congressmen. *Concerns expressed by librarians include:

• The abstract aggregates social, economic, and political indicators. It is time-consuming and difficult to compile this information. The multitude of government statistical programs and publications can be difficult for many members of the public to understand and use, much less compile.
  
• The abstract provides source information for the statistics provided.
• The printed abstract includes some copyrighted material that will no longer be easily accessible without it. According to the preface of the 2011 Statistical Abstract (under Statistical Abstract on other media), "The Abstract is available on the Internet and on CD-ROM. Both versions contain the same material as the book, except for a few copyrighted tables for which we did not receive permission to release in these formats."
• A similar abstract is published by many developed countries around the world as a tool to understand the state of a nation's social, political and economic functioning. Terminating the Statistical Abstract program would lower the United States international standing as free and open society that values unfettered access to information.

*Much of this information was organized into a sample letter by Hailey Mooney.

Access Who Represents Me to find contact information for members of Congress from Texas.

To see a 45 second video prepared by librarians at the University of Texas at San Antonio explaining what you can find in the Statistical Abstract, access http://librarygrapevine.wordpress.com/nesting-page/april-2011/statistical-abstract/

2008 Education Statistics

According to "The Condition of Education 2008," an annual report published by the National Center for Education Statistics, the nation's student body is becoming more diverse while school enrollment is at an all-time high. At the college level, the largest growth area for enrollment was from women and minority students. However, Hispanic students were underrepresented among the minorities. The report indicates that only 34 percent of Hispanics aged 25 to 29 completed some college as of 2007 compared to 50 percent of black and 66 percent of white U.S. residents. Hispanics born outside the United States are three times more likely to lack a high-school diploma than those from families who have lived in the United States a generation or more.

More college and advanced degrees are being awarded as of 2005-2006 compared with ten years earlier including 28 percent more bachelor's and associate degrees, 46 percent more master's degrees, and 26 percent more doctorates. The most popular undergraduate majors included business, social sciences and history, and education. At the master's level the greatest number of degrees were conferred for the fields of education and business while at the doctoral level education, engineering, health professions and related clinical sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, and psychology were the most popular.

Earnings of young adults with degrees are still greater than their peers without degrees. In 2005 males with a bachelor’s or higher degree earned 64 percent more than their peers who only completed high school compared to 19 percent more in 1980.

At the elementary and secondary level public school enrollment increased. Public school elementary enrollment is expected to increase annually through 2016, while public secondary enrollment should be about 2 percent higher in 2016 than in 2007 after experiencing a decrease of 2 percent between 2007 and 2011