This Week In IPEDS (TWII)

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

As you know, last October the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic (R/E) Data. A summary of how the guidance affects REPORTING data to IPEDS remains available on the IPEDS website at http://nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/Section/ana_Changes_to_25_2007_169. The IPEDS HELP Desk has also received several calls regarding how the guidance affects how you COLLECT racial and ethnic data on your campus. Here is some additional information that may be useful:

• Within the next few months, ED plans to issue additional feedback concerning the transition to the new R/E categories. This feedback will include some examples of possible wording to be used in the collection of R/E data (note that this is NOT suggested wording).
• For ONE example of possible wording of the two-part R/E question, see STANDARD 1-5-1 at http://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2002/std1_5.asp. It details how NCES has implemented the OMB requirements in its own surveys that collect data directly from individuals.
• Per the OMB requirements, the wording for the race portion of the question must instruct the respondent to choose one or more, NOT to choose all that apply.

When additional information becomes available, we will notify IPEDS Keyholders via a “This Week in IPEDS” email. Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance at this time.

IPEDS Help Desk
Toll Free 1-877-225-2568
ipedshelp@rti.org