Challenges of the New Era of Longitudinal Studies: The Perspective from HSLS

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Challenges of the New Era of Longitudinal
Studies The Perspective from HSLS
Laura LoGerfo June 29, 2010
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Objectives of HSLS09

• Understand students trajectories from the
  beginning of high school to postsecondary
  education and/or the workplace and beyond
• Understand how students make decisions about and
  prepare for secondary and postsecondary courses,
  majors, careers
• Understand what factors influence students
  persistence in STEM

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HSLS09 Overview

• 944 schools
• 760 public schools
• 100 Catholic schools
• gt 70 other private high schools
• 21,000 9th graders
• 75 of students have parent data
• 90 have school counselor data
• 93 have school administrator data
• 85 have math or science teacher data

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Challenge 1 Fall Data Collection

• First time among secondary longitudinal studies
• Staffing unstable during summer and fall
• Student rosters unstable in early fall
• Reduced time to set logistics
• Schools face busy fall schedules

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Solution Fall Data Collection

• Begin school recruitment early
• Enlist knowledgeable staff to work as School
  Coordinator
• Prompt school staff for info frequently
• Minimize interruption, maximize support

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Challenge 2 School Reluctance

• Very low school response rate
• Schools cited barriers to participation
• Economy
• NCLB exhaustion
• Competing studies
• Cost/burden

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Solution School Reluctance

• Persist and persevere
• Minimize burden on school staff
• Accommodate and be very flexible
• Collaborate with locals
• Knock on school doors Show up!
• Offer school report

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Challenge 3 Computer Reluctance

• Use school computer labs
• Fraught with perilous problems to security
• Diverse technology requirements / resources
• Unfamiliarity with computer-based testing

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Solution Computer Reluctance

• Sojourn
• Work with IT coordinator in advance
• Students naturals at computer-based testing
• Staff simply respond Y/N to questions for set-up
• Back-up laptops offered to reluctant schools

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Challenge 4 Incomplete Student Surveys

• In ELS, students did not complete all survey
  questions
• Missing data were not randomly distributed
• Timing tightly constrained

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Solution Incomplete Student Surveys

• Randomize presentation of 3 survey sections
• Start with survey to collect contact information
• Incomplete surveys presented again
• 98 of students completed entire survey

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Challenge 5 Parent Reluctance

• Very low parent response rate
• More difficult to reach parents
• Parents questioned purpose of Government survey
• No incentives

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Solution Parent Reluctance

• Persist and persevere
• Implement complex parent incentive experiment
• Offer parents multiple modes of participation

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Challenge 6 Data Security

• Schools more reluctant than ever to provide PII
• Moderate-Risk level prohibited HSLS from
  advertising

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Solution Data Security

• Persistence and perseverance
• Enhanced security procedures
• Emphasize U.S. Department of Education
  involvement
• Data security issues also emerge with states

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Challenge 7 State Reluctance (Kinda)

• Working with 10 states to merge state data
• Data sharing of this nature is a new frontier
• Understanding state and federal legal
  requirements and approval processes
• Limited staff time
• Delayed reward

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Solution State Reluctance (Kinda)

• Persist and persevere
• Work with state and federal SLDS staff
• Make presence known, repeatedly
• Make intangible benefit more tangible
• Privacy! Confidentiality! Security!

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• Questions?
• Now
• (or Later)
• Laura.LoGerfo_at_ed.gov
• 202-502-7402