Combining Institutional and U.S. Census Data to Set Benchmarks

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Combining Institutional and U.S. Census Data to
Set Benchmarks

• 27th Annual Conference
• Texas Association
• for
• Institutional Research
• February 22-25, 2005
• Bruce Lockhart and Joe Meyer
• Texas State University
• San Marcos

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Why benchmark with U.S. Census Bureau data?

• To evaluate how well your institution draws a
  diverse student population.
• To set reasonable targets for where you want to
  be in future diversity.
• To continually monitor progress from where you
  are today to where you want to be.

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U.S. Census Bureau data that might be used in
benchmarking

• Population demographics and educational
  attainment data can be used to set targets for
  faculty and staff diversity.
• Population demographics and growth trends can be
  used to target student recruitment.

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Examples of employee diversity benchmarking at
Texas State

• Workforce diversity
• Targets may be dependent on geographic area of
  recruitment, educational attainment of the
  populace in recruitment area, and type of job
  being filled.

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Employee and Recruitment Demographics

• Administrator and Faculty Diversity
• http//www.irp.txstate.edu/tair/attach12.xls
• Diversity indices at U.S. Texas State
• http//www.irp.txstate.edu/tair/attach3.xls

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Example of student recruitment targeting at Texas
State

• Student recruitment
• Targets may be dependent on geographic location
  of institution, presence of competing
  institutions and feeder schools, and the
  diversity of potential students.

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Texas State students and THECB Enrollment
Projections

• Projections of Texas State growth by county, age,
  gender, and ethnicity
• http//www.irp.txstate.edu/tair/projection.xls

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What kind of Census data are available?

• Thematic maps for a big picture viewpoint.
• Pre-formatted tabular data of most frequently
  requested information.
• Build-your-own datasets by using Census Bureau
  tools.

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Thematic Maps

• CensusScope at http//www.censusscope.org
• U.S. Census at http//factfinder.census.gov

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Preformatted Tables

• U.S. Census at http//www.census.gov
• Texas State Data Center at http//txsdc.utsa.edu

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Build-Your-Own Tables

• http//www.census.gov/
• Census gtACS Home gt Data Tables Main gt Data
  Profiles 2003 gt Texas
• From here you can highlight the table you want to
  use and copy it into an Excel worksheet
• http//factfinder.census.gov/home/en/acs_pums_2003
  .html

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Getting a look at the Data

• Want to download data to play with? This can be
  done in several formats including Access, SAS and
  CSV.
• httpwww.census.gov/support/SF4ASCII.html
• The following will give you data profiles for
  Texas and metropolitan areas within the state.
• http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/Si
  ngle/2003/ACS/TX.htm

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Data Web

• What is TheDataWeb?
• TheDataWeb brings together under one umbrella
  demographic, economic, environmental, health,
  (and more) datasets that are usually separated by
  geography and/or organization. TheDataWeb is the
  infrastructure for intelligent browsing and
  accessing data across the Internet.
• TheDataWeb provides access across the Internet to
  demographic, economic, environmental, health, and
  other databases housed in different systems in
  different agencies and organizations. TheDataWeb
  is a collection of systems and software that
  provide data query and extract capabilities, as
  well as data analysis and visualization tools,
  i.e., the DataFerrett.
• Why do you need TheDataWeb?
• You will need TheDataWeb if you want to integrate
  your own datasets or survey results or setup your
  organization's data. You will also need
  TheDataWeb if you/your organization wants to
  participate as a DataWeb Servlet system or Data
  node.

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DataFerret

• What is the DataFerrett?
• DataFerrett is a unique data mining and
  extraction tool. DataFerrett allows you to select
  a databasket full of variables and then recode
  those variables as you need. You can then
  develop and customize tables. Selecting your
  results in your table you can create a chart or
  graph for a visual presentation into an html
  page. Save your data in the databasket and save
  your table for continued reuse. DataFerrett
  helps you locate and retrieve the data you need
  across the Internet to your desktop or system,
  regardless of where the data resides.
  DataFerrett
• lets you receive data in the form in which you
  need it (whether it be extracted to an ascii,
  SAS, SPSS, Excel/Access file) or
• lets you move seamlessly between query, analysis,
  and visualization of data in one package
• lets data providers share their data easier, and
  manage their own online data.

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Data Available

• Current DataSets Available through DataFerrett
• Searchable Topics under DataFerrett
• American Community Survey (ACS)American Housing
  Survey (AHS)Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
  System (BRFSS)Consumer Expenditure Survey
  (CES)Current Population Survey (CPS)Decennial
  Census of Population and Housing
  (Census2000)National Ambulatory Medical Care
  Survey (NAMCS)National Center for Health
  Statistics Mortality-Underlying Cause-of-Death
  (MORT)National Health and Nutrition Examination
  Survey (HANES)National Health Interview Survey
  (NHIS)National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care
  Survey (NHAMCS)National Survey of Fishing,
  Hunting, and Wildlife-Assocated Recreation
  (FHWAR)Survey of Income and Program
  Participation (SIPP)Survey of Program Dynamics
  (SPD)

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DataFerret tutorial

• DataFerrett User's Guide
• Part 1 - Getting StartedChapter 01 - History of
  the DataFerrettChapter 02 - DataFerrett at a
  GlanceChapter 03 - System RequirementsChapter
  04 - Major Functions of DataFerrettPart 2 -
  MicrodataChapter 05 - Overview of Major
  FunctionsChapter 06 - Step 1 Select Survey
  Variables TabChapter 07 - Browse Variables
  WindowChapter 08 - Step 2 The DataBasket
  TabChapter 09 - Recode WindowChapter 10 - Step
  3 Download / Make a TableChapter 11 - Using the
  Geography WizardChapter 12 - Make a
  TableChapter 13 - Make A Graph Chapter 14 -
  Make A Map Chapter 15 - Microdata vs. Aggregate
  DataChapter 16 - Application vs. AppletSpecial
  Instructions for Extractions for SIPP Users
• Publishing Data to DataFerrett
• DataFerrett MIF Description
• TheDataWeb Publisher-Overview
• MetaData Information File Users' Guide