Education Data Sources

This workshop will cover the characteristics, types and strengths  of education-oriented data from administrative, survey, and digital exhaust/social sources. The workshop will explore uses for secondary data in student research processes, differences between microdata and aggregate data, search strategies, the  roles of academic archives, state agencies, and federal statistical agencies, and confidentiality risks and the mechanisms to minimize those risks at Berkeley and elsewhere. After an overview of resources, students will receive specific advice on datasets that they can use for their independent research projects in the field of education. GSE students’ interests range from early childhood to transitions to college and within various disciplinary domains, including special education and school psychology. Dr. Clark (RCME alum) will be supporting this course, in particular bringing awareness to the technical challenges involved with using public data, and the solutions available in the D-Lab, elsewhere on campus, and beyond.