Appendix A — Survey Methodology

Respondents

In February 1997, FRSS Coordinators in the 50 states and the District of Columbia were sent letters concerning an upcoming telephone survey on the state collection of racial and ethnic information from public schools, along with a list of issues that would be addressed. These letters were followed up with phone calls to determine the individual in the state department of education who would be most knowledgeable about these issues. Once the designated respondent was contacted, a structured telephone interview, which allowed for different paths of questioning depending on answers to previous questions, was conducted. Interviews were completed with representatives from 49 states and the District of Columbia. Hawaii did not respond in the survey.

Background Information

The survey was performed under contract with Westat, Inc., using the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS). Westat's Project Director was Elizabeth Farris, and the Survey Manager was Nancy Carey. Judi Carpenter, Edith McArthur, and Shelley Burns were the NCES Project Officers. The data were requested by Edith McArthur of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Sharon Tuchman (retired), of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Education. The survey was developed by NCES and the OCR in the Department of Education as part of the research associated with the review of the Office of Management and Budget's Statistical Policy Directive No. 15, "Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting."

This report was reviewed by the following individuals:

Outside NCES

• Suzann Evinger, Office of Management and Budget
• Roderick Harrison, Bureau of the Census

Inside NCES

• Robert Burton, Statistical Standards and Services Group
• Charles Hammer and Lee Hoffman, Survey and Cooperative

Systems Group

• Holly Spurlock, Assessment Group

For more information about the Fast Response Survey System or the State Survey of Racial and Ethnic Classifications, contact Shelley Burns, Data Development and Longitudinal Studies Group, National Center for Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208-5651, telephone (202) 219-1463. This and other NCES reports are available on the Internet at http://nces.ed.gov.

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