What Prompted States to Make Changes to the Way Data on
Race and Ethnicity Are
Collected?

In half of the eight states where alternative categories are in use, the changes were prompted by complaints or comments from parents or school districts (Table 4). Florida and North Carolina also mentioned an increase in the diversity of the state population as a reason for the change. In Alaska, California, Georgia, and Indiana, revisions in the state code or the data collection requirements within the state government prompted the changes.

Complaints from parents and school districts also prompted the consideration of changes in Arizona, Kansas, and Maryland. Increasing diversity of the state population was also a factor in considering changes in Arizona and Kansas. The respondent from the state education agency in Arizona indicated that there had been an increase in the number of students falling in the "unclassified" category, while the respondent from the state education agency in Kansas mentioned some districts were concerned that some students did not easily fit into the standard federal categories.