Revised federal policies require that multiple-race responses be allowed in all federal data collection efforts, but many researchers find the multitude of race categories and variables very difficult to use. Important comparability issues also interfere with using multiple-race data in analyses of multiple data sets and/or several points in time. These difficulties have, in effect, discouraged the use of the new data on race. We present a practical method for incorporating multiple-race respondents into analyses that use public-use microdata. Our method is a modification of the regression method developed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which uses multiple-race respondents' specific combination of races, as well as other individual-level and contextual characteristics, to predict the respondents 'preferred single race. In this paper we (1) apply the NCHS-generated regression coefficients to public-use microdata with limited geographic information; and (2) provide a downloadable computer program with which researchers can apply this practical and preferable method for including multiple-race respondents in a wide variety of analyses.

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A Practical Approach to Using Multiple-Race Response Data: A Bridging Method for Public-Use Microdata

This article describes local, state, and federal policies related to collecting, aggregating, and reporting data on student race and ethnicity in U.S. K-12 and postsecondary education. It traces data policy from the 1997 decision by the Office of Management and Budget to change from single-race reporting to a format that permits respondents to choose more than one race, to the October 2007 issuance of final guidance from the Department of Education. Taking a K-20 perspective, I consider how policies for data collection and reporting may affect educational and developmental outcomes for students, as well as local, state, and national education policy environments.

Educational Policy, Politics, and Mixed Heritage Students in the United States

In 1997, the Office of Management and Budget revised guidelines for treatment of racial and ethnic data, adding a requirement to allow respondents to indicate more than one race and mandating a change in all federal data collection and reporting by January 1, 2003. Nearly 2 years after the deadline for implementation, however, higher education institutions had not yet been required by the National Center for Education Statistics to make the change. This article discusses the policy context for collecting and reporting data on student race and ethnicity in higher education and challenges created by the addition of the multiple race option. This article describes the current status of postsecondary racial/ethnic data collection, predicts challenges in aggregating and bridging data, and makes recommendations for policy and practice.

Because the Numbers Matter: Transforming Postsecondary Education Data on Student Race and Ethnicity to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Nation

The error of closure in the 2000 census, or the difference between estimated and enumerated populations, poses special problems for public agencies that rely on census data. Nationally and at the state level, populations were only slightly underestimated, but underestimations were high in rapidly growing counties in the South and intermontaine West, as well as in New York City. Race-specific estimates proved far less reliable, with severe overestimates and underestimates of all racial groups in various counties nationwide. We offer explanations for the estimation error and discuss its impact on cancer rates and trends and its implications for cancer surveillance research.

Population Estimation Error and Its Impact on 1991–1999 Cancer Rates*

The increasing demand for small area population estimates calls for both innovative ways of using existing data and new techniques suitable for small area estimates. This paper explores the methods for population estimates by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin at the census tract level for Multnomah County, Oregon. New techniques include employing building permits to indirectly estimate migration and examining the changes in age/sex structure using the American Community Survey (ACS). A practical method for bridging the race categories is also devel- oped. Finally, the paper discusses some reflections on small area estimates and the potentials of using ACS to track the changes of the demographic characteristics for the sub-county level.

New techniques in small area population estimates by demographic characteristics

The question on race from Census 2000 was different from previous censuses because it allowed respondents to select one or more races to indicate their racial identities. Because of this change, the race data from Census 2000 are not directly comparable with data from earlier censuses. Researchers can use `bridging' methods to assign more than one race respondents to single race categories to maximize the comparability of Census 2000 race data with earlier censuses. This paper uses several bridging methods to generate race population estimates and analyzes the variability in those estimates across six single race groups.

Elizabeth M. Grieco

Papers

An evaluation of bridging methods using race data from Census 2000