children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...

could be collected centrally at the federal level.
We have suggested to OCR that it include a question
about the number of dropouts in its annual
survey this coming fall and have received an informal
indication that such a question will be asked.
We realize that the definition of a dropout may vary
from district to district, but we think it valuable that
OCR will receive information by race and ethnic
group.
The OCR survey also provides the only information
available at the national level. and in many
instances at the state level, regarding the number of
students expelled and suspended from local school
districts. District-wide data on expulsions have been
collected by OCR since 1971 and data on suspensions
was collected for the first time this past fall.
We vi ited 17 school districts for our study of children
out of school and found that in over half the
districts the only figures on suspensions centrally
available were those compiled for the report to OCR.
It is apparent that many school districts compile information,
which often turns out to be of value to
them, only at the request of the federal government.
Because it is the only data source in many instances.
we have strongly urged OCR to ask more questions
about school discipline and suspensions, e.g., the
number and length of time for which students are
suspended.
Because so little hard data presently exist from the
numerous education surveys conducted at the federal
level, we recommend that OCR be enabled to expand
its annual survey. We recognize that the survey
was conceived as a civil rights compliance tool, and
when we asked OCR to add questions on suspension
tbey reminded us of this purpose and their space
limitations. However, the usefulness of the OCR
survey could be made much broader with minimal
additional effort. We have been alarmed at the suggestion
that it be curtailed or discontinued because
of financial considerations. Such a move would be
a major setback not only to civil rights enforcement
efforts but to the collection of education data in
general.
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The OCR survey is the largest education survey
conducted at the federal level, and one of the only
ones that includes any data on race, ethnicity or data
on a district-by-district and school-by-school basis.
The large sample survey which has been conducted
by OCR in the fall of every even-numbered year
since 1968 covers over 90 percent of the Nation's
public elementary and secondary school pupils. All
school districts with 3,000 or more students are included
in the survey and the sampling rate for those
under 3,000 varies from 75 percent to 25 percent.
It is absolutely essential, in our opinion, that
OCR's Elementary and Secondary School Civil
Rights Survey be continued and expanded, perhaps
in conjunction with other efforts at the federal level.
Our review of federal data on education, even
though limited in scope, has impressed upon us the
tremendous need that exists for the development of
more coordinated information on the number of
children who are or are not being served effectively
by the present educational system in our country.
The development of such coordinated information
can only occur if there is guidance from the federal
level as to the types of data that must be collected
and the manner in which they must be obtained.
Efforts must also be undertaken to ensure that whatever
data are collected will be published as soon as
possible. Particularly when planning for children
with special needs, it is necessary to have current
data on the number of these children being served by
special programs so that an accurate assessment can
be made of the need for additional services.
Our review of federal data is continuing. We
hope. however, that our preliminary observations indicate
some of the inadequacies in federal education
data, and encourage you to continue to explore ways
to remedy these inadequacies. We hope this is helpful
to you.
Sincerely,
Marian Wright Edelman