Exploring National Teacher and Principal Survey and Teaching and Learning International Survey Data Using the National Center for Education Statistics' Free Online Data Analysis Tools

Session Type: Professional Development Course

Abstract

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collects data on teachers, principals, and schools through various nationally representative surveys, such as the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), a primary source of information about what is happening in K–12 schools across the United States; and the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), an international survey of lower secondary teachers and principals. While these large-scale surveys provide rich and reliable information, analyzing them may be overwhelming to potential users for various reasons, such as the size of the files, with thousands of variables; and the comprehensive technical documentation and analysis procedures that must be considered due to the surveys’ complex sample designs.

The course is designed for researchers, school administrators, teachers, and policymakers interested in national or international data on teachers, principals, or schools. The purpose of this 4-hour mini-course is to familiarize participants with NTPS and TALIS and to help them conduct analyses with these data using NCES’s two free online data tools—PowerStats for NTPS and the International Data Explorer (IDE) for TALIS—to generate descriptive statistics, perform regression analysis, and interpret the results. Participants will use their own research questions togain hands-on experience with the tools.

Sub Unit

• Professional Development and Training Committee

Director

• Ebru Erberber, American Institutes for Research

Instructors

• Frank Torres Fonseca, American Institutes for Research

• Saki Ikoma, American Institutes for Research