Using State Data to Conduct Research in the Field of Gifted Education

Abstract

State databases offer researchers the opportunity to conduct research using data collected by states. These databases contain financial, demographic, and accountability data. Accessing and acquiring data from these repositories, though, can offer challenges to scholars interested in conducting research. This brief describes the type of data collected by states, how to acquire this data, and includes potential limitations when using this data. Special consideration is given to concerns regarding acquiring state information on smaller populations of students, especially students identified as gifted and talented.

Examining Identification Practices and Services for Young Advanced and Gifted Learners in Selected North Carolina School Districts

“…As one of the 20 largest school districts in the United States and a location with a relatively high proportion of teachers and students who have moved here from other parts of the country and world, Charlotte-Mecklenburg in particular, along with its surrounding school districts, often are included in national research studies in education (e.g., Gubbins et al, 2018) because of their representativeness. While the current study is a sample from a single state, rather than a statewide analysis, it is consistent with an emerging emphasis on the examination of gifted education policy at the state level (Hodges, 2020).…”

A Pragmatic Analysis of How North Carolina School Districts Aim to Differentiate for Gifted High School Students

“…First, our study contributes new research findings to the limited body of literature about studying gifted education policy (Dai et al, 2011; Hodges, 2020; Matthews & Rhodes, 2020; Plucker et al, 2017). Specifically, it highlighted how 12 school districts operationalized and integrated state legislation and national and state gifted education standards on differentiation into local gifted education plans.…”

Equitable Access, Locale, Funding, and the Alignment to Performance Ratings in Texas Gifted Programs

“…Following guidelines for using public data (Hodges, 2020), data were acquired for this study from four sources and then aggregated into a single dataset. Student enrollments were obtained from the Office for Civil Rights (2016) data depository, school district locales from the NCES (2017), Texas school district financial information from the TEA (2019c) website, and Texas school district self-assessed performance ratings through a freedom of information request made to the TEA using a Public Information Request.…”