SOCW 364

Resources & Search Tips Curated for the Community Analysis Research Assignment

Data.census.gov -- Explore Data is the new platform to access data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau. The vision for data dissemination through data.census.gov is to improve the customer experience by making data available from one centralized place so that data users spend less time searching for data content and more time using it.

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Program -- The U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program produces single-year estimates of income and poverty for all U.S. states and counties as well as estimates of school-age children in poverty for all 13,000+ school districts.

Kids Count Data Center -- Kids Count is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and is regarded as one of the premier resources for data on child well-being in the united states.   The project produces a comprehensive annual report and includes state-level reports on all aspects of children and families.

Future Ready PA Index --  The Future Ready PA Index is a collection of school progress measures related to school and student success. The Index includes a range of assessment, on-track, and readiness indicators, to more accurately report student learning, growth, and success in the classroom and beyond.    Efforts to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic have impacted the availability of some data.   
Future Ready PA Index cBottom of the boxontains the most recent data available in the 2019-2020  school year.

PA Counties, Townships, Boroughs, and Cities explained -- from the WHYY.org website helping to clarify Pennsylvania's municipalities and explain the differences between them.   Why is this helpful?  sometimes you need to use "borough" when searching instead of "town"   and some "townships" surround "boroughs" with the same name --- these are all 'keywords' to use when searching databases; datasets as well as the internet.

What is the difference between Data and Statistics?

In regular conversation, both words are often used interchangeably. In the world of libraries, academia, and research there is an important distinction between data and statistics. Data is the raw information from which statistics are created. Put in reverse, statistics provide an interpretation and summary of data.

Statistics

  • Statistical tables, charts, and graphs
  • Reported numbers and percentages in an article

If you’re looking for a quick number, you want a statistic. A statistic will answer “how much” or “how many”. A statistic repeats a pre-defined observation about reality.

Statistics are the results of data analysis. They usually come in the form of a table or chart.

Data

  • Datasets
  • Machine-readable data files, data files for statistical software programs

If you want to dig into a phenomenon, you want data. Data can be analyzed and interpreted using statistical procedures to answer “why” or “how.” Data is used to create new information and knowledge.

Raw data is the direct result of research that was conducted as part of a study or survey. It is a primary source. It usually comes in the form of a digital data set that can be analyzed using software such as Excel, SPSSSAS, and so on