Library Research Guides: EDUC 215: Educational Inequality and Social Transformation in Schools: In Class Activities

1. NCES Data

The National Center for Educational Statistics is a fantastic place to base your research in your chosen school district. There are three levels of data dashboards you can use to access different pieces of data:

NCES District Overview
Provides a high-level overview of a school district with information like the school district website and size.
NCES ACS Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates
A user-friendly dashboard with charts displaying demographic information such as race, economic conditions, home internet access, SNAP stats, and much more. Shows a handy comparison to state and national levels.
NCES Data Tables
Drill down to tables of data by selecting general, parent, or child populations and adding variables such as race, language spoken, immigration status, and more.

Using this rather than the estimates can tell you, for example, how many students speak Spanish at home, where the estimates tell you only what percent of the population speaks English less than well.

2. Make your observations into searches

Chat GPT can be a great way to generate key terms. You can try asking it to help you create a list of keywords to use in a scholarly search.
Example: "What are some key terms i can use for searching for topics on education and single parent households?"

Don't be afraid to ask it to refine its list!
Example: "Please generate another list of keywords focusing on the impact of economic pressures in single parent households with school-aged children."

Boolean logic is a method of stringing together key terms in a way that a scholarly database can use to get you the best results. Try out the tips below to chain together your key terms.

3. Trying out a database

In your group of two, try putting at least two search terms from the jamboard into one of the following databases. Don't forget to use AND and OR to combine your terms!

If you're interested in economic factors, consider a sociology or economics database. Interested in the impact of language on educational attainment? I'd try an education or sociology database. Try something out and don't forget to check off the filter for peer reviewed articles!

Education Database This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and indexing of over 900 education journals, many in full-text, from 1988 to present.
ERIC (Education Resource Information Center) This link opens in a new window
Education articles and reports, 1966 to present.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Indexes international scholarly literature in sociology, 1952 to present.
EconLit with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Index of articles, books, and working papers on economics, 1969 to present, with full text for 400 journals.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
With a focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas, this collection gathers historical perspectives on the evolution of the women's movement, men's studies, the transgender community, and changes in gender roles, including articles dating back as far as the 1970s.
Politics Collection This link opens in a new window
Journal articles, think-tank reports, working papers. Comprised of four political science databases, which can also be searched individually: PAIS Index (Public Affairs Information Service), Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, Political Science Database, and Policy File Index

EDUC 215: Educational Inequality and Social Transformation in Schools: In Class Activities

Start Here

1. NCES Data

2. Make your observations into searches

3. Trying out a database