December 1, 2009
New Federal Ethnicity and Race Reporting Guidelines
For more than 30 years, the U.S. Department of Education, along with the other Federal agencies, has been collecting data on race and ethnicity by asking for student data from schools and school divisions. Recently, revised standards for the collection of these data were introduced that will take effect in Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) during next school year (2010-11). As required by law, PWCS is making the changes necessary to be able to collect this revised information for each of our 76,656 students so it can be reported to state and federal agencies.
Since PWCS will begin scheduling high school students for the 2010-11 school year in January 2010, schools need to begin collecting these revised demographic data for students in grades 8-11 right away. (Revised data for students in grades Pre-K through 7 will be collected in the spring.)
In order to facilitate the collection of the new racial and ethnic data, a new form is being sent home with these students beginning December 3, which needs to be completed (both parts A and B), signed, and dated it at the bottom by parents/guardians, and returned to students’ homeroom teachers by December 14, 2009.
The change in collecting and reporting racial and ethnic data allows individuals to self-identify their ethnicity and race, and permits individuals to select more than one race. This change allows individuals to more accurately reflect their racial and ethnic background by not limiting them to only one racial or ethnic category. As called for in the new federal requirements, if the forms are not completed by parents/guardians, then a staff member will observe and select racial and ethnic categories on the student’s behalf.
Links to additional resources and more information:
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