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NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD EDUCATION SURVEY PROGRAM
Purpose
The National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES), a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), addresses a wide range of education-related issues. It provides descriptive data on the educational activities of the U.S. population and offers policymakers, researchers, and educators a variety of statistics on the condition of education in the United States.
Although the primary purpose of the NHES is to measure the same phenomena at different times, the NHES also fields one-time surveys on topics of interest to the Department of Education, such as the 1993 School Safety and Discipline and the 1996 Household and Library Use surveys.
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Agencies/Institutions
The National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, funds and conducts the NHES.
Research/Survey Design
The NHES is a cross-sectional survey that studies a specific topic at various points in time. The interviewed households are chosen through random digit dialing, and CATI procedures collect the information. The targeted population of the survey is a representative sample of noninstitutionalized civilians in the United States. Depending on the topical survey being conducted, the respondent may be a child or an adult in the household. Areas with high black and Hispanic populations are oversampled in all surveys to provide accurate estimates for those populations.
The following table summarizes the targeted population and the respondent for each NHES survey topical module.
| Survey Topic | Targeted Population | Respondent |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Education | Civilian adults ages 16 and over not enrolled in elementary or secondary school at time of interview | Adult |
| Before- and After- School Programs and Activities | Children age 10 and younger | Most knowledgeable parent |
| Civic Involvement | Children in grades 6-12 and their parents and civilian adults age 18 and over | Youth and parent |
| Early Childhood Program Participation | Children age 10 and younger | Most knowledgeableparent or guardian of child |
| Household Library Use | Noninstitutionalized civilian population in the United States | Adult household member |
| Parent and Family Involvement in Education | Children age 3 through grade 12 | Most knowledgeable parent or guardian of child or youth |
| School Readiness | Children ages 3 through 7 and children ages 8 or 9 still in grade 2 or below | Most knowledgeable parent |
| School Safety and Discipline | Parents or guardians of children in grades 3 through 12 and children in grades 6 through 12 | Parents and/or youth |
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Date(s)/Periodicity
NHES surveys were conducted in spring 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2003. Each year, two or more surveys cover different topics. The most recent survey, in 2003, consisted of the Adult Education for Work-Related Reasons survey and the Parent and Family Involvement in Education survey. The 2005 survey, which is in the planning stage, will consist of three surveys: Adult Education and Lifelong Learning, Early Childhood Program Participation, and Before- and After-School Programs and Activities. Future surveys will also include topics studied in previous surveys.
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Population/Sample
The NHES surveys a representative sample of noninstitutionalized civilians in the United States. A representative sample of 45,000 to 60,000 households are sampled in the original screening. The original screening tests which households are appropriate for the surveys being conducted, and multiple surveys are given to households whenever possible to minimize costs. Black and Hispanic minorities are oversampled in all surveys to increase the reliability of the estimates produced for ethnic and racial groups. The survey population is nationally representative of the noninstitutionalized civilian population in the United States.
The following table summarizes the sample sizes and response rates for each NHES survey topical module.
| Survey Topic and Year Fielded | Sample Size | Response Rates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Rate for Screener | Completion Rate | Overall Response Rate | ||
| Adult Education | ||||
| 1991 | 12,568 | 81 | 88 | 72 |
| 1995 | 19,722 | 73 | 80 | 59 |
| 1999 | 6,697 | 74.1 | 84.1 | 62.3 |
| 2001 | 10,873 | no data available | ||
| Before- and After-School Programs and Activities | ||||
| 1999 | 12,396 | 74 | 88 | 65 |
| 2001 | 9,583 | no data available | ||
| Civic Involvement | ||||
| Youth 1996 | 8,043 | 66.9 | 76.4 | 53.4 |
| Adult 1996 | 2,250 | 66.9 | 84 | 59 |
| Parent 1996 | 9,393 | 74.1 | 89.4 | 62.5 |
| Youth 1999 | 7,913 | 74.1 | 78.1 | 57.9 |
| Early Childhood Program Participation | ||||
| 1991 | 13,892 | 81.1 | 94.5 | 77 |
| 1995 | 14,064 | 73.3 | 90.4 | 66.3 |
| 1999 | 6,939 | 74.1 | 90 | 66.7 |
| 2001 | 6,749 | no data available | ||
| Parent and Family Involvement in Education | ||||
| 1996 | 20,792 | 69.9 | 89.4 | 62.5 |
| 1999 | 21,222 | 74.1 | 90 | 66.7 |
| School Readiness | ||||
| 1993 | 10,888 | 82 | 90 | 74 |
| 1999 | 6,939 | 74.1 | 90 | 66.7 |
| School Safety and Discipline | ||||
| Youth 1993 | 6,504 | 82 | 83 | 68 |
| Parent 1993 | 12,680 | 82 | 90 | 74 |
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Content Covered
Each year the program is conducted, several surveys are given. NHES surveys have been conducted in spring 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2003. Surveys include Adult Education (1991, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003); Before- and After-School Programs and Activities (1999, 2001); Civic Involvement (1996, 1999); Early Childhood Program Participation (1991, 1995, 1999, 2001); Household Library Use (1996); Parent and Family Involvement in Education (1996, 1999, 2003); School Readiness (1993, 1999); and School Safety and Discipline (1993).
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Availability of Data for Public Use
Data sets and products are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/getpubcats.asp?sid=004
Please note that data from the 2003 surveys will be released in 2004. The NHES website is http://nces.ed.gov/nhes/index.asp.
Reference List for Users’ Guide, Codebooks, Methodology Report(s)
Questionnaires and User’s Guides are available at http://nces.ed.gov/nhes/questionnaires.asp.
Reports are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/getpubcats.asp?sid=004.
U.S. Department of Education. (1997, May). National Household Education Survey: An overview of the National Household Education Survey: 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1996 (technical report). Washington, DC: Author. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97448.pdf
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