Alternatives to School Research

Bureau of Educational Research

Last update: August 21, 2020

Available Data Sets

• National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), US Department of Education
• Urban Institute Education Data Explorer. Provides access to many relevant data sources (NCES, IPEDS, etc), in an easy-download format. This may be helpful for people less experienced with these data sets.
• Knoema
• Chicago Public Schools Data Sets
• Illinois Board of Higher Education Report Card Data Library (Research & Data Tab: Data & Statistics, IHEIS Data Collection, Reports and Studies)
• Illinois Library Guide: Social Science, Health, and Education Data and Statistical Sources: Education Statistics
• World Bank Education Data Sets
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Best Practices in Online Research

• Addressing Challenges and Pitfalls in Internet Data Collection
  • Aguinis, H., Ramani, R., Villamor, I., Bernerth, J., DeSimone, J. A., Keith, M. G., Landay, K., & Taylor, E. (2019). Addressing challenges and pitfalls in internet data collection. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 2019(1),1.
  • https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2019.10557symposium 
• Pitfalls, Potentials, and Ethics of Online Survey Research: LGBTQ and Other Marginalized and Hard- to-Access Youths
  • McInroy, L. B. (2016). Pitfalls, potentials, and ethics of online survey research: LGBTQ and other marginalized and hard-to-access youths. Social Work Research, 40(2), 83-93.
  • https://doi-org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/10.1093/swr/svw005 
• The Challenges of Conducting Surveys of Youth
  • Lenhart, A. (2013, June). The Challenges of conducting surveys of youth. Pew FactTank.
  • http://pewrsr.ch/12dDEIO
    
• Ethical issues in using the internet to engage participants in family and child research: A scoping review
  • Hokke, S, Hackworth N.J., Quin, N., Bennetts, S. K., Win H. Y., Nicholson J. M., et al. (2018). Ethical issues in using the internet to engage participants in family and child research: A scoping review. PLoS ONE 13(9): e0204572.
  • https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204572 

  Virtual Schools

  • Illinois Virtual School
    
  • Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute Research Clearinghouse
    
  • Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2019

  Alternatives to Recruiting through Schools

  • GivePulse online platform for recruiting and organizing participants and volunteers. It is currently in use by the We CU project, by the Illini Union Office of Volunteer Programs, and for other campus activities.