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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the purpose of this data collection?
- Who is conducting this data collection?
- How can I learn more about the data collection? The sponsoring office(s)?
- What type of questions does the data collection ask?
- Why is it important for districts to participate in this data collection?
- How was my district selected to participate in the data collection?
- What is the sample size for the data collection?
- When will the data collection be mailed? When is the data collection due?
- How long will it take to complete the data collection?
- When will I have to complete this data collection again?
- Whom should respondents contact with questions about the data collection?
- What is my LEA ID (Local Education Agency Identification)? Where is it located?
- How can I report data for this 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection?
- Can I change my reporting selection (Web, CD, mainframe, Excel spreadsheet, or paper forms)?
- Whom should I contact if my district has closed, changed or reorganized?
- We are a regional service agency/cooperative/Board of Cooperative Education Service (BOCES) and not a regular district. Are we required to complete the data collection?
- What is new about the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection?
- What can you tell me about the new web-based component?
- What can you tell me about pre-populated data?
- Why does the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection start at a later date for those districts selecting the web-based (with pre-populated data) mode?
- From where is the pre-populated data obtained?
- What do I do if I have issues with, or notice inaccuracies in, the pre-populated data?
- When I receive error — "Page cannot be displayed" or "Page not found," what should I do?
- When I receive a "timeout message" while I'm inputting data on the web survey tool, what should I do?
1. What is the purpose of this data collection?
The purpose of the 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection is to obtain data about the nation's public school districts and elementary and secondary schools. The data collection provides information about the enrollment of, and educational services to, students in public schools in every state by race/ethnicity, sex, and disability. In addition to use of data by offices within the U.S. Department of Education, policy makers use the information on the survey for several purposes, including helping to identify education and civil rights issues in the nation's public schools.
2. Who is conducting this data collection?
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is conducting the data collection.
3. How can I learn more about the data collection? The sponsoring office(s)?
For more information about the programs within the Office for Civil Rights, please visit its official website.
For more information about the programs and initiatives included within the Performance-Based Data Management Initiative (PBDMI), please visit its official website.
4. What type of questions does the data collection ask?
The 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection will consist of two separate forms: one for the school district to complete (the ED101 Form), and one for each of the schools within the district to complete (the ED102 Form).
Please refer to the attached Sample ED101 (instructions) and Sample ED102 (instructions) Data Collection forms for more specifics.
5. Why is it important for districts to participate in this data collection?
School districts are required to complete the data collection pursuant to Section 3413 of the Department of Education Act, which provides to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights the authority to collect or coordinate the collection of data necessary to ensure compliance with civil rights laws. Information collected in the data collection is required pursuant to 34 C.F.R. 1006(b) of Department of Education regulation implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The requirements also are incorporated by reference in Department regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
6. How was my district selected to participate in the data collection?
The data collection is based on a sampling methodology that is used on a state-by-state basis to ensure that a representative sample of school districts is included in each state sample. In addition, there are districts that are sampled with certainty in every data collection cycle. They are: districts having more than 25,000 students; all districts in states having 25 or fewer public school districts; and districts subject to Federal Court Order and monitored by the U.S. Justice Department.
7. What is the sample size for the data collection?
The sample for the 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection is approximately one-third of the districts in the nation, or about 6,000 districts. All of the schools within these districts (about 60,000) are included in the sample.
8. When will the data collection be mailed? When is the data collection due?
"The 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection will be mailed in January 2005. The data collection is due on March 31, 2005.
9. How long will it take to complete the data collection?
The ED101 form is to be completed by the District and will take an estimated average of 7.0 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, research existing data resources, gather the data needed, complete all items, and review the information collection.
The ED102 form is to be completed by each school within the district and requires an estimated average of 7.0 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, research existing data resources, gather the data needed, complete all items, and review the information collection.
Please note that the data collection is due on March 31, 2005.
10. When will I have to complete this data collection again?
The ED Civil Rights Data Collection is conducted approximately every two years. However, your district may not be selected to participate in the next data collection.
11. Whom should respondents contact with questions about the data collection?
If you need your user id/password information or have additional questions, please email CRDcollection@ed.gov.
12. What is my LEA ID (Local Education Agency Identification)? Where is it located?
Your LEA ID number is a unique identification number that is assigned to each district by the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The LEA ID is a seven-digit identification number used by the Department of Education to identify a school district that has been selected to report in the 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection. It is the reference identification number used in all transactions between a school district and the Data Collection Service Center, including mailings, correspondence, and data correction activities. Providing the LEA ID, as a point of reference will facilitate a response to telephone and e-mail requests for assistance sent to the Data Collection Service Center.
Your LEA ID # is presented at the top of the letter from the Department of Education dated September 1, 2004 notifying you of the upcoming 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection.
13. How can I report data for this 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection?
The preferred method for reporting data for the 2004 ED Civil Rights Data Collection is through the use of the new web-based application. However, the data collection will continue to support other reporting methods (CD-based, mainframe, Excel spreadsheet, and paper forms).
14. Can I change my reporting selection (Web, CD, mainframe, Excel spreadsheet, or paper forms)?
Yes. A district may change their current reporting option by contacting the Data Collection Service Center. The reporting method selected by the district applies to each school within your district. You must indicate the current response selection and what you would like to change to (Web, CD, mainframe, Excel spreadsheet, or paper forms), the LEA ID, name, phone number, and your name. Changing the reporting selection does not change the district's current response due date.
15. Whom should I contact if my district has closed, changed or reorganized?
If you need your user id/password information or have additional questions, please email CRDcollection@ed.gov.
Please provide the Data Collection Service Center with your LEA ID, your name, and phone number.
16. We are a regional service agency/cooperative/Board of Cooperative Service (BOCES) and not a regular district. Are we required to complete the data collection?
Cooperative service programs and BOCES-type service programs that provide whole day services to students (and thus function as receiving districts) are required to provide the survey data to ED. For additional information, please contact the Data Collection Service Center, at 1-800-576-0008, 1-877-521-2172 (TTY), 202-637-6753 (Fax) or via email at CRDcollection@ed.gov.
17. What is new about the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection?
For the first time, the Civil Rights Data Collection has a web-based collection component available for use by respondents. The goals of instituting a web-based data collection are to decrease costs associated with the collection, to reduce the reporting burden placed upon respondents, and to shorten the collection time period to allow for more analysis time. In addition, respondents to the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection may submit ED101 and ED102 data using Excel spreadsheets.
18. What can you tell me about the new web-based component?
After experiencing system and technical difficulties, the web-based component of the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection is now fully operational. The web survey tool provides authorized representatives of school districts and schools with the ability to complete and submit online versions of the ED101 and ED102 forms to the Department of Education. Upon submission, you will receive instantaneous feedback concerning the status of your data, including any additional actions that you may be required to perform. Additionally, users of the web-based component shall have the ability to track the completion progress of the data collection for all of their subordinate organizations.
19. What can you tell me about pre-populated data?
Under its Performance-Based Data Management Initiative (PBDMI), the Department of Education (ED) has coordinated with State Education Agencies to provide a core set of education-related data directly to ED. This core data collected from your SEA that corresponds with the CRD Collection is what will be used to pre-populate the web-based version of the ED101 and ED102 forms used in the collection (if you selected the pre-population option). By using data already provided by your SEA, ED is reducing the burden of its data collections, and is ensuring that state and local education agencies are not asked to report the same information multiple times.
There are some data elements and tables from the ED102 form that we are confident will NOT be pre-populated on the web-based version of the collection; these include:
- Table 13: Student Assignment
20. Why does the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection start at a later date for those districts selecting the web-based (with pre-populated data) mode?
ED entered into agreements with the State Education Agencies (SEAs) for the collection of core school district and school data. Districts selecting the option of web-based reporting with pre-populated data were provided with their logon ID's and passwords in March. The later start of the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection allowed ED to validate and prepare the data, provided by the SEAs, that was used for pre-population.
21. From where is the pre-populated data obtained?
ED obtained the data used in pre-populating the 2004 Civil Rights Data Collection from your State Education Agency.
22. What if the pre-populated data is incorrect? What should I do?
In the Web-based version of the 2004 CRD Collection, you are able to make changes and update any information that was pre-populated for your district.
The data that is used by the CRD Collection for pre-population has been provided to ED by your SEA. Any inconsistencies with the data provided should be reconciled with the SEA.
When I receive error — "Page cannot be displayed" or "Page not found," what should I do?
Before calling customer service, please make sure you have only one browser window open. If multiple browser windows are open, please close all browser windows. Open a fresh browser window and access the URL again. Another open application might lock the browser. If you are still experiencing problems, please contact customer service.
When I receive a "timeout message" while I'm inputting data on the web survey tool, what should I do?
You will see a small window prompting you to click "OK." Go ahead and click "OK," otherwise the session will timeout and you will have to start over again.
Official Forms and Instructions 
ED101 Sample Form (PDF, 112K)
ED101 Instructions (PDF, 145K)
ED102 Sample Form (PDF, 290K)
ED102 Instructions (PDF, 200K)
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