Race Category Changes
Changes to how Race and Ethnicity are collected.
I was recently on a call on which the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was presenting potential changes to how Race and Ethnicity are categorized. This is pretty significant, as these categories have not changed since 1997. The changes would further categorize races and ethnicity, as there has been some ambiguity and confusion surrounding Non-White races that did not have, or seemed not to have, a proper identification option. This confusion was also brought about with the additional required selection of Hispanic/Latino Ethnicity.
For the past twenty years, race categories have remained the same. Until now, the “White” category has included people from Canada to Ireland to Algeria and Egypt. To more accurately represent other groups, the OMB is considering the addition of a “Middle Eastern or North African,” group that would separate these races out from the “White” category. This will turn data collection and reporting into much more useful tools by providing more granularity for slicing and dicing data. In addition, new categories for tribal affiliation are being proposed to improve our knowledge of the world’s tribal communities.
Requiring Individuals to answer separate questions about race and latino ethnicity/origin is confusing.
For instance, if a person was of Latino descent, then they would select Hispanic/Latino Ethnicity as true, but they would also need to identify a race of African-American, White, etc. Combining the questions into something phrased with a little more clarity would make data collection more accurate for this group.
The remaining changes deal with the terminology used around race and ethnicity, as well as data collection standards — the changes are just a minimum requirement and does not prohibit more categories to be collected.
Inclusion is important, and will also allow states and districts to collect more accurate data on various race categories and ethnicities. More accurate student data means we will have more information to help us understand the makeup of our professional and academic worlds, giving us a clearer picture of diversity in our universities and colleges across the country.
This doesn’t affect how you are currently tracking race or ethnicity, and also doesn’t currently prohibit you from tracking additional sub-categories of races. This proposed change is standardizing a collection of categories that are already in use by some entities to collect student data, as well as adding one additional option for Middle Eastern or North African students filling out the pertinent forms. You will, at some point, have to start tracking the approved categories.
No change is needed at this time, but it is good to plan for the future. Academia cannot fall behind in tracking race when diversity is such an important aspect of making education accessible to all. The OMB recently finished its Request for Comment (RFC) and will be finalizing the changes in mid-2017. They will then be reviewed, and once they are final, they will be added to the 2020 census.
I recently had a client who wanted to make all of theses change in their Ed-Fi Race Category during the RFC period. I suggested waiting until the changes are finalized to avoid having to make more changes if those proposed are altered. I know, I could have made us double the money in making changes twice, but that isn’t what is best for our clients. I want to make sure we are providing the best information possible, and that our partnership adds value for our clients. If you are still unsure then don’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions or comment on this post.
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