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New Data
Understanding Virginia's Behavioral Health Workforce
Did you know that 40% or less of licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers accept Medicaid and/or Medicare for payment for behavioral healthcare services in Virginia? This compares to at least 70% of psychiatrists and nurse practitioners with a psychiatric/mental health specialty who do the same. These and other statistics are available from “Virginia's Behavioral Health Workforce,” a 16-paged visualization (viz) recently released by the Healthcare Workforce Data Center at the Virginia Department of Health Professions. Visit us here to learn more!
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System Tip of the Quarter
Use of Retired/Special Purpose Data Elements
A few data elements in VLDS are in the process of being retired or are used for special purposes. These are indicated by a ‘SP’ or ‘X-‘ prefix. Researchers (and query approvers) should always look at the data elements they are requesting and verify they actually make sense in terms of their research. Requesting more data than actually needed slows down query processing and takes up additional disk space which also increases the risk of failure.
Fun Facts
Longitudinal Data Through the Generations
Did you know that the longest-running longitudinal study in the world has been continuously collecting data for over 80 years? The Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed the lives of 268 Harvard sophomores and their children since 1938. The study has produced valuable insights into human development and has been used to investigate a wide range of topics, including relationships, happiness, and health. Interestingly, the study has also revealed that wealth and fame are not the biggest predictors for happiness, but rather, strong relationships and social connections.
Visualizations that Last for Lifetimes
One of the most famous data visualizations is the London Underground map, which was designed by Harry Beck in 1931. The map prioritizes simple lines, bold colors, and readable place names over geographic accuracy to help passengers quickly understand routes. The map is still used today and has become an iconic design and a template for public transit information around the world.
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The Erasure of "Other" In Data Collection
In the Urban Indian Health Institute’s 2021 report, “Data Genocide of American Indians and Alaska Natives in COVID-19 Data”, one of the key recommendations for collecting race/ethnicity data is avoiding and disaggregating the “Other” and “Multiracial” categories of race.1 These categories can act as a process of erasure for smaller population racial groups. When discussing Indigenous populations, one could frame this erasure as a continuation of the settler-colonial project, since the historical and continual presence and violence of settlers is the reason for the lower population numbers.2 Additionally, the category of Multiracial is not informative and largely exists so tables will add up to 100%. Racial formation in the United States is and always has been in a constant shifting state.3 Denying recognition of racial identity due to the presence of multiple identities restricts resources at best and, at worst, continues the dangerous ideology of racial purity.
1 Urban Indian Health Institute. (2021). Data genocide of American Indians and Alaska natives in COVID-19 data. https://www.uihi.org/projects/data-genocide-of-american-indians-and-alaska-natives-in-covid-19-data/
2 Lefevre, T. A. (2015). Settler colonialism. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
3 Fields, B. J., & Fields, K. E. (2022). Racecraft: The soul of inequality in American life. Verso Books.
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Upcoming Events
Summit of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium
The 2023 Summit of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) will take place on June 29th at Huguenot High School. The event will bring together stakeholders from research, policy, and practice to discuss enduring and emerging issues in public PK-12 education. We welcome proposals from school and central office based educators and leaders on a variety of topics. Click above to submit a proposal and register to attend, the deadline to submit a proposal is May 5th.
Save the Date - 2023 VLDS Research Forum
The 2023 VLDS Research Forum which will be held IN PERSON on September 27th and 28th. We are looking forward to bringing researchers, practitioners, and legislators together to explore how ethical and equitable data usage can improve access, opportunities, and outcomes for our constituents. Be on the lookout for additional correspondence from us as well as more details coming soon on the VLDS site.
Past Events
SLDS Best Practices Conference
The National Center for Education Statistics annually hosts the State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Best Practices Conference. This year, the VDOE team presented on recent work to expand and increase collaboration within our research community. Examples of our ongoing community outreach, such as this newsletter and the annual research forum, showcased the value of continuous engagement with our partners and colleagues and how this strengthens the VLDS.
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