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2024 VLDS Research Forum
This in-person event will take place on October 29th & 30th
at The Westin in Richmond, Virginia
Registration is free
Announcing the 2024 VLDS Research Forum Keynote Speaker
The fourth annual VLDS Research Forum will be held October 29-30, 2024. We are excited to announce the keynote speaker will be Dr. Dan Goldhaber, Director of the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER, caldercenter.org) at the American Institutes for Research and the Director of the Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR, cedr.us) at the University of Washington. Dr. Goldhaber's areas of expertise includes teacher quality, teacher labor markets and teacher pay and licensure & the effects of accountability systems and market competition on K-12 schooling.
Dr. Calder's address entitled "Assessing Longitudinal Data Systems: What Questions Can (and Cannot) Be Answered" will showcase research utilizing these systems to inform policy and practice, addressing issues such as teacher preparation, labor supply and demand, and equity. His talk will also cover potential SLDS (state longitudinal data system) improvements to enhance these systems' effectiveness for informing policy. Join us as we welcome Dr. Goldhaber to Richmond this fall!
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Modernized myVLDS Research Portal is live!
We're excited to announce that the modernization of the existing Virginia Longitudinal Data System Research Portal (myVLDS) is complete! This portal went live on August 23rd. As promised, this new intuitive portal will save time and help track your workflow via the updated, user-friendly platform. The new, visually appealing platform will make it easier than ever for approved researchers and other end users to log in, submit research proposals/plans, query data, and retrieve data packages. Please tour the updated portal soon! To gain access to the portal to start your new research project, please contact a sponsoring agency.
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Student Longitudinal Schedule and Course Record (SLSCR) Tool is Now Available
We are excited to announce that the Student Longitudinal Schedule and Course Record Query Tool is now available through the Virginia Department of Education's Single Sign-on Web Systems (SSWS). This tool provides student-level longitudinal data based on VDOE's major data collections to assist school division personnel in making informed decisions about the most appropriate educational placements and enrollment for students in foster care. To gain access to this application, please coordinate with your division's SSWS administrator. A brief webinar is available to provide an overview of the access process and the functionality of SLSCR.
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System Tip of the Quarter
VLDS queries may fail for a wide variety of reasons. If you receive an error message from the system, contact your agency sponsor. It may be a problem with the query, but it also may simply be due to a network problem or system error. The agency sponsor can advise you on how to modify your query or which queries need to be resubmitted or if the package can be resubmitted for you.
If you would like to know more about the best practices in querying the VLDS data, this webinar "How to Design, Build, Manipulate, and Analyze Effective VLDS Data Packages: Avoiding Common Errors and Pitfalls" provides a good start. This webinar was part of the 2022 VLDS Research Forum.
Fun Facts of the Quarter
Data analytics has been used to help save honeybee populations, which are crucial for pollination and agriculture. Researchers and beekeepers use data from sensors placed inside beehives to monitor temperature, humidity, and bee activity. By analyzing this data, they can predict when a hive is at risk of collapsing due to disease or environmental stressors, allowing them to take preventative actions to protect the bees. This is a great example of how data analytics can have a surprising and positive impact on the environment and food security!
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Findings from recent study highlight the importance of child-care subsidies for the employment outcomes of low-income families
The study Earning and Employment Patterns Following Child-Care Subsidy Receipt, authored by W. Clay Fannin, Colleen Heflin, and Taryn Morrissey, published in Social Science Review, uses longitudinal administrative data from Virginia Department of Social Services and Virginia Employment Commission (2016 to 2019) on quarterly employment and earnings and child-care subsidy program participation from Virginia to examine associations between household subsidy receipt and parents’ earnings and employment outcomes.
 Parental employment and earnings increased in the quarters following initial subsidy receipt, which then became stable. Among working parents, researchers found increased job and earnings stability in the quarters of subsidy receipt, but increased multiple jobholding.
Please check the Featured Studies page on VLDS website to stay updated about the latest research studies that used VLDS data.
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