I got my ELS data from NCES. I put the DVD in my drive and ran the installation program, and it set up a little query application. Fine so far. You run the application and get a list of data columns that mostly make sense (level of parental education). You go through the list, select the ones you want, then export the data.
The query application is fine. It’s when you open the exported file that everything gets bizarre.
In the query application, the column names make sense. But in the exported data, well, SCHID is okay for “School ID,” but EX3_4XN_6R just does not, in any way, map onto “math score.” Nor would any reasonable human being look at M4C_9X_3-2 and think, “reading score.” Sure, you can change them in Access or Excel or SPSS or SAS, but if you’re exporting, say, 15 columns of data, you’re in a world of hurt if you forget to write them down from the query application window before you export the data.
Where do they find these idiots who decide to represent “math score” with EX3_4XN_6R? My guess is that lousy database managers who got fired for incompetence in the private sector go to work for the Department of Education.
Is that cynical?
There are lots more problems, but if I get started, I’ll never stop . . .
