Collecting and tabulating race/ethnicity data with diverse and mixed heritage populations: A case-study with US high school students

Abstract

Abstract The increasing diversity of the US coupled with the continuing need for information gathered about race/ethnicity require us to re-examine our practices of collecting and tabulating such data, particularly from individuals of mixed heritage. In the context of Census 2000, which allowed people for the first time to identify with multiple race groups, this article focuses on the context of education and looks at high school students’ self-­identification practices on forms. Survey data gathered from 638 freshmen during 1999–2000 at a diverse, public high school in California indicate: there can be high levels of inconsistency in students’ individual identifications depending on question format and response options provided; and, overall demographic counts can greatly vary depending on how multiple-response data are tabulated. Students’ responses raise questions about whether it is possible to attain a high level of measurement reliability when working with a diverse population that includes individuals of mixed ­heritage. Keywords: Racial/ethnic self-identificationmixed heritagerace classification in schoolsdemographic data collection and tabulation