Houston Independent School District (HISD) Data
Student-level information collected by HISD, including data on demographics, transcripts, assessment results, teacher administration and a variety of other outcomes.
Students and employees in the Houston Independent Schools District system
Access
Houston Independent School District student records data are available to researchers by application. Researchers must sign and submit a Request for Permission to Conduct Research according to the file named “DME2(REGULATION”) and an External Vendor Data Request form (the file named “FL(EXHIBIT)”) which requires the title of the study, reasons for the study and contribution of the study to education research, methodological and data analysis procedures, etc.
The proposed research project must meet the requirements outlined in the file named “DME(EXHIBIT)” and must also receive approval through HISD’s IRB. If the researcher is requesting data that includes confidential student information, they must comply with the data storage, security, and publication procedures listed in the file named “FL(REGULATION)” and the file named “FL3(REGULATION)”.
Timeline for Access
It takes roughly 30 days for the review of the request for permission to conduct research and data access. However, HISD’s Department of Research and Accountability is currently not approving extensive research and data requests for the 2020-2021 school year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cost
There is a $250 nonrefundable application fee for researchers requesting to conduct research in HISD. For graduate students, the fee is $50. There may be an additional fee for accessing the data.
Linking
HISD will consider linking the data to an external data set for a fee on a case-by-case basis.
Identifiers Available for Linking
- Social Security Number
- Student Identification Number
Linking to Outside Data Sources
In order for researchers to obtain social security numbers, the research will need to go through a formal appeal process. The process requires that researchers submit an appeal letter to the assistant superintendent of Research and Accountability. This process does not guarantee access to social security numbers.
Data Contents
Researchers may only gain access to employee-level data if they have obtained written consent from the employee.
Partial List of Variables
Student-level variables: Social Security numbers of students, student identification numbers, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, transcripts, assessment results, and grade reports.
Other Research Using this Data Set
Fryer, Roland G Jr. 2018. "The "Pupil" Factory: Specialization and the Production of Human Capital in Schools." American Economic Review, 108 (3): 616-56.