We encourage you to identify publicly available datasets that you might use to formulate or answer your research questions. In particular, we encourage prospective external researchers to explore the aggregate data available on the DPS District Facts & Figures page and, for statewide information, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. 

Below are links to non-DPS data sources specific to education research or are more general and used by researchers across the social sciences. These data sets are readily available for download and can be loaded into free software programs. By using these datasets or others like them, you are likely to avoid the inevitable challenges associated with conducting original data collection (e.g., recruitment, obtaining participant consent, tracking down unresponsive participants, etc.).

• North Carolina Public Schools Statistical Profile
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Data Lab
• NCES Common Core of Data
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
• National Longitudinal Surveys
• Panel Study of Income Dynamics, especially the Child Development Supplement.
• National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health
• Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
  • This repository contains data from over 15,000 studies.