Support of Federal Statistical System
The ASA actively supports the federal statistical agencies through work with other stakeholders, the ASA Board, and others. This work includes a project to assess the health of the federal statistical agencies. ASA’s support of the federal statistical system goes back to 1839 when ASA’s founders gathered in Boston to discuss how to make the 1840 decennial census better.
Actions
The ASA actively supports the federal statistical agencies through letters, board statements, meetings, and coalitions. See, for example, these webpages
Agency Monitoring
The ASA follow closely and reports statistical system developments:
Education and Awareness Building
The ASA also supports the federal statistical agencies through education and awareness building via Amstat News, social media, member communications, media releases, information briefs, and other channels. See, for example, the following:
- Count on Stats, a public relations campaign launched in January 2018 “to advance the federal statistical system and awareness of its far-reaching benefits to our government, economy, and society”
- Policy and Advocacy webpage
- Social media posts by Science Policy Director Steve Pierson on LinkedIn and BlueSky
- New: National Teacher and Principal Survey. This document is a pilot for a proposed project to communicate how National Center for Education Statistics data are used and produced, as well as the background and status of NCES’ data collections. Please send any feedback and suggestions on this pilot or project to American Statistical Association Director of Science Policy, Steve Pierson: [email protected].
Research and Analysis
The ASA regularly conducts research and analysis to inform its support and advocacy for the federal statistical agencies. See, for example, these initiatives:
Special Commissions
Since its founding, the ASA has assembled various panels to address specific issues. For example, in 2020, the ASA assembled a task force to assess the, quality, accuracy, and coverage of the 2020 Census, resulting in the report, 2020 Census Quality Indicators.
Other Links
National Academies’ Committee on National on Statistics
Office of Management and Budget’s Statistical Programs and Standards (URL will change with each administration)
StatsPolicy|gov