Frequently Asked Questions
- If I have already provided this information to the school system, why must I provide it again?
- How will the information be used?
- Who provides the information?
- When and how will the new information be gathered?
- What changes have been made?
- What are the ethnicity and race categories?
- How are the new ethnicity and race categories defined?
- What are the next steps?
- Where can I find more information?
1. If I have already provided this information to the school system, why must I provide it again?
In the past, forms for reporting race and ethnicity to the federal government allowed individuals to be identified in only one racial category. The new form enables individuals to be identified in ethnic and racial classifications and in more than one racial category. The federal government is requiring that ethnic and racial information for all students and staff be reported in this new way in order to reflect the nation’s diversity more accurately.
2. How will the information be used?
The data with the new ethnicity/race categories will be used in the same manner that racial/ethnic data are currently used. The new categories will replace the existing categories for use in all state and federally sponsored statistical data collections that include data on ethnicity or race. Some examples include student record cards and test results.
3. Who provides the information?
Parents will complete a brief form to identify their children’s ethnic and racial identity. Staff members will receive a form to fill out their own information.
4. When and how will the new information be gathered?
Montgomery County Public Schools will follow the new federal guidelines beginning in the fall of 2008. The new form will be distributed to all schools. The families of newly enrolled students AND of all current students will be asked to complete the form and return it to the school. Staff members will be asked to fill out a form at a later time, yet to be determined.
5. What changes have been made?
There are four major changes in the way that ethnicity and race data will be collected—
- There is now a two-part question on ethnicity and race. This allows individuals to report their heritage more accurately.
- The term “Hispanic” has been changed to“Hispanic or Latino”
- The racial category “Asian or Pacific Islander” has been separated into two new categories—“Asian” and “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander”
- Individuals will be able to select one or more races from the five racial groups
6. What are the ethnicity and race categories?
The first part of the two-part question asks whether or not the respondent is Hispanic/Latino. The second part asks the respondent to select one or more races from the following five racial groups:
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
- White
7. How are the new ethnicity and race categories defined?
Ethnicity
- Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Race
- American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains a tribal affiliation or community attachment.
- Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
- White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
8. What are the next steps?
Beginning in the fall of 2008, families of all students will be asked to complete a brief form to update the reporting of their children’s race and ethnicity. Information about collecting staff data will be provided at a later date.
9. Where can I find more information?
More information is available on the MCPS Web site at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/ethnicityrace