August 2024
On August 12, AERA submitted comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standard Occupational Classification Policy Committee (SOCPC) on potential revisions to the 2028 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). The SOC, also known as Statistical Policy Directive No. 10, ensures consistency and comparability in occupation-based statistical data classification across federal statistical activities.
The SOCPC sought public input on the following topics: the intention to retain the 2018 SOC Classification Principles; the intention to retain the 2018 SOC Coding Guidelines; the intention to retain the 2018 SOC Major Group Structure; whether to develop definitions for major occupational groups; whether to consider changes to, or consolidation of, selected 2018 SOC detailed occupations; whether to consider the addition of new detailed occupations or occupational groups; possible changes to major, minor, and broad occupational groups; possible changes to the STEM occupation framework and its domains; and uses and applications of the SOC.
AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine addressed this issue in 2016—the last time that a revision of SOC was under consideration. Inclusion of education research as an occupation group is significant for the field and its absence has significant consequences.
In AERA’s August statement, Levine wrote:
“We appreciate the commitment from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to update the SOC to accurately represent the landscape of the U.S. workforce. As OMB and BLS continue this work, AERA urges the inclusion of a new broad and detailed occupational category, ‘Education Researchers,’ as an occupational field. This recommendation aligns with comments AERA submitted in 2016 on the 2018 SOC. The lack of federal data on the number of education researchers presents a significant gap and undercount of a sizable and significant scientific field, particularly as an estimated 20 percent of education researchers are employed by organizations outside of postsecondary institutions. Beyond missing enumeration of an important scientific field (now well over 100 years old) is the impact on the field; the scientific community (including relevant federal agencies); and those who use our findings, data, evidence, and statistics.”
Speaking to this point, AERA included three recommendations for the SOCPC. The first was to establish a new occupation for “Education Researchers” under social science occupations. This addition would enable the collection of data on employment of education researchers who work in settings outside of postsecondary institutions. Including education researchers as a distinct broad and detailed occupation would more accurately capture the wide variety of the work done by education researchers. An estimated 20 percent of education researchers are employed in for-profit or nonprofit organizations, government, or K–12 school systems.
AERA also recommended placement of the current detailed occupation “Education Teachers, Postsecondary” under the “Social Science Teachers, Postsecondary” field. This move would align education postsecondary teachers with other social science postsecondary teachers, a category that includes psychology and sociology. This recommendation aligns with a recommendation AERA made for the 2018 SOC in 2016 to split education and library science postsecondary teachers into separate occupational categories.
The final recommendation urged the SOCPC to classify the new “Education Researchers” category and reclassify “Education Teachers, Postsecondary” as STEM occupations in the SOC STEM framework. The characteristics of those employed and the work conducted in both of those occupations are the same as for other scientists and postsecondary social science teachers who are classified in the SOC under STEM occupations. These changes would be an important step to ensure that federal data collections recognize education research as a STEM field. Currently, education research is not consistently included as a STEM field in federal data collections.
The public comment period is the first step in the process for the development of the 2028 SOC. The SOCPC will be providing final recommendations to the chief statistician, with the final 2028 SOC to be released in 2027.
In advancing the August comment, Levine noted the importance of broadening the conversation. She emphasized that “We expect to engage with the community, including other education-research related associations, to expand awareness of the importance of education research being specified in the 2028 SOC classification of occupations. We expect also to update the AERA Consortium of University and Research Institutions (AERA-CURI), compromised of deans and other research leaders, on this topic when it convenes in Washington, D.C., in November.” Interested Highlights readers are encouraged to email govrelations@aera.net.
Related: