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National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies: 2-Year Child Outcomes Study Survey File

 The Two-Year Child Outcomes Study (COS) Public Use data file and documentation include:  NOTE:  All files are in ASCII     \C2PCOVER.TXT describes the contents of the COS files and documentation and provides important information about calculating impacts with the data set.     \C2README.TXT (this file) provides a list and brief description of the files included on this CD.    \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\DATA\N2PC1730.TXT  This is the ASCII data file with responses to sections of the survey administered to COS respondents (N=3,018). The file includes both the original survey items from the COS modules of the Two-Year Client Survey and created variables for Child Outcomes Study: covariates used in impact calculations, subgroups, child outcomes, targeted intervening outcomes, and non-targeted intervening outcomes. Each sample member has 14 records of data.  The file is sorted by each sample member's randomly generated IDNUMBER and by record number.   IMPORTANT !!!:  1) Survey responses must be weighted to make the findings generalizable to the Full Impact sample.  The variable that weights the responses is called FIELDWGT and is included in the Two-Year Client Survey public use data file (CD #2). See C2PCOVER.TXT and N2PS_IMP.TXT (on CD #2) for details.  2) Respondents' additional background characteristics and administrative records data are stored on the Full Impact Sample public use data file (CD #1).  3) Most outcomes for COS respondents and a few additional outcomes for focal children are stored on the 2-Year Client Survey public use data file (CD #2). These data should be merged (by IDNUMBER) with outcomes from the COS file for the most accurate and complete analysis of program effects.  4) Scores on literacy tests administered during the 2-year COS interview are stored on the Two-Year Literacy and Math Test Scores public use file (CD #4). COS respondents did not take the math test.  \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\CODEBOOK\N2PC_CBK.TXT  This file contains the data codebook, a comprehensive description of N2PC1730.TXT. For each variable on the data file the codebook provides the following information:  The name of the variable and its starting and ending columns on the ASCII file, the variable's SAS informat (5.0 is the default), the variable label,  a brief description of the variable and any issues with the variable. (Note: The data are stored in ASCII, so informats can be changed to conform to any statistical or econometric software package.) The codebook also displays the N, NMISS, MEAN, Standard Deviation, Minimum, and Maximum for each variable.  For variables with 51 values or less,  a frequency distribution is listed.  The frequencies show the value labels. These may be copied and, if necessary, modified to be read into SAS or any other statistical or econometric software package.    \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\LAYOUT\N2PCIPUT.TXT  This file contains the body of a SAS input statement (variable name, starting column, length, informat)  which will read N2PC1730.TXT. To run this input statement in SAS you must add the word INPUT to the top line and a semicolon to the bottom line.  This statement can be modified to input the data into any statistical or econometric software package.   \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\MEANS\N2PCMEAN.TXT  SAS PROC MEANS output contains the following information for all variables:          N, NMISS, MEAN, STD DEV, MINIMUM, MAXIMUM   \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\LABEL\N2PCLABL.TXT  SAS variable label statements for each variable of the data file. Labels can be modified to conform to syntax rules of any statistical or econometric software package.    \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\MEMOS     \N2PCVARS.TXT provides additional background information on survey responses and outcome measures created from these data.    \N2PCCOVA.TXT contains SAS code that shows how covariate and subgroup    measures were created.    \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\OUTPUT   \BRAKHLTH.LST SAS output showing control group means on the Bracken raw score and the maternal reports of the child being in very good or excellent health within each site and comparing across sites. Shows data in Table 5.1 of the COS 2-year impact report.     \CSEMPLOY.LST SAS output showing control group means on employment variables within each site and comparing across sites. Shows data in Table 8.1 of the COS 2-year impact report.     \GLMBRAKN.LST SAS output showing impacts on the Bracken raw score.   Shows data in Table 6.2 of the COS 2-year impact report.     \LOGHLTH.LST SAS output showing impacts on the whether the focal child was in very good or excellent health.  Shows data in Table 6.2 of the COS 2-year impact report.     \EDURSKSG.LST SAS output showing impacts on the mean Bracken score for the subgroups based on education/literacy risks. Shows data in the COS 2-year impact report's Appendix Table 7.1.     \CUMRSKSG.LST SAS output showing impacts on the measure of whether the focal child was in very good or excellent health, for the subgroups based on the total number of composite risks.  Shows data in the COS 2-year impact report's Appendix Table 7.11.   \NEWWS\PUBLIC\2YEAR\COS\TABLES  \SAMTBL1.TXT displays sample sizes for full impact sample, Two-Year Client Survey respondents, 2-year Child Outcomes Study survey respondents, Private Opinion Survey respondents, and sample members who completed literacy and math tests at baseline.  The table also shows random assignment dates.