Comment Request: Survey of Earned Doctorates

A Notice by the National Science Foundation on 10/27/2026
This document has a comment period that ends in 46 days. (12/28/2026) 

"Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the NCSES, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the NCSES's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, use, and clarity of the information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology."

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA)

NSF Faces Another Leadership Shake-Up as Top Officials Prepare to Depart

November 3, 2026

"Uncertainty mounts at the National Science Foundation (NSF) with the recent announcement of the upcoming departure of Acting Director Brian Stone and Acting Chief of Staff Rebecca Keiser. According to an internal staff memo, Stone announced his plans to retire at the end of the year, while Keiser will depart at the end of November. The White House is said to be working with the agency to identify a new acting director."

From Mark Mather, Associate VP, Population Reference Bureau

"The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has finished its Data for the Future series, which proposes a mission statement and 15 recommendations for modernizing the U.S. federal statistical system. The recommendations pull together reforms drawn from more than two dozen existing proposals and a year of interviews and roundtables. Each brief includes a matrix showing which organizations back each recommendation."

Read the complete report, "Recommendations to Improve Access and Accountability in the Federal Statistical System"

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

ISSUE ON "The Aging of Immigrant America"

"The aging of immigrant America reflects a recent but understudied demographic transition. As older immigrant adults account for a larger share of both the foreign-born and the total U.S. population, this call for papers invites contributions that examine what this demographic shift means for older immigrants themselves, their families and ethnic communities, and, ultimately, for U.S. society and its institutions. This research agenda has policy implications for the political sphere, public health, and social service provision in support of "healthy aging."

"This call for papers builds on an emerging body of multidisciplinary research on immigrant older adults. Despite its multidisciplinary scope, this literature remains fragmented across fields such as social gerontology, health and retirement, and immigrant integration. We invite prospective contributors to consider how the following five conceptual questions might inform their projects. How might theoretical insights from these fields be integrated to guide empirical research on the transition into later life? How can we study this transition as a multidimensional process rather than a single event (e.g., retirement)? Beyond the outcome-based approach (i.e., focusing on specific life outcomes), how can a trajectory-based approach broaden the research? What mechanisms and processes perpetuate or exacerbate inequalities in aging? How distinct are the aging experiences of immigrant older adults from those of non-immigrant older adults?

"Prospective contributors should submit a CV and an abstract (up to two pages in length, single or double spaced) of their study along with up to three pages of supporting material (e.g., tables, figures, pictures, etc.) no later than 5 PM EST on January 19, 2027."

Read the complete call

Singlehood in Midlife, United States, 2023 (ICPSR 39883)

"The Singlehood in Midlife study was focused on single adults aged 30 to 50 living in the United States. The study sought to provide insights about the positive and negative aspects of spending time alone, a wide range of social ties outside the boundaries of co-residential romantic relationships, and views of singles themselves, specifically regarding stigma and discrimination.

"The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution."

Citation
Guzzo, Karen Benjamin, Manning, Wendy D., and Brown, Susan. Singlehood in Midlife, United States, 2023. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-10-19. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39883.v1

Data-Intensive Research Conference

August 4-5, 2027 | Minneapolis, MN

Abstracts due February 5, 2027

"Abstract submissions are now open for the 2027 Data-Intensive Research Conference. The 2027 conference theme is Linking Exposures and Health Across the Life Course. This theme is an opportunity to examine exposures across the life course through the lens of life course trajectories and health at later ages. We invite abstracts that explore exposures across many domains ー including social, economic, political, environmental, and more. Review the call for abstracts."

In the October 29 Federal Register, the National Center for Education Statistics published a request for information (RFI) "on the strategic redesign of its portfolio of studies, including administrative data collections and sample surveys, both cross-sectional and longitudinal." Comments are due by December 3, 2026.

"NCES seeks to develop a framework that can guide the strategic redevelopment of its portfolio of work. To do so, NCES is soliciting insights from experts and innovators in state and local education policy and practice, federal statistics, data collection methods, and other interested stakeholders to address questions such as:

1. What data do states and districts, educators, and families currently most need to inform their efforts to improve outcomes for all learners?

2. How can we prepare data collections for future data needs reflecting the potential for changed educational conditions and challenges?

3. What data collection methods are best suited to meet current and evolving information needs?

4. How might data collection and dissemination be optimized for future Super Intelligence or SI (formerly referred to as Artificial Intelligence or AI) applications and uses?

5. What dissemination methods are best suited to meet the information needs of NCES's diverse audiences?

6. Which data collection and dissemination methods are most efficient, optimizing the value of the outputs generated by those activities and the resources needed to execute them?

7. What federal, state, local, and industry partnerships are needed to enable those methods and make the most of the data NCES collects?

Additional Areas of Interest

1. NCES is particularly interested in minimizing burden on respondents, particularly in the context of declining survey response rates. However, NCES is committed to the utility of the data it provides to the public. How might NCES prioritize and streamline its data collections to balance respondent burden and benefit?

2. Historically, NCES has sought to maximize the potential value of its data by developing data assets and products for non-technical audiences. This has included extensive derivation of analytic variables drawing across multiple study data sources, imputation designed to maximize data's analytic utility, and the development of extensive user documentation. These activities necessarily compete with NCES's timeliness goals. How might NCES resolve this tension in a way consistent with its responsibilities as statistical agency serving the public?

See also the previous DCSS news item, "American Statistical Association: A Vision and Strategy for Remaking NCES" (Aug 30)

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

ISSUE ON "What Families Pay in Time: Developing a Time-Cost Perspective on Programs and Services for Families"

"Policy research on family wellbeing in the United States tends to focus on financial barriers to goods and services that families need to thrive. What families pay in time for goods and services and the processes by which these time costs are extracted through administrative structures are, by contrast, often invisible. To understand the true costs of and inequalities in families’ investments, we need a more robust analysis of the time costs that families at different points in the income distribution pay to access what they need across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

"We invite papers examining access to and interactions with educational, health, childcare, social, recreational, and developmental services. We are interested in the kinds of services acquired across the income distribution, which could include "optional" services like travel sports. While we would prefer to focus on interactions requiring time, rather than access to goods and services, we are also open to research about how people use money to outsource or mitigate time costs. Research might focus on services acquired for oneself or for children, older adults, or other dependents for whom regular care is given. We are also interested in research that takes service-delivering organizations as its unit of analysis, particularly the policies or management structures that shape clients' time costs.

Prospective contributors should submit a CV and an abstract (up to two pages in length, single or double spaced) of their study along with up to three pages of supporting material (e.g., tables, figures, pictures, etc.) no later than 5 PM EST on January 6, 2027."

Read the complete call for articles here

Read the proposed rule and submit comments via Regulations.gov. Comments are now due November 2. [Notice of the extension is here (PDF)]

Resources for commenting:

handsoffourcens.us "Hands Off Our Census is a pop-up consortium that provides nonpartisan resources, analyses, and updates on the proposed census rule, bringing together organizations and experts across the census, data, and data policy communities."

Resources curated by IPUMS for responding to Proposed Changes to the 2030 U.S. Census

Previous DCSS news item, "Comment period extended for proposed changes to decennial census 2030 (Nov 2)" (Oct 7) [Includes several references]

The US Treasury Department and the IRS recently proposed a rule threatening the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status of private schools that offer targeted support to students based on their race.

Trump administration pushes to remove tax exemption for private colleges with DEI policies

AP News (Sep 3)

“The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that would strip private schools and colleges of their tax-exempt status if they provide targeted help to students based on their race, a significant escalation in the White House’s campaign to eradicate diversity programs directed at Black, Hispanic and other minority students.

“The Treasury Department proposed the change Thursday in a new regulation that, if made final, would kick in after May 2027. The rule is broadly aimed at ending any policies or programs that help students because of their race, and it specifically says such benefits in admissions, scholarships and facilities “would be incompatible” with the rule.

“It’s the latest attempt by the Trump administration to pressure schools and colleges to weed out diversity, equity and inclusion policies that had become common before President Donald Trump returned to the White House with a promise to end them. Trump officials have used Civil Rights-era laws to unwind the policies, saying they discriminate against white and Asian American students.”

From the Alliance for Higher Education

“The latest proposed rule from the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would revoke tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status from any private schools offering targeted support to minority students. 

“This new proposed rule threatens the tax-exempt status of institutions working to ensure fair opportunity for all students. It is not an isolated move. Collectively, the Department of Education's proposed accreditation rules, its recent National Call to Action, the OMB and EDGAR rules for grant-making, state-level restrictions on race, gender, and sexuality studies, and the IRS proposed rule limit students' access to higher education and undermine the freedom to teach, learn, and research. Each of these proposals uses diversity, equity, and inclusion as a dog whistle to divide rather than unite America. Our work must be to include, not exclude, all groups in higher education and our democracy. Zooming out even further, the IRS proposed rule is an assault on all nonprofits. This is not about higher education alone-–it is about who we claim to be and who matters.

“As many as 18,000 schools could be affected, from small colleges to large universities, K-12 to postsecondary. The schools with the fewest resources to survive an IRS audit will be hit hardest. We cannot let this administration divide the sector and pick off the most vulnerable institutions first.

• For more information on the proposed rule and for guidance on submitting public comment, see our IRS proposed rule public comment toolkit. 
• Speak out and spread the word about the threat this proposed rule poses and join us in encouraging others across the field to act. The Alliance’s IRS Tax-Exempt Rule Toolkit provides talking points, actions you can take, and social media content.

“Public comments close Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Federal agencies must review unique comments, so your submission is vital.”

The Alliance is presenting a webinar, “What the Proposed IRS Rule Change Means for Higher Education, Democracy, and Collective Action” October 29, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern.