The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics works with other associations and organizations to extend their influence and to expand the scope of activities in which they engage. A small organization such as COPAFS can serve this purpose well – by nimbly facilitating their engagement with a broader group of policy makers, stakeholders, and data users.
Friends of Statistics Groups
To serve this purpose, COPAFS has both · created partnerships and · collaborated with others to establish various “Friends of Statistics” groups. These groups strive to strengthen discrete communities of federal data stakeholders. As a small organization, COPAFS has successfully increased its educational work with the Hill and within the broader statistical community. Members of the “Friends of Statistics” groups are solicited within the content communities relevant to each group. These include think tanks, professional associations, trade organizations, universities, institutions, businesses, and concerned individuals. Members are requested to offer support for letters sent to Senate and House offices, and are invited to relevant meetings and events.
Friends of BLS
Co-Chair: Erica Groshen, former Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Co-chair: Paul Schroeder, COPAFS
Website: Friends of BLS
Twitter: @friends_of_bls
LinkedIn: Connect with Friends of BLS
Friends of NCHS
Chair: Julia Milton, COSSA
Co-chair: Paul Schroeder, COPAFS
Friends of Institute of Educational Sciences (includes NCES)
Chair: Felice Levine, American Education Resource Association
Website: American Education Resource Association
Friends of Agricultural Statistics and Analysis (supports ERS and NASS)
Chair: Caron Gala, AAEA
Website: Friends of Agricultural Statistics & Analysis
e-mail: email Friends of Agricultural Statistics & Analysis
Census Project
Co-Director: Howard Fienberg
Co-Director: Mary Jo Hoeksema, PAA
Website: The Census Project
Communications Partnership with ASA and PAA
COPAFS has recently participated with ASA and PAA on a steering committee for a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The grant proposal focused on enhancing our understanding of the sources of statistics that measure American children’s well-being.
- The relevant products are produced by the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Center for Health Statistics.
- The steering committee worked with outside experts on strategy, communications, and materials.
- The committee contracted with Subject Matter to develop communication messaging.
- Subject Matter conducted focus groups to develop messaging recommendations and subsequently tested those recommendations using social media.
- This research highlighted the data infrastructure of the named statistical agencies that is needed to produce measures of American children’s well-being.
An additional contract was let, with Trevor Butterworth, to produce, for journalists, materials highlighting BLS and NCES data.