[NLA] but wait, there's more--USDE web site

Tue Nov 26 14:57:17 EST 2002

In my mind the question is whether it is necessary to remove old 
informative information.  For $200 dollars you can get a 20 gig 
hardrive.  Storage on the internet is so cheap that content decisions 
are made for other reasons.

Debbie Yoho wrote:

>Regarding:
>
>EDUCATION RESEARCHERS, social scientists, and library
>  
>
>>representatives have charged that the Education Department is
>>preparing to delete information from its Web site, in part,
>>because the material does not reflect the philosophies of the
>>Bush administration.
>>    
>>
>
>Before I get too excited, does anyone--Jon--know if this is unusual?  I
>would think that eventually all administrations get around to reshaping
>public information to "fit philosophies". I'm interested to see what
>results, as testimony to those philosophies, but I routinely expect
>anything from the DOE to carry with it the biases of the respective
>administration.  Debbie   
>
>
>Deborah W. Yoho
>Co-moderator, NIFL-Health Listserv
>President, SC Adult Literacy Educators
>Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council
>2728 Devine Street,  Columbia, SC  29205
>803-765-2555   Fax  803-779-8417   dwyoho at earthlink.net
>
>
>  
>
>>[Original Message]
>>From: George E. Demetrion <sophocles5 at juno.com>
>>To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>>Date: 11/25/2002 9:34:02 PM
>>Subject: Re: [NLA] but wait, there's more--USDE web site
>>
>>On Mon, 25 Nov 2002 07:55:08 -0500 mev at litwomen.org <mev at litwomen.org>
>>writes:
>>    
>>
>>>From the Chronicle of Higher education
>>>
>>>*  EDUCATION RESEARCHERS, social scientists, and library
>>>   representatives have charged that the Education Department is
>>>   preparing to delete information from its Web site, in part,
>>>   because the material does not reflect the philosophies of the
>>>   Bush administration. More than a dozen groups expressed their
>>>   concerns in a letter sent to the secretary of education last
>>>   week.
>>>   --> SEE http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/11/2002112501n.htm
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>Thanks for posting this Mev.
>>
>>Yesterday I went to the AERA (American Educational Research Association
>>web site and found two interesting things.  The first is the latest
>>edition of the AERA journal which has devoted its entire edition to
>>scientific based educational research.  The articles can be downloaded at
>> (http://www.aera.net/pubs/er/eronline.htm)  Currently (today) access to
>>these articles or the entire AERA website is unavailable.  
>>
>>More importantly at least in regard to your posting, Mev, is the
>>following Action Alert about the USDE internal memo that refers to the
>>Department's web site policy.  Also included in what follows is the
>>letter to Secretary Paige.  Rather than comment at this time, I'll simply
>>post the information which then may evoke commentary from others. Because
>>I had to format this data to my juno address, some of the original
>>formatting of the message has been lost.  
>>
>>George Demetrion
>>Sophocles5 at juno.com
>>_________________________________________________________________
>>
>>ACTION ALERT
>>ED Web Information Disappearing 
>> 
>>Background Information
>>
>>The U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued an internal memo, Criteria
>>and Process for Removing Old Content from www.ed.gov" on May 31, 2002.
>>The memo established Criteria for Keeping Information on the Web dated
>>prior to February 2001. One concern cited as reason for removal was that
>>some content runs counter to current Administration priorities.  Later in
>>the memo this reason was reiterated in the section under "Current
>>Challenges," which states "Content is either outdated or does not reflect
>>the priorities, philosophies, or goals of the present administration."
>>
>>Items would be removed unless they meet the following criteria: needed
>>for legal reasons; supports Administration priorities and initiatives;
>>important for historical perspectives; important for policy reasons
>>identified by an Assistant Secretary; or useful or valuable to parents,
>>students, or educators and is consistent with the Administration's
>>philosophy. There have been estimates that as many as 13,000 documents of
>>the more than 50,000 total on the Web site would be in jeopardy due to
>>their content. In addition, others deemed outdated  would also have no
>>links under the plan. 
>>
>>It appears the web information removal activities are occurring
>>throughout the federal system. On October 21, a group of 12 House Members
>>sent a letter to Secretary Tommy Thompson, U.S. Department of Health and
>>Human Services, identifying a pattern of events at the Department of
>>Health and Human Services suggesting that scientific decision-making is
>>being subverted by ideology and that scientific information that does not
>>fit the Administration's political agenda is being suppressed &
>>Scientific information that does not serve the Administration's
>>ideological agenda is being removed from HHS websites. Health issues
>>involved include abortion, programs addressing risky behavior in youth,
>>and contraception. Other federal government Web sites are reported to be
>>facing similar problems.
>>
>>Action Taken
>>AERA has joined with the American Library Association to lead an effort
>>to retain documents on the ED Web site. A letter, signed by 14 national
>>organizations, has been sent to Education Secretary Rod Paige requesting
>>all ED materials retain the level of accessibility now available and
>>advocating the inclusion of stakeholders in the web revamping process.
>>Following is the letter sent to Secretary Paige:
>>
>>The Honorable Rod Paige
>>Secretary of Education
>>U.S. Department of Education
>>400 Maryland Avenue, SW
>>Washington, DC 20202
>>
>>Dear Secretary Paige:
>>
>>We are writing to express the concerns of our organizations about the
>>recently reported initiative within the U. S. Department of Education
>>(ED) to remove from public access information that "does not reflect the
>>priorities, philosophies, or goals of the present administration." While
>>the Department is aware of the problems such a move would create, the
>>steps it has recently suggested to address these problems still fall
>>short because archived material would clearly not be as accessible.
>>
>>We recognize that the Department may reorganize its Web site, and we
>>applaud your attempts to improve the transparency of this site so that
>>the public can find information more easily. However, the Department's
>>announced initiative to remove documents has raised significant concerns
>>and questions among the library, educational research, and related social
>>science communities, and we would value and appreciate a response. 
>>
>>One of our primary concerns centers on the fate of information scheduled
>>to be removed from your publicly accessible Web site. As you are aware,
>>information created or collected by the government, whether in tangible
>>or electronic form, is a federal record. Therefore, we would like to know
>>what steps the Department is taking to preserve information and provide
>>the easiest possible permanent public access to any materials that are
>>removed? Because the Internet has become by far the method of choice for
>>disseminating information and research data widely and efficiently, we
>>are concerned about efforts that would diminish access and use of these
>>records.
>>.
>>Secondly, we are equally concerned with any actions that would remove
>>from access research, data, and other digests of information that
>>otherwise have been publicly available, irrespective of administrations,
>>by the Department of Education. Such materials are essential to advancing
>>scientifically-based research and need to remain accessible to the
>>library, educational research, and related scholarly communities. For
>>example, we are uncertain about ongoing access to materials in the
>>Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) on the Department of
>>Education Web site. Will a link to the ERIC site be established and
>>maintained on the Department's site? Will it be visible to experienced
>>and new researchers who can add knowledge and insights analyzing such
>>information? 
>>
>>Finally, we are concerned about the role of educational researchers,
>>related social and behavioral scientists, librarians, those with
>>expertise in data dissemination and preservation, and other public
>>stakeholders in the development of any plan to access materials on the
>>Department Web site. Information available through the U. S. Department
>>of Education Web site is used by a wide variety of professionals,
>>including educators, scholars, public decision makers, and the public
>>more broadly, and they should be consulted throughout this process. We
>>urge you to hold meetings with them and listen to their concerns and
>>ideas.
>>
>>Members of our associations appreciate your attention to this important
>>matter. We, as well as the general public, need Internet access to the
>>research, data, reports, and other digests and information that may be
>>removed from the Department's Web site. We would appreciate hearing what
>>steps the Department intends to take to ensure ongoing access to
>>documents scheduled to be removed.
>>
>>Action Requested
>>If you wish to support AERA in its effort to retain ED Web site documents
>>in the most accessible form, please write to Secretary Rod Paige and send
>>copies of your letter to members of Congress in your state and AERA.
>>
>>Letters may be addressed to:
>>The Honorable Rod Paige
>>Secretary of Education
>>U.S. Department of Education
>>400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 7W301
>>Washington DC 20202
>>
>>If you have questions or would like additional information, please feel
>>free to contact Felice J. Levine, AERA Executive Director, (202)
>>223-9485, ext. 122, flevine at aera.net or Sandi Wurtz, Government Relations
>>Associate at AERA, (202) 223-9485, ext. 103, swurtz at aera.net . 
>>To read the related news release, go to http://www.aera.net/communication
>>s/news/021121.htm 
>>
>>
>>________________________________________________________________
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>>
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