Publications Support for the National Center for Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education
For over 8 years, MacroSys has provided desktop publishing, web development and accessibility compliance, and editorial support to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as well as the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics as a partner to the American Institutes for Research (AIR). MacroSys’s documentation specialists work with AIR staff to organize content, develop layouts, establish standards for content presentations, and prepare final products that adhere to the requirements and requests of Federal agency clients. Products have included annual indicator reports, which present complex tables and data from completed educational surveys, and companion briefs to these complex documents, issue briefs, infographics, brochures, pamphlets/flyers, and posters, as well as websites and web-only documents.
Specifically, MacroSys collaborates with AIR on multiple editions of several annual publications for NCES, including the Digest of Education Statistics, the Condition of Education, and Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries, and has provided support regarding the recurring publications for two interagency forums. The production process includes editing and desktop publishing multiple drafts as well as performing numerous rounds of revisions for all elements of the publications while following the NCES style guide and managing version control; preparing the print package for delivery to the Government Printing Office; reviewing and approving the print proofs; and completing the 508-compliant PDF for web release. The entire production cycle follows a strict schedule with rolling deliverables to ensure that print and web materials are ready by the release date.
Most recently, MacroSys worked with AIR staff to design a package of infographics, websites, and companion web reports to convey data by topic area for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) which will eventually be released as the Focus on NAEP series on the NCES website. While the companion reports follow a standard template with complex tables and text, the infographics and websites provide a visual representation of the data to encourage comprehension of information with static and interactive elements. MacroSys conceptualized and developed the layout for the infographics, companion reports, and website templates.
Other projects completed include webpage reorganization/redesign, logo conceptualization, eBook production, conference material preparation, data brief and snapshot creation, and data visualization for web dissemination.
The Digest of Education Statistics is a flagship NCES annual publication houses all of the most recent data collected through national education surveys. MacroSys oversaw the entire production process, including desktop publishing of 700+ pages including complex data tables, designing the cover, maintaining version control, and preparing the print and web versions. MacroSys also helped design a mini-Digest to highlight client-selected tables in a 20-page, pocket-sized companion booklet.
The Condition of Education is a 300+ page flagship NCES annual publication that presents survey data results and findings as they are relevant to current trends in education. MacroSys created all graphics and figures, performed the desktop publishing of hundreds of complex tables and visual representations, and prepared the print and web versions, including ensuring the PDF was 508 compliant. MacroSys also created an eBook version that is accessible on iPhone and Android tablets and Kindle.
This sample illustrates an infographic that MacroSys conceptualized and developed for the National Assessment of Education Progress. The infographic was created to provide a visual representation of the data and encourage comprehension of information with static and interactive elements.