April 7, 2010 – Last month, I introduced readers to a few real property, administrative hearings/appeals, and finance state documents available online. This article explores some health and education documents and statistics gathered by the State of Wisconsin.
Health data
• WISH – The Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH) is an interactive database that allows the researcher to gather information on several health-related topics. These subjects range from teen births to injury hospitalizations to violent deaths. The researcher selects a specific topic (e.g. population or emergency room visits) and obtains a brief overview and summary graph. The user then builds customized datasets based on available criteria.
As an example, the website indicates there are three options under the topic of “Violent Death.” They include “counts of violent deaths by type of death, allowing you to select a subpopulation or circumstance of death. Another page provides rates of violent deaths. A third page, Violent Death Weapons, provides data on the weapons or mechanisms involved in violent deaths in Wisconsin.”
The value of this tool is the ability to create detailed queries based on a researcher’s specific need. Data is available, in many cases, back to the 1980s and searches can be refined by geographical area.
• Assisted living facility directories and profiles – The Department of Health Services maintains profiles and directories of assisted living facilities. Data is organized by county. Select a county from the interactive map or alphabetical listing. The directory lists the facility name, licensee name, type and class of facility, and any specialty programs offered.
Profile reports focus on compliance issues. Facility status, complaint history, survey information, and enforcement of deficiencies are the primary categories. If a facility is cited, the report lists the deficiency and includes the relevant administrative code sections.
Education data
• Wisconsin Educator License Lookup – This website lists educator license information. Enter the last name and at least one character in the first name field. Results include educator file number, license type, position, subject, and valid date range. The website also lists prior licenses for individuals.
• WINNS – Wisconsin’s Information Network for Successful Schools (WINNS) is a multi-part resource. The site examines academic standards, assessments, and best practice guidance. However, the area of most value to legal researchers is most likely “Data Analysis.” Per the website, this section “provides information about individual school districts and buildings. Statewide test scores, funding and staffing ratios, retention, suspension, expulsion and dropout rates as well as student demographics are provided for all Wisconsin public schools.”
Bev Butula is the manager of library of services at Davis & Kuelthau, Milwaukee. She is a past president of the Law Librarians Association of Wisconsin. Bev has written articles and spoken to numerous groups on issues such as effective Internet research, evaluation of Web sites and legal research. Prior to obtaining her Master's Degree in Library Science from UWM, Bev was a litigation paralegal.
• Related: State documents online: Looking for real property, administrative hearings and appeals, and finance documents? (WisBar InsideTrack)
• Related: Learn about Fastcase free legal research for State Bar members
