Data for our study were derived from the ECLS-B 9-month and 24-month combined database (see NCES, 2006). Our initial step was to export information from an ECLS-B taglist of selected variables to SPSS 16. We then created a syntax file, recoded data, removed missing data, and ran preliminary analyses for variables of interest with SPSS and imported the data to AM (not an acronym) for analysis (see American Institutes for Research & Cohen, 2008). Next, we employed Jackknife 2, an option on the AM statistical program, to determine variance estimations in subsequent data analyses. We report our
findings with weighted data for the analyses that we performed.