Education is changing. New technologies are allowing information to flow within schools and beyond, enabling new learning environments and providing new tools to improve the way teachers teach and the way students learn. Data-driven innovations are bringing advances in teaching and learning but are accompanied by concerns about how education data, particularly student-generated data, are being collected and used.
The Future of Privacy Forum believes that there are critical improvements to learning that are enabled by data and technology, and that the use of data and technology is not antithetical to protecting student privacy. In order to facilitate this balance, FPF equips and connects advocates, industry, policymakers, and practitioners with substantive practices, policies, and other solutions to address education privacy challenges at both the K-12 and higher ed levels.
For more information and resources, please visit Student Privacy Compass, a one-stop shop for information, news, and analysis on maintaining student data privacy.
DQC Report: Effective Data Use and Research Partnerships between SEAs and Education Researchers
Today, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) released a new infographic and resource on education research, Roadmap for Effective Data Use and Research Partnerships between State Education Agencies and Education Researchers. DQC brought together education researchers and policy experts, including FPF’s Education Policy Counsel Amelia Vance, to create these new resources.
The Top 10: Student Privacy News (September 2017)
The Future of Privacy Forum tracks student privacy news very closely, and shares relevant news stories with our newsletter subscribers. Approximately every month, we post “The Top 10,” a blog with our top student privacy stories.
Law Enforcement Access to Student Records: A Guide for School Administrators & Ed Tech Service Providers
Washington, DC – Today, the Future of Privacy Forum released a new paper, Law Enforcement Access to Student Records: A Guide for School Administrators & Ed Tech Service Providers. With the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program last month, it is important that schools – and the companies that serve them – understand their legal options and when they may be required to disclose student personal information to law enforcement.
Law Enforcement Access to Student Records: What Is the Law?
Today, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) released “Law Enforcement Access to Student Records: A Guide for School Administrators & Ed Tech Service Providers,” written by Amelia Vance and Sarah Williamson. This guide helps to answer some of the basic questions that we have heard from key stakeholders about law enforcement access to data over the past nine months.
Bipartisan Report: Feds Should Connect Student Data While Protecting Privacy
Today, the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking released their final report. The Commission was created through bi-partisan legislation in 2016 to “consider how to strengthen government’s evidence-building and policymaking efforts” (page 16). One of the key issues that the Commission heard from advocates on all sides about whether to overturn the current federal ban on connecting education data collected by the federal government in order to provide students, postsecondary institutions, and the public with information that could be used to improve policies or better target federal funding.
The Top 10: Student Privacy News (July – August 2017)
The Future of Privacy Forum tracks student privacy news very closely, and shares relevant news stories with our newsletter subscribers. Approximately every month, we post “The Top 10,” a blog with our top student privacy stories. This blog is cross-posted at www.ferpasherpa.org.
The Top 10: Student Privacy News (June – July 2017)
The Future of Privacy Forum tracks student privacy news very closely, and shares relevant news stories with our newsletter subscribers. Approximately every month, we post “The Top 10,” a blog with our top student privacy stories.
Federal Trade Commission: COPPA Applies to Connected Toys
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) updated its guidance on COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, to clarify that the 1998 statute applies not just to websites and online service providers that collect data from children, but also to Internet of Things devices, including children’s toys.
The Top 10: Student Privacy News (May – June 2017)
The Future of Privacy Forum tracks student privacy news very closely, and shares relevant news stories with our newsletter subscribers. Approximately every month, we post “The Top 10,” a blog with our top student privacy stories.
Future of Privacy Forum and the Data Quality Campaign Relaunch the FERPA|Sherpa Education Privacy Resource Center
Washington, DC – Today, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) relaunched FERPA|Sherpa, the leading resource for information about education privacy issues. Named after the core federal law that governs education privacy, FERPA|Sherpa provides students, parents, schools, ed tech companies, and policymakers with easy access to the resources, best practices, and guidelines that are essential to understanding the complex privacy issues arising at the intersection of kids, schools, and technology.