Educational Data & Federal Policy

ESSA’s State accountability systems are highly data-driven drilling down to student subgroups. Thus, ESSA’s data requirements address student data privacy and intersect with other Federal laws, namely, FERPA. This article examines the data sets required by ESSA, regulatory requirements for handling student information, and principles of best practice with regard to educational data.

The upcoming school year, 2017-2018, marks a transition into implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the law that replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Most States will submit their completed plans to the USDE for review and approval this fall, and the September 18th due date for submissions is just around the corner. ESSA gives States significant leeway in planning their accountability systems.

The Health of Student Identity

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) increases the demand for more robust data reporting at the State and local level as part of Statewide accountability measures that aim to address the need for school improvement and to close student achievement gaps. Modern data reporting systems are crucial to carrying out the requirements of the new law in the upcoming 2017-2018 school year. To fulfill ESSA requirements, States have implemented data dashboards that report school and district performance and other information, such as demographic data, for transparency and accountability purposes. Meanwhile, schools and school districts are implementing streamlined solutions that provide access to student data from a myriad of systems such as online educational services, government agencies and other establishments, like healthcare.

Digital Migration: Thoughts on the Print-to-Digital Transition in Schools

Technology is the nucleus for today’s fast-paced learning environment. The pervasiveness of technology is transforming how classrooms are engaging youth with new and innovative learning/teaching methods. It was not too long ago that classroom engagement was primarily conducted via books or paper-based activities which often required significantly more teacher time for preparation, grading, management, and storage of hard “paper” forms. Conversely, in classrooms today, school districts are leveraging online tools and classroom curriculum resources which are cloud-based, off-site, and commonly managed by third party educational organizations.

Manage Multiple i-SAFE Technologies Through a Single Dashboard

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i-SAFE’s suite of technology tools and programming provides you a single dashboard to manage the compliance of your entire school/district and/or DOE. The dashboard and reporting features are so easy to use that a single DOE can manage their entire state through i-SAFE’s dashboard and reporting functions.

GREAT NEWS!! i-SAFE Has Now Combined the Suite of “i-SAFE Direct Compliance Products” into One Convenient Platform

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You can now bundle your i-SAFE DC4 Digital Programming subscription with an i-SAFE Direct Subscription. The Value you receive on a bundled subscription is “savings of time and money.” Implementation is easy and the cost is amazing!

i-SAFE Direct allows schools to seamlessly manage every situation requiring schools to provide verifiable parental consent with an easy to use, cloud-based solution through our MyOk technology. This includes annual CIPA required Acceptable Use Policy communications, COPPA related requests seeking parental approval for use of online learning apps, and permission slips related to school trips and activities.

Feature Article – Professional Development: Updating Privacy Communications to Get ConnectED

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Since October of 2012, millions of educators and stakeholders from around the globe have participated in Connected Educator Month (CEM). One of the themes for this year’s efforts, Future Ready, explores the challenges that school and district leaders face while preparing today’s students for tomorrow (CEM, 2015). The Future Ready pledge builds upon President Obama’s ConnectED initiative which proposes that 99% of students in the U.S. will have access to high speed broadband by 2018. In order for this vision to become reality, schools need funding.

Compliance & Administration – Parents’ Perspectives on Data Use in Schools

Educational technology has brought about new opportunities and challenges surrounding student data privacy. Often, the laws and practices approach the issue from the perspective of administrators, educators and third parties who provide online sites and services.

But what do parents think about student data privacy?

To answer that question, the Future of Privacy Forum conducted a survey, published in September 2015, seeking to better understand parents’ perspectives on student data use . Over 1,000 parents participated; 672 of which have students who attend public schools in grades K-12.

Four Steps to Successfully Using Social Media to Build a Positive School Culture

Social media is an integral part of student life, and can be a powerful part of a schools culture. When used effectively, it can boost attendance at school-related events, raise participation in spirit days, heighten attention toward issues or topics during Awareness Months, and increase engagement in school fundraisers, charity events or community outreach efforts. School-based organizations, such as athletic teams, theater, marching band, journalism club, media teams and art guild can all showcase student activity while keeping the school community informed.

Student enthusiasm for social media is evident, but changes quickly, and can stress how schools manage student’s online activity. So how does a school benefit from social media, and mitigate the risks?

The astonishing amount of data being collected about your children

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November 12

Parental concerns about student privacy have been rising in recent years amid the growing use by schools, school districts and states use technology to collect mountains of detailed information on students. Last year, a controversial $100 million student data collection project funded by the Gates Foundation and operated by a specially created nonprofit organization called inBloom was forced to shut down because of these concerns, an episode that served as a warning to parents about just how much information about their children is being shared without their knowledge.

Displaying 1 - 10 (of 15 posts)
Displaying 1 - 10 (of 15 posts)