Imagine a student using an intelligent tutoring system. A researcher records the correctness and time of each of your attempts at solving a math problem, nothing more. With no names, no birth dates, no connections to the school, you would think it impossible to track the answers back to the class. Yet, class sections have been identified with no…

Many state and institution leaders have focused a considerable amount of energy on the development of data-driven student support tools that can be used for a variety of purposes. But tools aren't enough to drive progress -- policymakers must also consider the human component of the equation and explore best practices of how such tools, and the…

Learning analytics has reserved its position as an important field in the educational sector. However, the large-scale collection, processing, and analyzing of data has steered the wheel beyond the borders to face an abundance of ethical breaches and constraints. Revealing learners' personal information and attitudes, as well as their activities,…

A core responsibility of the local education agencies (LEAs) that operate kindergarten-through-12th grade (K-12) schools across the United States is creating safe and secure environments that support effective teaching and learning. To help them meet this obligation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Cybersecurity and…

As an associate registrar at Berklee College of Music, the author is responsible for ensuring the College's compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). In 2009 he was asked to be part of a team charged with assessing Berklee's conformity with a soon-to-be-enacted state regulation. The Massachusetts Department of…

This handbook was developed to support parents of children with disabilities in understanding the Federal and State requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It provides information that promotes working with the school district to help provide appropriate services to children, while informing parents of their…

Successful administration of remote programs and services requires that information technology (IT) professionals and university administrators address two critical identity management factors: (1) linking the institutional electronic record representing an individual with the "real" person; and (2) establishing a mechanism/protocol…

Bullying is one type of violence that threatens a youth's well-being in schools and neighborhoods. The impacts of bullying are felt by individuals, families, schools, and society and may result in youths feeling powerless, intimidated, and humiliated by the aggressive acts of other youth(s). This document is designed as a tool to help…

Obligations of state education agencies (SEAs) and Part C lead agencies set forth by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) pertaining to early childhood transition from Part C to Part B of IDEA are described in several regulatory and guidance documents including Part C draft regulations (34 CFR Part 303), Part B regulations (34…

As the parent of a child who has or may have a disability, the federal and state laws give them certain rights--called procedural safeguards. If they would like a more detailed explanation of these rights, they should contact the principal of their child's school, a school administrator, their local special education director, or any of the…

Since June 1999, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Secret Service have been working as a team to try to better understand--and ultimately help prevent--school shootings in America. The authors believe the results of this effort have given schools and communities real cause for hope. Through the "Safe School Initiative," staff…

The Privacy Act of 1974 places restrictions on the Federal, state and local agencies' use of the Social Security account number as an identifier. For some agencies, compliance will involve changes in implementation of retrieval algorithms. This report describes methodology applicable to these changes in the more general context of the problem of…