ERIC Number: ED593686
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 10
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security in Arkansas: Effective Use of State Data Systems
Whitfield, Christina
State Higher Education Executive Officers
Analysis of student-level data to inform policy and promote student success is a core function of executive higher education agencies. Postsecondary data systems have expanded their collection of data elements for use by policymakers, institutional staff, and the general public. State coordinating and governing boards use these data systems for strategic planning, to allocate funding, establish performance metrics, evaluate academic programs, and inform students and their families. The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) surveyed state coordinating and governing boards on their collection and use of postsecondary student-level data. Following this, SHEEO identified seven states whose survey responses indicated an exemplary use of data in specific subject areas. In-person interviews were conducted by SHEEO agency staff in seven states selected for follow-up. In 2015, SHEEO visited the Arkansas Research Center to discuss their efforts to promote privacy, confidentiality, and data security. Over the past decade, a broad consensus has emerged among researchers and policymakers that more and better data are needed to inform postsecondary education's various constituencies and improve performance and student success. In response to these calls for better data and greater access to information, and to changes at the state level, including the proliferation of performance funding models, postsecondary student unit records systems (PSURSs) are becoming more complex and are increasingly linked to other data systems. PSURSs practitioners must be aware of the evolving state legislative landscape. Responding primarily to parental concerns about protecting children's data privacy while engaged with K-12 systems, legislators in many states have introduced laws aimed at protecting data privacy. This report describes Arkansas Research Center's (ARC's) commitment to privacy and the innovative nature of their approach to security.
Descriptors: Student Records, College Students, Data Collection, Information Security, Privacy, Confidentiality, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Legislation, Parent Rights
State Higher Education Executive Officers. 3035 Center Green Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: 303-541-1600; Fax: 303-541-1639; e-mail: sheeo@sheeo.org; Web site: http://www.sheeo.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Authoring Institution: State Higher Education Executive Officers
Identifiers - Location: Arkansas
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 1974
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A