ERIC Number: ED596189
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jun
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Postsecondary Data Infrastructure: What Is Possible Today
O'Hara, Amy
Institute for Higher Education Policy
Our current federal postsecondary data system is incomplete and fails to provide today's students with the accurate, timely information that they need to inform their college choices and promote their success. As policymakers consider proposals to improve this federal data system, they should model best practices of responsible data-use to ensure that all postsecondary data is secure and student privacy is protected. This paper, authored by Amy O'Hara, Research Professor at the Georgetown University Massive Data Institute, highlights promising examples of data systems that are prioritizing privacy and security. These examples span from government agencies to academia and cover sectors ranging from healthcare to national defense. In this analysis, O'Hara uses a "Five Safes" framework as an approach for guiding secure data practices: (1) Safe projects require governance protocols to control project requests, review, and approval processes; (2) Safe people ensure that data users are screened and appropriately trained; (3) Safe settings and safe data restrict what data an analyst is authorized to use, how they access it, their computing environment, and their physical location; and (4) Safe outputs protect the privacy of data subjects by reducing the risk of individuals being re-identified. [This paper is part of the larger series "Protecting Students, Advancing Data: A Series on Data Privacy and Security in Higher Education." For "The Emergence of Data Privacy Conversations and State Responses," see ED595109. For "Protecting Privacy and Information Security in a Federal Postsecondary Student Data System," see ED595136.]
Descriptors: Postsecondary Education, Information Dissemination, Information Management, Information Security, Safety, Data Collection, Data Analysis, Privacy, Data Use, Student Records, Confidentiality
Institute for Higher Education Policy. 1825 K Street Suite 720, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-861-8223; Fax: 202-861-9307; e-mail: institute@ihep.org; Web site: http://www.ihep.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Postsecondary Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A