Policy Issues


student privacy in a time of pandemic

Student Privacy in a Time of Pandemic

How should a school respond if it receives a voluntary request from a local, state or federal agency for student records to assist in responding to a COVID-19 outbreak in the area?

Educators Implore FCC to Cover Home Internet in E-rate Expansion

Educators Implore FCC to Cover Home Internet in E-rate Expansion

It's time for E-rate to cover the cost of home internet access. That's the word from 7,664 teachers, education IT people, principals and superintendents who have signed a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the Commission to make E-rate funds available to help schools and districts "equip" students with home internet access.

Feds Say States Can Skip High-Stakes Testing This Year

The U.S. Department of Education has issued notification that states can choose to "bypass" standardized testing for the 2019-2020 school year. Secretary Betsy DeVos said in the announcement that the department would grant a waiver to any state unable to assess its students "due to the ongoing national emergency."

Resource: State Department of Education Websites for Coronavirus/COVID-19

Every state and most territories in the United States have developed websites on their departments of education or public instruction regarding how they're responding to coronavirus (COVID-19). THE Journal has compiled a list of those websites for your reference.

How ESSA and Perkins V Can Support STEAM

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law in 2018 to provide funding for career and technical education (CTE) programs for young people and adults.

How Assessing Information Governance Can Improve Privacy in Schools

How Assessing Information Governance Can Improve Privacy in Schools

For public schools, technology is an important tool. But establishing strong security measures to protect student privacy is even more essential.

Feds Offer Guidance on School Safety

The federal government has launched a "clearinghouse" website to help schools prepare for threats.

Student Privacy for Educators: FPF Launches Microlearning Video Series

The series touches on the basics of how federal and state privacy laws affect teachers and staff, how to decrease the most common privacy risks and how to improve the transparency of what schools do with student data.

Indiana DoE Revamps Education Data Portal to Meet ESSA Requirements

Indiana DoE Revamps Education Data Portal to Meet ESSA Requirements

Indiana has launched an education data portal to replace a previous one. INview, which has replaced Compass, was designed to meet federal accountability requirements for transparency under the rules of the state's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan.

Lawmakers Consider Expansion of Competency-Based Schools

Under the program, students progress from grade to grade at their own pace, based on mastery of concepts and skills laid out in Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.