In today's data-sharing paradigm, personal data has become a valuable resource that intensifies the risk of unauthorized access and data breach. Increased data mining techniques used to analyze big data have posed significant risks to data security and privacy. Consequently, data breaches are a significant threat to individual privacy. Privacy is…

Each year, state legislators craft new policies that drive data use across their states, and as part of a comprehensive review of state education data legislation, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) keeps track. In 2022, state legislators introduced 131 bills in 35 states--42 of which became law in 17 states-- that would govern the use of data along…

In 2021, legislators in 45 states introduced 361 bills to govern the use of data about education or the workforce, and leaders in most states (38) enacted a new education data law. This level of legislative activity that is focused on education data collection, use, protection, and reporting is nothing new. But the ongoing pandemic left unique…

This article critically considers these recent developments and political context, proposing an approach to manage sensitive research in the complex contemporary political environment. The first part of the article defines security-sensitive research as research having risk associated with foreign interference, cybersecurity, biosecurity or…

In 2020, state legislators have remained focused on making data available to address education challenges. More and more, policymakers are introducing bills that would address the information needs of students, educators, parents, and the public, though most new education data laws do not systematically support data use. As the COVID-19 crisis…

The Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) is performing a four-year review of a sample of the websites of 1,504 local education agencies (LEAs) to identify whether and how these websites include information about student privacy. In each year of the study, SPPO is reviewing a nationally representative sample of 376 LEA websites, focusing on whether…

The information ethics of Luciano Floridi's well-known Philosophy of Information (PI) project are explored as potential foundations for a deepening sense of stewardship in library and information studies (LIS) practice. The implications of PI's world view of "information objects" as having intrinsic value and resulting moral rights…

In 2019, legislators on both sides of the aisle in nearly every state proposed legislation addressing the use of data to inform decision-making to support students on their path to success. Through proposed legislation, many of these policymakers took steps to improve the foundational data systems and processes that make data work for students and…

Over the past decade, states have made enormous progress in collecting, using, and reporting education data in service of learning--although state legislation has primarily focused on implementing the robust privacy and security protections and data governance structures that make data use safe. In the 2017 legislative session, data privacy…

As a trusted link between district personnel, students, and their families, school psychologists often have questions about whether their communications are privileged like those of other professionals. In some jurisdictions, state statutes and common, or case, law recognize privileged communications for certain specified paired roles, including…

In this paper, the authors address learning analytics and the ways academic libraries are beginning to participate in wider institutional learning analytics initiatives. Since there are moral issues associated with learning analytics, the authors consider how data mining practices run counter to ethical principles in the American Library…

2018 is the fifth year that state policymakers have taken concerted legislative action on education data use and privacy issues. Across the country this year, 42 states considered 300 bills and 25 states passed 59 new laws governing the collection, linking, use, access, and protection of education data. With the passage of the Every Student…

Student data privacy was a priority issue in state legislatures in 2016, though as expected, states passed fewer student data privacy bills into law than they did in 2014 and 2015. The privacy conversation has evolved since 2014, and now states have the ability to borrow from each other: California's 2014 Student Online Personal Information…

M-learning has enhanced the e-learning by making the learning process learner-centered. However, enforcing exam security in open environments where each student has his/her own mobile/tablet device connected to a Wi-Fi network through which it is further connected to the Internet can be one of the most challenging tasks. In such environments,…

This case study examines patron record privacy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) within a consortial environment. FERPA requirements were examined, as well as college and library policy and procedure. It was determined that information in library patron records is directory information and, under most circumstances, does…