Today in Washington, CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) Project Director and privacy expert, Linnette Attai, and CoSN Board Member and Director of Instructional Technology with Raytown (Missouri) Quality Schools, Melissa Tebbenkamp, engaged with key stakeholders in a panel discussion on student data protection.
The discussion was part of a daylong event hosted by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Education, which focused on student privacy and education technology.
“As school administrators nationwide embrace the powerful learning potential of technology in the classroom, they are faced with new challenges in safeguarding student data privacy. Today’s discussion underscored how district leaders can navigate the complex federal and state privacy terrain and strengthen their student data protections. This includes taking advantage of the suite of resources CoSN has developed for the educational community,” said Linnette Attai, Project Director for CoSN’s Privacy Program.
CoSN’s long-standing Protecting Privacy in Connected Learning initiative provides education leaders with the tools to better understand and implement key student data privacy laws as well as step-by-step guidance and training to improve their districts’ strategies. In 2016, CoSN also launched the national Trusted Learning Environment Seal Program for school districts that have put in place strong practices to help ensure the privacy of student data. To date, 13 school districts nationwide have earned the Seal, including Raytown Quality Schools.
“It was a privilege to participate in today’s dialogue on student data privacy. At Raytown Quality Schools, the entire school leadership and staff have made protecting student data a top priority as we expand our use of technology to improve student achievement. CoSN’s resources, including the Privacy Toolkit and the Trusted Learning Environment framework, provide a strong foundation for our culture of data governance,” said Melissa Tebbenkamp, Director of Instructional Technology with Raytown Quality Schools.
