CoSN is celebrating the national Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal anniversary, marking three years of supporting school systems that are demonstrating strong student data privacy practices.
In celebration of the milestone and the program’s impact, CoSN is now offering a TLE Seal state privacy subscription program — giving states a low-cost plan to provide their districts with free TLE applications, dedicated privacy training and more. State participants will receive benchmarking reports on the performance of their districts, allowing states to measure year-over-year privacy progress.
The only K-12 privacy certification of its kind, the TLE Seal has been awarded to 16 school systems in small, large, urban and rural communities nationwide. These school systems have advanced effective leadership, business, data security, professional development and classroom efforts to better protect student data privacy. Recipients are required to maintain their privacy commitment and reapply for the Seal every two years.
“Prior to the TLE Seal, many school systems were stuck in a complex privacy web trying to figure how to properly protect student data. Districts faced daunting challenges and needed a solution. The TLE program has given school leaders the guidance and framework to help ensure robust, up-to-date student data privacy practices. We’re thrilled with the program’s positive impact and continued growth in states across the country,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.
Today, more than 75 districts in six states have come together in their communities to build their TLE Seal applications.
In response to interest from State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Education Service Agencies (ESAs), CoSN has convened a working group to expand the program to support those organizations in protecting student data privacy.
“SEAs and ESAs recognize that they are uniquely positioned to act as a model for districts. We are excited to work with state leaders to build a Trusted Learning Environment program that will strengthen their privacy practices and move the privacy conversation to one based on trust,” stated Krueger.
Developed for K-12 school systems of all governance structures, the TLE Seal was formed through decades of experience and expertise from 28 school system leaders nationwide and leadership from The School Superintendents Association (AASA); the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO); and ASCD. As program partners, their collective input identified the data privacy and security steps schools should take — in addition to regulatory compliance.
Learn more about the TLE Seal Program at: trustedlearning.org.
CONTACT
For CoSN: Michael Kaplun, The Fratelli Group, 202-822-9491, mkaplun@fratelli.com
About CoSN
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. cosn.org
