America’s leading spokesperson for public education, Diane Ravitch, will be in Raleighnext Thursday March 21 to headline an NC Policy Watch Crucial Conversation luncheon. Diane is, among other things, the author of several books including “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education,” a professor at NYU, a former Bush I administration official and a prolific speaker and blogger. You can follow her at www.dianeravitch.net.
Related stories: Fail Test scores are mixed, costs are high and teachers are pissed. Why critics say Sacramento city school reform could … SN&R, 11.17.11. Laugh it up Sacramento school closures are a bummer, negotiations with secret whales a joke. SN&R, 02.28.13. Michelle Rhee's report card doesn't add up California gets an F for bucking corporate education reform. SN&R, 01.17.13. Advertisement  |
Dozens of Rhode Island legislators, city officials, and other adults will take a version of the state’s high-stakes standardized tests for students to focus attention on a new state graduation testing policy that is threatening to hold back large percentages of students.Students are trying to push back against the idea that a single test score can measure the entirety of a person’s value, worth, and future success by inviting objectively successful people to take the test themselves and see how they do. We have already had some elected officials and community leaders take it — and not score high enough to graduate — and this Saturday we’re doing a whole event where students will be proctoring and administering the test to a large group of accomplished adults.
As the 45 states that have adopted Common Core Standards begin implementation serious concerns are being raised about the impact on the privacy of students and their families. The federal Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, or FERPA, was enacted in 1974 to protect the privacy of education records and directory information, which includes name, address, phone number, date of birth, and e-mail address, among other personally identifiable information.
Schools are a rich source of personal information about children that can be legally and illegally accessed by third parties. With incidences of identity theft, database hacking, and sale of personal information rampant, there is an urgent need to protect students’ rights under FERPA and raise awareness of aspects of the law that may compromise the privacy of students and their families.
In 2008 and 2011, amendments to FERPA gave third parties, including private companies, increased access to student data. It is significant that in 2008, the amendments to FERPA
