K-12 Student Database Spooks Parents

[unokitty]

From the article:

"In operation just three months, the database already holds files on millions of children identified by name, address and sometimes social security number. Learning disabilities are documented, test scores recorded, attendance noted. In some cases, the database tracks student hobbies, career goals, attitudes toward school - even homework completion.

Local education officials retain legal control over their students' information. But federal law allows them to share files in their portion of the database with private companies selling educational products and services.

Federal officials say the database project complies with privacy laws. Schools do not need parental consent to share student records with any "school official" who has a "legitimate educational interest," according to the Department of Education. The department defines "school official" to include private companies hired by the school, so long as they use the data only for the purposes spelled out in their contracts.

So far, seven states - Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Massachusetts - have committed to enter data from select school districts. Louisiana and New York will be entering nearly all student records statewide."

Three questions

One
Anyone have a problem with your local public school administrators giving your child's personally identifible data to a private company?

Two
Anyone surprised that the Federal Government condones this data sharing?

Three
Anyone think that something could go wrong here?

Uno

 

[waggy]

wtf! no.

this needs to be stopped. i don't think this is a good idea

 

[Mixolydian]

Honestly, this doesn't surprise me one bit. When I was in K-12 they had pretty extensive databases. Heck, the student ID cards had tracking devices in them.

 

[SagaLore]

Anyone have a problem with your local public school administrators giving your child's personally identifible data to a private company?

Yes. That is stupid.

 

[xochi]

This will go on your permanent record!

Not surprised at all. Data management is a big business, Hospitals sometimes contract this out as well.

 

[drebo]

You realize that most grading and attendance platforms now are hosted web applications.

School districts are already giving almost all of this information to private third-party companies.

 

[Slew Foot]

How else are you going to track the terrorists.

 

[OutHouse]

Its fucked up, I have to ha ve a dhs security clearance because I have access to databases with A-records with PII. but my kids entire school recordd are up for sale to the highest bidder? Fuck thst, time to start writing letters to my reps, senators and school board.

 

[lxskllr]

Three questions

One
Anyone have a problem with your local public school administrators giving your child's personally identifible data to a private company?

Two
Anyone surprised that the Federal Government condones this data sharing?

Three
Anyone think that something could go wrong here?

Uno

1- Huge problem
2 - Condones? I'm sure it's encouraged. The criminals hold the power.
3 - It's already gone wrong. The initial premise is incorrect. It'll only get wronger.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

If it saves one life it will be worth it.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I disapprove entirely.

 

[Newbian]

Yes. That is stupid.

Hey.. they need someway to make money to pay for your kids education.

 

[silverpig]

I wouldn't have much of an issue with them stripping out personally identifiable information and then aggregating it at the school level.

 

[Nintendesert]

The longer I live in Colorado the more disappointed I am with the retardation that's coming out of it.

 

[luv2liv]

spending tax dollars when they coulda just ask facebook politely for a peek of any kid's profile.

 

[thirdeye]

Another perk to not having my kids in public school.

 

[MaxPayne63]

Three
Anyone think that something could go wrong here?

Uno

Yes. If unpatriotic malcontents try to stop this the terrorists might kill everyone.

 

[skyking]

If it saves one life it will be worth it.

Well played.

 

[DrPizza]

That doesn't bother me nearly as much as paying millions upon millions of dollars to private companies to make high stakes tests to test all students at the end of courses. After last year's debacle - teachers couldn't figure out the answers - it's obvious that these companies are in it more for the money with very few safeguards put in place to actually ensure that the tests legitimately test what they say they're going to test. E.g.
"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and you are too."
"According to the reading passage, what color are the fruits?"

On top of that, those tests now determine which kids graduate. Those test will determine how effective teachers are.

 

[pontifex]

The longer I live in Colorado the more disappointed I am with the retardation that's coming out of it.

the problem is the retardation coming into it - Californians.

 

[Fayd]

That doesn't bother me nearly as much as paying millions upon millions of dollars to private companies to make high stakes tests to test all students at the end of courses. After last year's debacle - teachers couldn't figure out the answers - it's obvious that these companies are in it more for the money with very few safeguards put in place to actually ensure that the tests legitimately test what they say they're going to test. E.g.
"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and you are too."
"According to the reading passage, what color are the fruits?"

On top of that, those tests now determine which kids graduate. Those test will determine how effective teachers are.

without standardized testing in general, how do you determine how effective teachers are?

 

[akahoovy]

Wow.

You know, you don't have to worry about breaches in security with all your information and track stored digitally. Honest. Local school officials are in control.

 

[waggy]

That doesn't bother me nearly as much as paying millions upon millions of dollars to private companies to make high stakes tests to test all students at the end of courses. After last year's debacle - teachers couldn't figure out the answers - it's obvious that these companies are in it more for the money with very few safeguards put in place to actually ensure that the tests legitimately test what they say they're going to test. E.g.
"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and you are too."
"According to the reading passage, what color are the fruits?"

On top of that, those tests now determine which kids graduate. Those test will determine how effective teachers are.

and its mandatory. no choice at all for teacher or districts to do something better.

 

[lxskllr]

without standardized testing in general, how do you determine how effective teachers are?

Imo, that should be done by individual analysis by administrators, and other teachers in the school. If a particular teacher is turning out idiots, they need to readjust, or get fired. Some kids will get failed by that system, but it's better than all the students getting failed by the current system.

Whenever deciding on an appropriate course of action, I always fall back on the notion that strong central authorities are bad. Over and over centralizing power has proven to be detrimental to the whole. Problems don't get fixed, and failures get spread to everyone, instead of being isolated. Everything is better decentralized.

 

[Franz316]

I'm not okay with this.

The amount of data being collected stored by the government and other institutions is absurd.