Twenty-six states passed 53 new laws focused on the collection, use, and protection of student data during the 2017 legislative session, according to a new analysis published recently by the Data Quality Campaign. The bulk of these new laws are going into effect this fall, ushering changes in state education agencies, school districts, and classrooms across the country.
While most legislative activity this year focused on privacy, some of these new data laws are focused on addressing some of the biggest current challenges in public education:
- Connecticut passed a law that helps prospective students and their families make more informed higher education and career choices by creating a new public report about how students fare after graduating from different colleges and programs.
- Maryland’s new law charges districts to report how discipline practices like seclusion and restraint are applied to students by characteristics like gender, race, and age. The law also mandates districts to use this data to revisit their disciplinary practices and associated teacher training.
- Washington passed a law to collect and report information on paraeducators, as well as to establish associated data-informed standards and policies reflective of the unique role these educators have with Washington students.
Student data privacy has been a significant focus for lawmakers; they have introduced 504 bills and passed 94 laws since 2013 to improve how states and districts safeguard the privacy, security, and confidentiality of student data. This year, states have continued to refine these laws and adopt model laws from other states.…Read More