Page 34 - THE Journal, October/November 2018

EDTECHInsider By David Nagel & Project Tomorrow
Student Data Privacy a Top Concern of K–12 Tech Leaders
Data privacy and security are top concerns among education IT pros. More than half of technology leaders in K–12 schools (58 percent) report their top concern with cloud application
is ensuring data privacy, and that’s significant since the growth in the
use of cloud apps — email, portals, learning management systems, student information systems, gradebooks — has been greater than 100 percent since 2010. These findings come from the
Speak Up Research Project for Digital Learning, 2017–2018, which polled 406,779 K–12 students, parents, educators and school staff and administrators on their attitudes toward technology in schools.
Some of the other findings include: 33% of tech leaders worry that
teachers lack understanding about how to protect student data.
61% of district administrators
say teacher professional development covering student data privacy is a “top priority.”
Just 8% of teachers think they need PD in that area.
71% of district administrators are concerned about the security of their network against malicious attacks or misbehavior.
Speak Up is an annual research initiative of the nonprofit Project Tomorrow. Further information about
the project and additional findings can be accessed at tomorrow.org.
David Nagel is editor-in-chief of THE Journal and editorial director for 1105 Media’s Education Group.
How districts are protecting student data (2017 vs 2014) 2017 2014
Staff person assigned for data privacy and security
Hardware and software in place
Understand legal obligations
Educate teachers about policies and procedures
Detailed district policies and procedures in place
District controls downloads
Top 5 obstacles districts face effectively protecting students, teachers and staff
40%
45%
70%
77%
67%
52%
59%
46%
52%
45%
51%
1
41%
2
3
Staff person assigned for data privacy and security (57%)
Lack of technology expertise among teachers and administrators (55%)
4
5
Keeping up with the pace of technology adoption (43%)
Students and teachers circumventing existing policies (39%)
Securing mobile devices both on and off premises (29%)
Source: Project Tomorrow
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| OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018