New Report: How Student Opt-Out Policies Impact Teaching and Learning

Washington, D.C. — The potential development of student data “opt-out” policies, which would prevent schools and other educational agencies from collecting data on students, have emerged as a prominent recent theme in policy, the media, and political conversations about safeguarding the privacy, security and confidentiality of education data. A new report, however, cautions that broad opt-out policies may negatively impact student success and strain everyday school functions.

“We need teachers to have all the information necessary to help students’ succeed. We also need to build the public trust—especially of parents—that this data, and all data on kids, are being kept confidential, secure, and safe. People won’t use data they don’t trust will not be used to harm them or their kids,” said Aimee Rogstad Guidera, founder and executive director of the Data Quality Campaign.

“Policymakers and educators need to take responsibility and action by building an environment of trust and a culture of ethical data use.”

A new policy brief by the Data Quality Campaign and its partners provides recommendations for policymakers, including the following:

  • Create ways for parents and the public to learn why data are collected and shared, and how the information is used to benefit students.
  • Clearly communicate to parents their right to view information collected, and when they have a right to opt out of data collection.
  • Review current opt-out policies and specify noneducational activities in which allowing parents to opt out is feasible.
  • Make sure privacy policies distinguish between data collected by educational institutions and those collected by online learning tools and programs.
  • Require that all contracts with third-party service providers can easily be viewed by the public.

The new report, produced by the Future of Privacy Forum, cautions that allowing parents to opt out of data collected for administrative, instructional, or measurement purposes will likely:

  • Weaken the quality of the student learning experience.
  • Increase workloads for teachers and administrators.
  • Undermine security of schools’ student data management tools or email systems.
  • Severely limit state and local officials’ ability to evaluate and improve education programs.

Featured

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

  • California District Starts Construction on New Robotics Facility

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) near Silicon Valley, Calif., recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

Digital Edition