New Report on Student 'Permanent Records' Separates Perception from Reality

WASHINGTON, DC — The linking of student data across agencies and over time — also known as “student records” — can be leveraged in powerful ways to improve student success, but lack of clear information about these practices has led to growing privacy concerns.

A new report seeks to clear up the confusion by putting to bed many misconceptions about student “permanent records.” The key takeaway: public educational institutions and agencies have not created a single, lasting repository where individual students’ educational histories could be accessed at a keystroke.

“The goal of effective education data use is to improve student success, but we can’t reach this goal without assurance that students and their data are safe. Policymakers need to take responsibility and action by building an environment of trust and a culture of ethical data use,” says Aimee Rogstad Guidera, founder and executive director of the Data Quality Campaign.

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

  • Establish governance by clarifying who is responsible for managing data across agencies and over time.
  • Identify where state policy can supplement federal law. For example, establish, implement, and monitor data destruction policies and create consequences for violating such policies.
  1. Create robust requirements, model language, and transparency for third-party service provider contracts.
  2. Help parents understand how linking student data over time improves their child’s college and career readiness.

Here are some key facts about the collection and sharing of student-level information:

  1. Employers and the media cannot, by law, access an individual student record.
  2. States collect from districts a small subset of student-level information to evaluate and improve student learning.
  3. The U.S. Department of Education is prohibited by law from creating a federal database with students’ personally identifiable information.
  4. States have policies regarding how long data can be stored and when it must be destroyed. 

About the Data Quality Campaign
The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, national advocacy organization committed to realizing an education system in which all stakeholders — from parents to policymakers — are empowered with high quality data from early childhood, K–12, postsecondary and workforce systems. To achieve this vision, DQC supports policymakers and other key leaders to promote effective data use to ensure students graduate from high school prepared for success in college and the workplace. For more information, visit www.dataqualitycampaign.org.

Featured

  • dormitory with green roofs, solar panels, balconies, and labeled architectural annotations

    2025 Residence Hall Design Trends Focus on Sustainability, Flexibility, Community, Technology, and Well-Being

    With the most technically advanced Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) at the helm, residence hall design trends for 2025 look to focus on flexible spaces, health and wellness, sustainability, community, and digital technology.

  • ClassVR Wins Tech & Learning Best of Show at ISTELive 25

    Avantis Education recently announced that its flagship product, ClassVR, won the Tech & Learning Best of Show Award at ISTELive 25 in San Antonio, Texas, according to a news release. The program is designed to celebrate products that are “transforming education in schools around the world and that show the greatest promise for the industry,” and this is the fourth consecutive year that Avantis has claimed the award.

  • Beeville ISD Starts Construction on New Elementary School

    The Beeville Independent School District near Corpus Christi, Texas, recently began a construction project that will consolidate two existing, aging schools into a new elementary school, according to a news release. The district is partnering with Pfluger Architects and Spawglass General Contractors for the design and construction, respectively, of the new facility.

  • ECM Technologies Wins ‘Most Innovative Business of the Year’ Award

    HVAC preventative maintenance and efficiency solutions provider ECM Technologies was recently named the “Most Innovative Business of the Year” at the 2025 Champions of Change Awards, according to a news release. The program recognizes Arizona business leaders and organizations taking steps to make a positive impact on the state through innovative thinking and philanthropy.

Digital Edition