The following are examples that Edstar commonly experiences that reflect educators understanding of FERPA laws governing handling of student data. We were scheduled to pick up a file in person of data for students who participated in a federally-funded program that we were evaluating. When Edstar's staff got there, the data file was on a CD in the hall on a chair, with a sticky note that said "For Edstar." The data file contained the entire district, which they explained was because they did not know how to pull out only the students on the roster we provided them. They told us to pull the students. Edstar was evaluating a federally grant-funded program for students with suspensions. We needed a file of the services students had received. The school district had this data in a file together with all the details of Due Process hearings, specifics of events, and other data we did not need and did not have the right to have. Rather than remove that data, the district hid those tabs. No password was required to unhide them. It was easy to notice that the column headings skipped letters of the alphabet. This kind of thing has happened more than once. More than once, school systems were going to fax confidential data files to Edstar. They were keeping paper records rather than electronic. When the faxes did not arrive, the person faxing them explained to us that they faxed them to the wrong number. Over the years, we've very frequently been told that we cannot have the data required for the evaluation for a federal grant, which is covered in an MOU, because FERPA does not allow it. It is also common that one or two schools in a district will say this, while the other schools provide the data. These are schools participating in the same grant. And it is not uncommon for program managers to tell us that each school uses their own FERPA rules, so we can have some of the data, but not all of--depending on the FERPA laws that they use at their school.Which beliefs are influencing his Equity Lens? Click to check your answer. B.1 Cause and Effect B.2 Expert vs. Evidence B.3 What At-Risk Means B.4 Desired Outcomes and Goals B.5 What is STEM and Why We Need to Fill STEM Pipeline Which skills are influencing his Equity Lens? Click to check your answer. S.1 Knowing What Can Be Known S.2 How to Identify Kids to Align Services S.3 How to Classify Things S.4 Working With Data S.5 Understanding Data Details S.6 Understanding Federal Data-Handling Laws BeliefsB.1 Cause and Effect NA B.2 Expert vs. Evidence It is not totally uncommon that school staff tell us that the person in charge of data in their district or even at a school, gets to say what the FERPA laws will be. B3. What At-Risk Means NA B.4 Desired Outcomes and Goals NA B.5 What is STEM and Why We Need to Fill STEM Pipeline NA SkillsS.1 Knowing What Can Be Known NA S.2 How to Identify Kids to Align Services NA S.3 How to Classify Things NA S.4 Skill Set Required for Working With Data NA S.5 Understanding Data Details NA S.6 Understanding Federal DATA-Handling Laws These and many more examples illustrate that often educators who deal with data do not understand FERPA.
