By Audience: Postsecondary School Officials

The resources on this page are intended for staff and educators of Postsecondary Institutions. Resources found here typically address FERPA’s requirements and how they apply to the various day-to-day operations of postsecondary institutions that may be different than the K-12 setting. Guidance is also provided for the particular challenges encountered at the postsecondary level as it relates to the handling and protection of students’ Personally Identifiable Information.

Guidance

Data Security and Management Training: Best Practice Considerations

This brief provides best practices for data security and data management trainings for educational leaders. The brief discusses key training concepts to follow, content, delivery methods, and possible audiences for these trainings.

Guidance

Checklist: Data Governance

This checklist is designed to assist stakeholder organizations with establishing and maintaining a successful data governance program by summarizing the key data privacy and security components of such a program and listing specific best practice action items.

Guidance

Case Study # 3: Enforcement

This case study illustrates a scenario where the Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) investigates an alleged violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, resulting in SPPO imposing a 5-year ban on sharing education data with the offending party.

Guidance

Case Study #1: High School Feedback Report

This case study illustrates a scenario where a State educational agency creates high school feedback reports using the audit or evaluation exception under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Guidance

Model Terms of Service Guidance Webinar - April 2015

This webinar accompanies the published guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on the student privacy landscape, click-wrap agreements, and proper evaluation of provisions in terms of service agreements.

Guidance

Videos

Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services

This Privacy Technical Assistance Center teacher training video is aimed at helping K-12 school officials to better protect student privacy while using online educational services and applications. The video, intended for use during teacher in-service days or professional development meetings, offers a short summary of the issue and provides some examples to help educators identify which online educational services and applications are privacy-friendly and protect student data from improper use and disclosure.

Guidance

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Guidance on Sharing Information with Community-Based Organizations

February 2022, this document was edited to update hyperlinks and the name of the U.S. Department of Education office administering FERPA.

This document provides guidance to schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) regarding disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) from education records to community based organizations.