U.S. Department of Education
A Service of the Student Privacy Policy Office’s
Privacy Technical Assistance Center
This section houses training modules, guidance documents and other student privacy resources used for training stakeholders. To narrow the list of resources displayed below, use the dropdown menus below to select the resource type, topic and/or targeted audience and click the ‘apply’ button. An updated list of resources will then be displayed below.
Introduction to Blockchains for Educators is the first in a series of videos intended to introduce the technology behind blockchains and provide in
Webinar recording for "FERPA and Virtual Learning during the COVID-19" presentation. This webinar is intended to provide information on privacy be
This webinar accompanies the guidance document on the 2020 Census and Colleges. This presentation provides background information on reporting requ
This webinar accompanies the guidance document on Integrated Data Systems. This presentation provides background information on what an Integrated Data System (IDS) is and why educational authorities may choose to participate in one, and clarifies how such authorities can participate in an IDS while ensuring student privacy in compliance with FERPA.
This webinar provides additional information on the use of Financial Aid Information for program evaluation and how that data sharing operates under FERPA.
Volunteers are important in helping schools operate efficiently, but it’s important to know your role in protecting student information while helping out in your school. This video explains some of a school volunteer’s responsibilities to help keep the student information they work with private and secure. The Privacy Technical Assistance Center has also released a corresponding brochure that schools can use to help train their volunteers with their legal responsibilities to protect student data. This brochure can be found here.
Email is an easy way to communicate with students and parents. Prior to sending an email, it’s important to evaluate the risk associated with sending student information and recognizing if it is personally identifiable information (PII). This video walks you through best practices on how to email student information.
This video, intended for parents, provides guidance and information on what questions they might want to ask their schools or districts if they have questions about the data the district collects and/or maintains. The video also provides an overview of the types of questions parents should ask and why.
This video provides an overview and rationale for why districts need to develop a program to protect student data.
FERPA allows schools and districts to designate certain basic student information as directory information, and share that information without consent if certain additional requirements are met. This video describes why a school would want to use designated student directory information and the types of information that fall into this category. It also explains the process that schools and districts must adhere to when designating directory information.