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Keeping Your Data Secure

As lawmakers lay the groundwork for rewriting the No Child Left Behind Act, data systems and data system security are receiving significant attention. In particular, the amounts and types of student data that are being collected and the ways in which those data can be shared without overstepping privacy boundaries are hot issues being confronted both on Capitol Hill and in educational institutions across the country.

In April, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor convened a hearing to discuss “How Data Can be Used to Inform Educational Outcomes.”

Joel Reidenberg, professor at the Fordham University School of Law, testified at this hearing on the need for more data security. “States are warehousing sensitive information about children," Reidenberg told members of Congress. "More rules need to be developed and implemented to assure that children’s educational records are adequately protected.”

Indeed, the security of student information is of utmost concern. At the same time, however, the government must find a way to protect sensitive data without compromising the substantial benefits of state-of-the-art, student-level data systems. At that same House hearing, Joe Kitchens, Superintendent of Western Heights Public Schools in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, testified on the benefits of real-time data delivery to schools. "Effective learning is personal, sometimes complex and always best supported by quality data analysis that informs instruction on a continuous, near real‐time basis," he stated to committee members. Mr. Kitchens' district uses the Mizuni Data Warehouse and Mizuni Dashboard Suite to help analyze many key statistics including student achievement, mobility, and graduation rates.

What can you do, as a technology leader in your district, to ensure the privacy of student data without inhibiting educational opportunities?

To start, your district must be mindful of data security and adhere to federal guidelines guaranteeing the privacy of education and health records through FERPA and HIPAA. The Mizuni Solution follows these rules as well as the technical data protection standards used by banking, commerce and other industries.

Next, implement identity-driven management, which is a technique that provides different users with different levels of access to information systems based on the users’ roles and responsibilities. By employing this role-based security, Mizuni Solutions put the district in control of who accesses what data. It's also important that your school district implements Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) for technology. These documents contain enforceable consequences for infringements of the policy including disciplinary actions.

While you may have the best-written AUP and adhere to federal data standard guidelines, you should not underestimate the human factor in the enforcement of data security. People need to understand the consequences of their actions and the ways in which they may put the district or its student data at risk. To address this human factor, Purdue University created an information initiative to help people understand why information security is important, and what they can do to contribute to the overall information security of their organization.

Mizuni understands that data security is a critical issue for states and districts and is committed to protecting student privacy while also providing the detailed data that educators and other stakeholders need. The Mizuni Solutions will continue to use the highest levels of encryption and deploy the best data security practices in the industry today.

Top Buzz

Mizuni on TV
Mizuni is currently featured on "Inside Business Report" with Fred Thompson as part of the program's "Data Management for 21st Century Education" piece. This segment will be aired on CNBC and CNN Headline News over the next few months, so check your local listings for viewing times or visit Mizuni's website.

Mizuni and Microsoft Partners in Learning Network hosted a Dropout Prevention Webinar
As part of Microsoft's Partners in Learning webinar series, this presentation highlights how the Mizuni Solution has helped reduce dropouts by delivering an intuitive Early Warning System Dashboard to school districts. The Mizuni Dashboard allows principals and district administrators to quickly track key early warning indicators identified by the National Dropout Prevention Center, including attendance, grades, discipline referrals, over-age and state benchmark results. Ms. Donna Summers, Director of Research and Evaluation at Pasadena Independent School District (Texas), provides insight on how her district is using the Mizuni Solution to identify and prevent student dropouts. To listen to the webinar, click here.

Applause

Three Mizuni customers were named finalists in the inaugural year of the SIF Excellence Awards with one of these three remarkable partners winning an award. This Awards Program acknowledges outstanding SIF Implementations at the district and state levels and also recognizes outstanding individual leaders. The finalists and award winner include:

• Outstanding LEA Winner - Pasadena ISD, Pasadena, TX
• Outstanding LEA Finalist - Mount Pleasant ISD, Mount Pleasant, TX
• Outstanding Individual Leadership Finalist – Mr. Joe Kitchens, Superintendent, Western Heights Public Schools, Oklahoma City, OK