What Data-Sharing Means for YOUR Child

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1. Galton says:

   April 21, 2013 at 1:42 pm

   This gives a new meaning to the term “private school”.
   Since we know the high correlation between family wealth and test scores, wouldn’t it make sense to track the children of privilege and warehouse demographic, academic and test data for our highest scoters? Perhaps, Obama, Duncan, and Christie do have some limits on big government.

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2. Robert Rendo says:

   April 21, 2013 at 2:13 pm

   This is a heinous violation of civil and privacy rights.

   We’re fighting back against the invasion of family privacy. We’re trying to stop policy makers from using our money to purchase too many testing materials and data collection systems instead of spending it on the direct servicing of children.

   The testing publishers are increasingly enriched as public funds are diverted away to them rather using the funds to give children more art, science, civics, outdoor play equipment, field trips, musical intsruments, remedial services, small group instruction, teaching and learning space, and enough highly qualified personnel.

   Children and their tax paying, voting parents are stressing over tests while companies like Pearson are laughing all the way to the bank.

   This is wrong, all wrong.

   But we all continue to fight so that we can prevent the following:

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_4149.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-kind-of-father-will-you-be.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/02/pampered-vs-punished.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/01/partners-in-crime.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/you-get-to-decide.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_7246.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_8270.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_5636.html?view=snapshot

   http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_65.html?view=snapshot

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3. kathleentriana says:

   April 21, 2013 at 2:14 pm

   George Orwell was only off by about 30 years. I wonder where we’ll be 30 years from now at this rate.

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   • pooplips says:

     April 21, 2013 at 11:31 pm

     orwell was an optimist

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4. concerned parent says:

   April 21, 2013 at 2:17 pm

   NY Regents meet tomorrow. inBloom conspiracy on the agenda. http://t.co/75HopQye3q

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   • Sheila says:

     April 21, 2013 at 3:27 pm

     Nice find, concerned parent. Thanks for calling it to our attention. Is the meeting public? I’l check…

     Plenty of BOCES involvement with EDP according to NYSED document:

     Click to access 413p12d4.pdf

     BOCES made the news elsewhere today:

     ‘Vet’ out the vote: Dozens of LI school districts use software to ‘rig’ elections

     http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/vet_out_the_vote_g4O9ka3AT5o4gJ2hPdnvTK

     [Bold Systems LLC, based in Bellport, LI, sells software that lets school districts track votes in real time on Election Day and identify which parents, district employees and 18-year-old students have not yet voted. The districts, it says, can then generate “call lists” to urge those voters — who are most likely to support a budget increase — to get to the polls.

     But under state law, this is illegal “electioneering.”]

     [The districts buy Bold at prices negotiated by Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Goods and services bought through BOCES are partly reimbursed with state taxpayer funds].

     A day after The Post called Gary Bixhorn, chief operating officer of Eastern Suffolk BOCES, he ordered Bold to yank its Web site.

     Bixhorn also said he would “disable” Bold features that track selected voters because they can be used “in a manner that violates the spirit and letter of the law.”

     Several Suffolk district superintendents said they never used the software for prohibited purposes, just to tally votes.

     Yet Nassau BOCES, which covers 56 school districts, touts Bold on its Web site, saying “a variety of useful reports can be generated on Election Day, such as up-to-the-minute reporting of who has voted, call lists of parents and staff who have not yet turned out to vote . . . and poll lists on the spot for poll watchers.”

     Thomas Rogers, district superintendent of Nassau BOCES, told The Post he will also disable such features.]

     Where else is BOCES misusing student information, Tom? Can we trust BOCES moving forward with the EDP & massive amounts of student data?

     Looks like BOCES may be sharing student directory information (public information if you don’t opt-out) with BOLD.

     Or who knows — maybe 1 person opted-out & BOCES violated FERPA, too.

     Are we surprised schools don’t inform parents of their right under FERPA to protect kids’ PII & opt-out of student directory? I’m not.

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5. George Buzzetti says:

   April 21, 2013 at 4:32 pm

   Can you say “Thank You Obama.” Where do you think this comes from. Read the plan placed in these blogs not long ago which lays out the plan now in place “Smart Options: Investing the Recovery Funds.” If you read this it is all there and guess who funded it with Obama’s full approval well Gates and the “Broadfather” who else. Orwell is better than Nostradamus any day. Orwell was not cryptic he was explicit and clear. Big difference.

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   • Ellie K says:

     April 26, 2013 at 11:55 am

     I spent a distressing evening reading a recent press release from the National Governors’ Association (co-sponsors of the Common Core), Economic Security for a Resilient Workforce. It describes plans for issuance of universal tracking identification numbers and cards starting in early childhood! This would be separate from Social Security. It would also be separate from medical/ healthcare insurers, Health & Human Services and the CDC (which has a right to information for public health… this is not the CDC though). The data would be used to track a child from

     “early childhood [2 years of age?] through middle school, college or other training, and continue once employed”

     per p.14 of the PDF via Nat’l Gov Assoc. I am appalled that non-anonymized tracking would continue from early childhood through adulthood, for this purpose.

     Why is this supposedly necessary? In order to “quantitatively determine what factors are associated with a productive citizenry“. Metrics and data are to be provided by Action or the Future Ready Project. These so-called non-partisan education reform groups are innumerable. I will forbear from saying that they are legion They do not hide their funding sources, which converge on the same individuals and organizations.

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6. moosesnsquirrels says:

   April 21, 2013 at 4:54 pm

   Given the huge amount of information these companies gather about us from shopping and social media already, I suspect they figure either no one will care, or we’ll all eventually accept that Resistance is Futile. The CEOs of these companies arrogantly assume that the public has already ratified the destruction of privacy by not objecting to the widespread use of personal information already. (Of course, the same CEOs don’t actually tell anyone how bad things are.)

   So, first, I suggest taking a hard look at your own and your family’s Internet use–Are you comfortable with your own situation? If not, check out how you can protect your own personal information at home. Second, demand that your state reps enact protections in your state. Third, demand your local school boards establish sound privacy protection policies. Fourth, join the growing movement to regain our privacy on the Internet.

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   • Ellie K says:

     April 26, 2013 at 12:02 pm

     I do not agree with every recommendation or advocacy stance of the Electronic Freedom Foundation. I DO agree with their recommendations about protecting personal information! Fourth Amendment privacy rights were not gained so easily. It is unwise to throw them away.

     Your advice is excellent, MoosesNSquirrels. Thank you.

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7. abe@praxisinsights.com says:

   April 21, 2013 at 8:11 pm

   Diane

   Based upon your perceptive analysis of the dangers of the firm InBloom, I went to their website and discovered that on the leadership page of the InBloom website, Randi Weingarten is identified as part of the InBloom “Governance and Organization Technical Advisory Group”. What gives? Is the teacher union (AFT) an active part of the privatization of K-12?

   Abe Lackman
   Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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8. Joanna Best says:

   April 21, 2013 at 11:02 pm

   Eagles: “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

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9. Michele says:

   April 21, 2013 at 11:15 pm

   Check out InBloom’s promotional video and notice the lack of student/teacher interaction. I am not sure what they are promoting. It scared me.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHjbdpXohk0

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   • Iheartdurham says:

     April 23, 2013 at 6:04 am

     I saw that and found it to be a bit creepy and now that you mention the lack of interaction, I think that’s why.

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10. Rosanne Wood says:

    April 22, 2013 at 12:14 pm

    Florida Students’ rights need protection in new bill
    Senate Bill 878 allows personal student information to be shared with “unknown entities” that gain authorization from the Florida education commissioner. This must not happen.

    An amendment to the legislation needs to state that confidential and personal student data shall not be made available to anybody seeking access to the proposed “warehouse” and “research engine.”

    Furthermore, the lack of a fiscal impact statement in the bill suggests that only data currently collected and included in current data systems will be provided.

    However, if more comprehensive data about students are needed, who will pay for these? As parents and grandparents, it is urgent that SB 878 be amended now.

    Rosanne Wood and Pete Kreis

    petekreis@yahoo.com

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11. Iheartdurham says:

    April 23, 2013 at 6:02 am

    I think the Feds need to edit the FAQs for NCLB…..

    .” Will the results of a child’s tests be private?
    Absolutely. Only the parents and school receive the results of an individual child’s tests. Individual student scores will not be made public. They are not a part of student achievement data on report cards issued by districts and states.

    TOP”
    http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/ayp/testing-faq.html

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12. Ellie K says:

    April 26, 2013 at 11:45 am

    Last night, I spent a distressing evening reading a recent press release from the National Governors’ Association, re Economic Security for a Resilient Workforce. It describes plans for issuance of universal tracking identification numbers and cards starting in early childhood! This would be separate from Social Security. It would also be separate from medical/ healthcare insurers, Health & Human Services and the CDC (which has a right to information for public health… this is not the CDC though). The data would be used to track a child from
    “early childhood [2 years of age?] through middle school, college or other training, and continue once employed”
    per p.14 of the PDF via Nat’l Gov Assoc. I am appalled that non-anonymized tracking would continue from early childhood through adulthood, for this purpose.

    Why is this supposedly necessary? In order to “quantitatively determine what factors are associated with a productive citizenry“. Metrics and data are of course to be provided by a so-called non-partisan Ed. Reform group, Action or Future Ready Project. They are innumerable. I will forbear from saying that they are legion

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