Articles

Practical Considerations for AI & Integrated Data Systems: Implicit Bias

Practical Considerations for AI & Integrated Data Systems: Implicit Bias November 6, 2023 Morgan Sexton, Katherine Kalpos, and Amelia Vance There has been lots of hype recently around artificial intelligence (AI), including its magical promises and potential risks. While it may be tempting to get swept up in the potential around AI and incorporate it into Integrated Data Systems (IDSs) right away, it is crucial to understand that AI is only as good as the information fed into it and the soundness of the algorithms that it relies on. Additionally, the implementation of AI into IDSs can create significant ethical …

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Student Privacy Primer

Student Privacy Primer Juliana Cotto, Edith Mandinach, Amelia Vance, Jim Siegl, Anisha Reddy, Tyler Park, and Jasmine Parks This primer explains the concepts of student data, including who uses the data and why they use it; data privacy in general; student data privacy; student data privacy risks and harms; how student data privacy relates to data ethics and data equity; key federal privacy laws; key district and school policies; and what it means to foster a culture of privacy. Each of these sections and a concluding section list additional resources to help education stakeholders learn more about student data privacy. …

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The Privacy and Equity Implications of Using Self-Harm Monitoring Technologies

The Privacy and Equity Implications of Using Self-Harm Monitoring Technologies Amelia Vance, Anisha Reddy, Yasamin Sharifi, Jasmine Park, and Sara Collins Future of Privacy Forum Shared under CC BY 4.0 license Originally posted on Student Privacy Compass September 27, 2021 As educators and school leaders return to campus after two years of significant upheaval and loss, many are prioritizing efforts focused on students’ well-being, including ensuring that students receive adequate mental health support. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, some experts suggest that the stressors associated with the pandemic and learning from home may have impacted students’ mental health, potentially increasing students’ …

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Teaching privacy and ethical guardrails for the AI imperative in education

Teaching Privacy and Ethical Guardrails for The AI Imperative in Education Evan Selinger & Amelia Vance Originally published by the NSW Department of Education Future EDge, Issue 3 December 2020 Introduction In 1956 computer scientist John McCarthy coined the phrase ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) to describe ‘the science and engineering of making intelligent machines’ (McCarthy, 2007). Over time, the term has evolved to cover a variety of technologies, including ones widely used in education, from plagiarism detectors to voice-activated virtual assistants leveraged to enhance campus information distribution and classroom pedagogy (Arizona State University, 2018). Contemporary AI discussions are about ‘a variety …

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School Safety Measures Must Have Evidence, Be Specific, & Have Privacy and Equity Guardrails

This week’s newsletter focuses on a new report from Human Rights Watch. I decided to write it because this report joins many others from student privacy advocates that focus nearly exclusively on commercialization risks.

When student privacy reports focus again and again on advertising technology as the major threat to student privacy, stakeholders overlook other insidious privacy harms. The likely result of the report will be a series of articles about how student privacy is in crisis and there are not enough laws and companies are bad. That may draw attention to this issue, but it also means that other really important student privacy issues could fall by the wayside.

The Policymaker’s Guide to Student Data Privacy

The Policymaker’s Guide to Student Data Privacy April 2019 Tyler Park, Sara Collins, and Amelia Vance Future of Privacy Forum       Shared Under Creative Commons License Table of Contents Add a header to begin generating the table of contents Download the PDF Introduction Schools have always collected a wide range of data—from enrollment information, to tracking student performance throughout the year, to health and disciplinary records—to allow teachers and school leaders to best serve every student. As all levels of education institutions take advantage of technology, such as vast libraries of resources, learning management systems, and tools that …

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