Parents, Tell Me How You Feel About This

[flowerpower]

I received an email today from a concerned parent at my daughter's school. It read:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Students Private information is already trading online without parents consents. Parents it is URGENT you email and Call Commissioner King today. I still don't have an answer yet after a month of emails and calls!
Lisa S. Parent to 2nd graders

Dear Parents:

1. There is an article in today's Reuters about the Gates-funded database called inBloom Inc. that is in the process of collecting all the most confidential, sensitive, and personally identifiable student data from New York and eight other states, while putting it on a vulnerable "data cloud" and making it available to commercial vendors.

"In operation just three months, the database already holds files on millions of children identified by name, address and sometimes social security number. Learning disabilities are documented, test scores recorded, attendance noted. In some cases, the database tracks student hobbies, career goals, attitudes toward school - even homework completion.

As the article makes clear, this company plans to share this information, along with your child's name, etc. "with private companies selling educational products and services. Entrepreneurs can't wait." All this is happening without parental notification or consent.

I have been sounding the alarm about this unprecedented, highly unethical and dangerous plan for several months now. It is good that some members of the media have finally caught up. Here is a fact sheet and a sample opt-out letter you can send to Commissioner King; you should follow up with phone calls to his office if he doesn't respond within five business days.

We sent a list of factual questions to the State Education Department more than a week ago. Though SED officials originally promised through the Governor's office to meet with us, as long as we didn't bring our attorney, after we agreed to that condition they reneged on that promise and then promised they would respond to written questions within a week. They have now reneged on that promise as well, and haven't said when they will respond. Apparently transparency is fine when it comes to sharing our children's most private information with commercial vendors without our consent, but not when it comes to responding to our questions about their plans to do so.

2. Even as NYS and NYC is intent on violating the privacy of vulnerable children whose privacy they should be protecting, they continue to express disdain for their most basic educational rights. On Friday Mayor said it was fine with him if our children couldn't sit down in class because the class size was too large, as long as they had a quality teacher. Here is a NYP article on this ignorant and reprehensible statement; here is my response.

Don't forget to send your opt out letter to NYS Commissioner King, and let me know if and when you get an acknowledgement.

Thanks,

Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
____________________________________________________________________

Here is the article that she is referring to:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/03/us-education-database-idUSBRE92204W20130303


And another (slightly more disturbing IMO) program being funded by the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...nt-engagement/2012/06/10/gJQAgAUbTV_blog.html

How do the parents out there feel about this type of data mining going on in our schools?



Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[aquaponicpaw]

It wouldn't it if the info stayed within the educational system.


a couple snippets from the article...

Local education officials retain legal control over their students' information. But federal law allows them to share files in their portion of the database with private companies selling educational products and services.

CompassLearning will join two dozen technology companies at this week's SXSWedu conference in demonstrating how they might mine the database to create custom products - educational games for students, lesson plans for teachers, progress reports for principals.

States and school districts can choose whether they want to input their student records into the system; the service is free for now, though inBloom officials say they will likely start to charge fees in 2015. So far, seven states - Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Massachusetts - have committed to enter data from select school districts. Louisiana and New York will be entering nearly all student records statewide.

They then went on to speak about personalized learning. Most parents it seems would embrace such a thing. I know I do it within my home.So I view it as something that should be explored. Bottom line is: this is where we are in this age of information. And We are the ones with the voice that needs to "discuss" What direction we are going to head in. I see the benefits and the detriment of this "program". The last time I was on a college campus, If there wasn't a computer in the class, You were able to use Your laptop to do whatever work was assigned... Things like this changes the role of the teacher. Imagine a Teacher being more of a facilitator and less of all the other things that has Made teaching such a challenge within many of the states that have agreed to participate. I live in NC it is something I will have to follow. Cause for alarm? maybe. Yet, I can see how it would benefit this state.

 

[aquaponicpaw]

Just read the Gates article. a couple points of discussion.

the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is spending about $1.1 million to develop a way to physiologically measure how engaged students are by their teachers’ lessons. This involves “galvanic skin response” bracelets that kids would wear so their engagement levels could be measured.

I see nothing wrong with this, teaching is a lost art. And it's not the fault of the teachers. The educational system needs a way to measure the effectiveness of a teacher. What better way? and it's a paltry sum... (to the Gates) so I'm not mad at it.


this is article also had a lot of great comments... from both sides.

Purpose: to work with members of the Measuring Effective Teachers (MET) team to measure engagement physiologically with Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) bracelets which will determine the feasibility and utility of using such devices regularly in schools with students and teachers.

^Sounds beneficial.

 

[spotfin]

I'm not suprised, especially with the amount of digital information exchanged today. My wife had some ultrasounds performed last year for a medical condition (non-pregnancy related) and we started receiving Similac coupons in the mail... Makes you wonder where your medical information ends up too.