Understanding Schools' Data Management Needs

By Stacey McDaniel

A recent study by market research firm Quality Education Data Inc. suggests that K-12 schools will spend more than $7 billion on new technologies this year. While some of that money is being spent on the equipment you might expect -- computers and the like -- an increasing amount is being dedicated to building data systems. The move is evidence of a growing philosophical shift regarding the role of technology in education. With schools storing more electronic data than ever, information security should play an integral role in new data management systems as they are brought online. In order for data-driven decision-making to be a viable option for schools, the data must be secure and available at all times.

Changing the focus

During the Clinton administration, and the tech boom of the 1990s, federal leaders viewed technology as a way to expand educational horizons. Now, under the Bush administration and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requirements, the emphasis has shifted to using technology as a tool for analyzing data in order to track achievement. This has resulted in a move from funding to provide for instructional technologies, such as computers and learning software, to data-management technologies such as online student record systems.

Throughout the 1990s, educators focused on getting computers in classrooms and wiring them to the Internet. Teachers were also finding ways to include digital content (Web sites, videos, and CD-ROMs) into the curriculum. Fast-forward to 2005, and most schools have adequate access to the Internet and other digital content. Now educators are looking for ways to ensure that technology can help identify the best ways to give students access to the instruction that they need.

The NCLB effect

The extensive reporting requirements and student achievement goals of the three-year-old NCLB have sparked a growing interest in data management technologies. As states and school districts look to the federal government for technology funding, they are finding the current administration has determined that any funding given should be used to comply with the data-driven accountability mandates of the NCLB. In a survey of state education officials conducted for Technology Counts 2005 by the Education Week Research Center, 15 states reported that the NCLB requirements have prompted them to work towards putting bigger and better data collection systems in place.

The NCLB's main objective is to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students, students of color, and their peers. The NCLB promotes stronger accountability for demonstrating results and more options for parents to seek high-quality education for their children. The government is recognizing the need for a data-driven approach that will help schools report on student achievement, teacher quality, and other issues as required under NCLB. Gathering and analyzing different kinds of data is also recognized as a valuable way to measure a school's success, including its staff effectiveness and student progress.

Available and secure data management systems

Across the country, systems are being created that store confidential data -- such as grades from the current and previous years, scores on state tests, other achievement data, and information regarding attendance and family history. Teachers and administrators can also access health records and information on learning or physical disabilities that may need to be addressed in the classroom. All of this data is intended to help teachers better address their students' needs.

As schools work on consolidating storage for their vast amounts of data, there are some important things to consider.  In order for data-based decision-making to be successful, the electronic data must be secure and available at all times. Here are some important security considerations:

• Access control  In an educational setting, various people, including students and teachers, will have access to the same databases. Therefore, controls must be put into place to carefully authenticate the users -- students should not be able to access records intended for administrators and teachers.
• Backup and disaster recovery planning   Systems can become unavailable for a variety of reasons, and taking proactive measures to back up and plan for restoration of data will help avoid grief down the road.
• Comprehensive security solutions  Without protection, electronic data is vulnerable to an array of cyberspace threats -- viruses, worms, hacks, and other types of attacks that have the potential to corrupt  and destroy data. These threats can enter a system from anywhere -- a teacher's home computer that has accessed the data, or the principal's school computer. That is why security measures including antivirus, firewall, and intrusion detection must be employed at every level, from each client computer that may be accessing the database to the server.

Conclusion

Now that NCLB requirements are gaining momentum, educators and the government alike are developing a new way of thinking about the use of technology in the classroom. As a large portion of the $7 billion being spent by schools this year is going to fund data management solutions, it is essential that these solutions be built with security in mind. The confidential nature of the student data requires that measures are taken to guarantee its security and availability. With secure data systems in place, technology should be able to live up to the NCLB's intention of enabling administrators and teachers to identify the best ways to give students access to the instruction they need.

Stacey McDaniel has been writing about high-tech issues for more than six years.