States moving to protect student data.

• Position: PRIVACY - Brief article

Apps and sites used in schools today feature software that may collect and analyze a vast array of details about the habits and activities of individual students. For example, many schools assign students Gmail or Microsoft e-mail addresses and use those companies' programs for student calendars, documents, web searches, and file-sharing. Some also employ data-driven math and language apps that may record and analyze thousands of pieces of data about each student with the goal of customizing lessons on the spot to that student's abilities and tastes, the New York Times said.

This data collection has raised concerns about whether school districts are equipped to monitor and manage how online education services and schools are safeguarding students' personal details. Some legislators have pointed out the risk of identity theft and predatory marketing.

As schools themselves increasingly analyze socioeconomic, behavioral, and emotional data about students, some parents are more troubled by the possibility that the data could be...