Personalize literacy programs and student privacy

In response to a blog post from a couple years ago "Library records and student privacy", a reader asked:

I'd like your thoughts with regards to "Personalized Literacy Programs" (like MyOn Reader) and student privacy when it comes to book selection. If libraries are not allowed to track student book selection, why are we giving these rights to for-profit companies?

Great question.

First, if you read my post carefully, I don't think I recommended that libraries not track student book selection. I recommended they not share circulation data with those who do not have a legitimate need for this data. We should ask ourselves before sharing data...

• What are my school’s policies and state and federal laws regarding the confidentiality of student information? Have I consulted with and can I expect support from my administration regarding decisions I make regarding student privacy? Is there recourse to the school’s legal counsel regarding difficult or contentious issues?
• What is the legitimate custodial responsibility of the person or group asking for information about a student?
• How accurately and specifically can I provide that information?
• By providing such information is there a reasonable chance the information may prevent some harm to either the individual or to others in the school or community?
• Is there a legitimate pedagogical reason to share student information with a teacher? Am I sharing information about materials that students are using for curricular purposes or for personal use?
• Have I clearly stated to my students what the library guidelines are on the release of personal information? If the computers in the library are or can be remotely monitored, is there a clear statement of that fact readily posted?
• If student activity on a computer is logged, are students aware of this record, how long the log is kept, how the log may be used, and by whom?

So the question remains, how can schools justify "sharing student data" with companies like Google and MyOn Reader and a growing list of adaptive reading and math programs.

One important question that needs to be asked is if the data being shared is linked to an individual or is it gathered in the aggregate? It's one thing to share a list of books Juan has checked out this semester. It is quite a different matter to look at an analysis of the books most often checked out by EL students to help inform selection of additional library materials. It is one thing to use an individual's data from an adaptive reading program with a teacher and parents to help formulate an individualized learning plan. It is quite a different matter for the company who sells the plan to use individual data to in someway market directly to that individual.

Gather data, separating the data from the individual, and then using the aggregate data does not violate privacy (IMHO). in How does Google use student data?,

 If any ... data is associated with a student’s GAFE account — which may happen when a student is logged into their GAFE account — we consider it to be the student’s personal information. As we promise in the GAFE Privacy Notice, no K-12 student personal information is used to target ads, and in some services we show no ads at all. In Google Search, for example, we show no ads when K-12 students are logged in to their GAFE accounts

Basically, most companies collect student data to improve their products' functionality and to manage the intended service. That is not to say companies don't use student data as part of market research. But unless they target ads at individuals or in some way violate COPPA, I'd not worry too much about adaptive educational programs. They collect data for the same reason medical clinics collect data - to help analyze and improve individual's (academic) health and to improve the effectiveness of their own products.

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