Schools, districts, and state agencies are asked to trust a growing universe of education technology with some of the most sensitive data they hold — and to do it with limited staff, limited time, and limited visibility into how those tools actually behave. EdTech providers, meanwhile, want to do right by their customers but often lack a clear, shared standard to test against.
The Data Observations (DO) Program exists to close that gap.
Developed by the Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community in partnership with F3 Law (Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost) and Machine Go Beep, the DO Program is a new approach to technical testing and data privacy in education. A4L brings deep roots in interoperability and student data privacy through its Student Data Privacy Consortium. F3 Law brings nationally recognized education-law expertise — the firm helped architect the data privacy agreements now used by thousands of districts. Machine Go Beep brings software evaluation and technical testing experience. Together, the three partners are building something that no single organization could offer alone.
The Data Observation program uses mature, established, open source tools to capture and analyze network traffic when an edtech application is being used. After the traffic has been captured, the system documents third parties contacted, any cookies set, and the data and payloads that can be observed in the capture. Additionally, the program uses DuckDuckGo’s Tracker Radar to automatically link data-collection domains to their corporate owners, generates comparison reports across multiple test runs, and allows users to categorize, flag and redact sensitive personal information (like exposed email addresses) from its final data summaries.
Right now the program is in its beta phase, which means this is the moment to help shape it. The DO Program isn’t just a technical initiative — it’s a community-driven effort to give school, district, and state agency staff, alongside EdTech providers, the informed and actionable insights they need to act with confidence.
Here’s a look at what it offers, and how you can get involved.
Testing and Training That Meets You Where You Are
Not every participant has the same location, staffing, or budget — so the DO Program is designed to meet partners in the way that works best for them.
Onsite Observations. Our team travels directly to partners for hands-on testing and real-world training, helping your staff set up and manage the testing process in your own environment.
Remote Observations. For a more cost-effective option, our team runs remote testing using secure credentials provided by district partners — the same rigor, without the travel.
Comprehensive training. We host both onsite sessions and free distributed training events. These cover the full range, from technical setup and advanced analysis to candid, “off the record” conversations where members trade lessons learned and evaluation tips with one another.
Whatever your starting point, the goal is the same: leave you better equipped to test and evaluate the tools your community depends on.
Open Source Tools, Transparent Methodology
All of the tools we use to test are built with freely available, open source components. We also document our methodology, and our setup process. No one needs to guess how our testing works – we encourage others to use these tools independently.
A Community Built for Informed Action
The heart of the DO Program is the SDPC community — a space deliberately biased toward careful planning that leads to meaningful results.
Coordinated response. This is where the partnership really shows its value. When testing surfaces a privacy or technical issue, our team coordinates the response with the parties who need to be involved — so districts don’t have to navigate complex technical or security situations alone. Having privacy, legal, and technical expertise under one roof means problems get handled, not handed off.
Flexible Ways to Get Involved
We’re still finalizing the full program requirements — including a dedicated portal for storing and sharing reports .
Participants can purchase individual or bulk remote Data Observations to match specific technical needs and budgets. Or select the onsite version for more in-depth hands-on training with the tool set.
Help Us Shape What Comes Next
The beta phase is a pivotal moment, and it’s intentionally collaborative. The expertise our members bring is exactly what will keep this program rigorous, useful, and sustainable over the long term. Early participants won’t just receive a finished service — they’ll help define it.
If your district, agency, or organization wants to test smarter, protect student data more effectively, and do it alongside a community that has your back, we’d love to have you with us. Reach out to learn more about à la carte options, and let’s build the future of technical testing together.