It is truly an exciting and invigorating time to be an active part of the A4L Community. There is so much positive energy and momentum driving numerous productive projects forward, fueled by the dedication of our members. This was undeniably evident at our recent 2026 SDPC & Unity Convening in the beautiful city of Long Beach, just a couple of weeks ago.
The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community has continued to have phenomenal leadership over the past year. The leadership, guidance and overall dedication to the Community prove critical to our collective successes… it is hard to believe that it is time for elections again! Nominations for the North American Privacy Leadership Group, North American Interoperability Leadership group and International Technical & Privacy Leadership Group will be available from March 30 – April 20, 2026 (inclusive).
It’s hard to believe that 2025 is already coming to a close. It has been a whirlwind of a year. With new administrations in all of our communities, US, AU & NZ, there have been many changes impacting the educational ecosystems across our membership with rippling impacts to be felt in years to come. As a Community driven by our members to address their most pressing needs, A4L has remained agile and responsive to these challenges. I continue to be inspired daily by the commitment and dedication of our members and leadership to address the challenges being faced by the PK20W+ ecosystem across the globe…
The new school year is well underway, and we want to recognize the incredible work our employees, volunteers, members, partners, and Alliances are doing to support students and protect their privacy. As classrooms come alive with learning, the Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community remains committed to providing the resources, collaboration, and community you need to navigate this important work…
The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community is pleased to announce the appointment of June Gerred, Oklahoma Department of Education and Patrick Devanney, Classlink to the Board of Directors, effective immediately.
I can still remember my first A4L conference in 2016. Walking into the room, filled with people whose names I recognized from emails and phone conversations, the “old guard” of SIF. I had so much respect for that group that had founded not just a standard but a movement, a cause worth fighting for, to simplify the way education data was shared across the rapidly increasing number of software systems that schools, districts, and states were using to manage the operational and instructional business of education. And I also saw opportunities for change and modernization, as we looked to move forward and continue to ensure that our cause was relevant to the needs of our stakeholders. I found a like-minded group within the organization, and together we created exciting new possibilities at A4L.
The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community is proud to announce the release of the collaboratively developed global SIF Infrastructure Specification 3.7 (global) which is unique in the technical standards world in that it supports data movement via greater interoperability by standardizing ‘data and privacy on the wire’.
The school year is in full swing, and as we approach the holidays one thing we can all be thankful for is the vibrant community that we’re part of. True grassroots community initiatives are strong, long-lasting, and directly connect to the needs of their members. A4L exemplifies that approach. As the ball drops and we turn the calendar to 2025, there is so much to look forward to. A4L continues to strengthen its ability to meet members’ needs around both interoperability and privacy.
It’s that time of year again; students, educators, administrators and staff all returning to school, along with caregivers all excited with anticipation about the new school year. For some they will experience new teachers, a new classroom, a new school building, and some will be returning to the same environment, but for all the excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead is palatable.
Although the A4L Community has gone through a lot of changes over the last year, there is a great deal of positive momentum. We have many new members stepping up to leadership positions, our overall membership continues to grow and the Association Board has adopted new strategic goals, actions and targets that will drive our work for the year to come.
