Getting involved with shaping the future of the NDPA

Last week, we opened the second round of Community Review for an eventual version 2.3 of the National Data Privacy Agreement (NDPA). The Community Review is open to A4L members to provide feedback on the proposed changes and will remain open until September 15, 2026. After this date, the NDPA Project Team will review the feedback received and address each item. Once this review is complete, there may be a few minor updates, but ultimately, we anticipate finalizing NDPA v2.3 sometime in October at which point it will be available for states around the country to adopt.

A4L announce Community Leadership for 2026-2027

Washington, DC, 28 May 2026—The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community is proud to announce the Community Leadership Groups for 2026. The Leadership Groups bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in education, data management, privacy, security, and business acumen. They oversee management of the SIF Specification and the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) as well as contribute to the development of strategies for the global Community, and guiding development of the A4L Community internationally.

A4L Community Newsletter, March 2026

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.

COMMUNITY REVIEW: National Data Privacy Agreement (NDPA) v2.3

On March 25, 2026, the North American Privacy Leadership Group (NA-P-LG) approved the National Data Privacy Agreement (NDPA) v2.3 for A4L Community Review. Community Review will be open from Tuesday, April 7 until Tuesday, May 5, 2026 (inclusive). All A4L Community Members are encouraged to participate in the Community Review. […]

2026 Elections: Announcement to Membership

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).

A4L Community Newsletter, December 2025

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…

A4L Community Newsletter, September 2025

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…

A4L Community Newsletter, June 2025

As we reach the midpoint of 2025, the A4L Community continues to demonstrate what’s possible when interoperability and privacy are treated not as competing priorities—but as complementary pillars of a secure, learner-centered data ecosystem.

This year, the development of the Registry 2.0 initiative has taken center stage. When launched with a redesigned interface, enhanced metadata capabilities, and a growing library of shared agreements, the new SDPC Resource Registry will help districts and vendors streamline privacy workflows while improving transparency and trust. The Registry 2.0 pre-conference workshop at our Annual Meeting was a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come—and how much more we can do together.

A4L Community announce new Appointments to the Board of Directors

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.

A4L Community Newsletter, March 2025

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.