Introducing the Data Observations (DO) Program: Technical Testing, Built by the Community

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.

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.

Vendors Leading the Way: How SDPC Members Are Championing Student Data Privacy

When people think about student data privacy, the conversation often centers on schools, districts, and state agencies working to protect students. But some of the most committed champions of student data privacy are the vendors who build the tools students and teachers use every day. These companies, many of them quietly doing exceptional work, have made privacy a core value, not an afterthought.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s JEDx Initiative Advances New Tool to Support Seamless Sharing of Skills and Credentials

Release Represents Milestone Toward National Alignment of Skills and Learning Data Across Education, Workforce, and Hiring Systems

A Call To Action for Education Technology Stakeholders

The time has come for all stakeholders to unite and tackle the pressing security challenges in the Educational Technology (EdTech) sector. Data breaches are escalating in both frequency and severity, leaving student information vulnerable. A lack of coordination across the marketplace, driven by inconsistent controls and fragmented legal requirements, has only exacerbated the problem. However, there is hope. Through collaboration and a shared commitment to securing the educational ecosystem, we can create a safer environment for all EdTech products and services. Adopting and consistently adhering to standardized controls is essential. Many recent data breaches may have been avoided entirely if these measures had been in place.

WEBINAR: Data Minimization

Data minimization is a privacy principle that states that organizations should only collect and store personal data necessary to accomplish a specific purpose, and only for as long as needed. It’s a key principle for reducing the risk of data breaches and respecting individual privacy.

Join us on December 2 at 2pm ET as we dive deep into operational best practices for data collection, sharing and retention, with a particular focus on how to manage data effectively when working with EdTech Vendors and researchers.

WEBINAR: AI’s impact on Privacy and Interoperability

Join us for a lively webinar where we will dive down quickly into exactly what this means for the Education Marketplace and ecosystem. Join experts from data interoperability, privacy think tanks and K12 legal counsel as we engage in a moderated discussion about the intersection of AI, Interoperability & Privacy in K12.

Interoperability is a big word that just got some even bigger press

Today – Monday, August 7th, 2023 – The US Department of Education Office of Education Technology released three briefs that cover the role of interoperability, cybersecurity, and privacy. These briefs are part of a national effort to create more secure and resilient digital ecosystems.

A4L Community releases the global SIF Infrastructure Specification supporting Lightweight Providers of Data

The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community is proud to announce the release of the collaboratively developed global SIF Infrastructure Specification 3.5 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’.

A4L Community response to Federal Register Request for Information on Advancing Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs)

Data access today is critical as major decisions on policy development, funding, program impact, and an array of other “data driven, time sensitive decisions”. This is all dependent on having access to the right data at the right time. Layer on top of this is the need for control by the appropriate data stewards in the sectors the data is held within – privacy and security layers!