(Washington, D.C., Wednesday, March 31, 2021) – Today, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) released an update to their survey report from last fall on teacher and parent views toward education technology (edtech), data, and privacy. The research shows that support for continued online learning is strong, with 85 percent of teachers and 74 percent of parents supportive of online learning continuing as part of classroom instruction when students return to campus.

At the same time, schools have not kept pace with the expanded use of edtech, and three in four teachers have not been trained on the most pressing online threats to students. The report provides updated polling data one year after the U.S. shut down and classrooms moved from the school building to the home overnight.

Elizabeth Laird, CDT’s Director of Equity in Civic Technology, discusses the importance of protecting student privacy and keeping students safe.

SOUNDBITE #1:

SO AS SCHOOLS ADAPT AND BEGIN TO REOPEN IN-PERSON, TECHNOLOGY WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY A BIG ROLE AND WORK REMAINS TO ADDRESS STUDENT PRIVACY. THIS INCREASED USE OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY ALSO MEANS INCREASED SECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY RISKS.  DISTRICTS AND ADMINISTRATORS MUST BE READY TO ADDRESS SECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY CONCERNS MOVING FORWARD. AND WE SHOULD BE READY TO HELP ENSURE THAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE USED BY SCHOOLS IN WAYS THAT MEET FAMILIES’ NEEDS AND KEEP STUDENTS SAFE.

SOUNDBITE #2:

STUDENT PRIVACY ISN’T JUST A SAFETY ISSUE – IT’S AN EQUITY CONCERN AS WELL. DATA SUGGESTS THAT SCHOOLS HAVE STEPPED UP THEIR EFFORTS TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT SCHOOLS HAVE POLICIES AND TRAININGS IN PLACE TO PROTECT THE DATA AND PRIVACY OF THEIR STUDENTS.

For more information, visit www.cdt.org.