Plan to gather student data draws fire By Michael Janofsky http://news.com.com/2102-1028_3-5722757.html?tag=st.util.print
Story last modified Fri May 27 05:59:00 PDT 2005 A growing number of groups concerned about privacy rights are fighting a Department of Education plan to require colleges to place personal information on individual students into a national database maintained by the government. The plan could be part of the spending bill for the Higher Education Act that the Senate will vote on next month. If included in the spending measure, the plan would radically change current practice by requiring schools to provide personal information on all students, not just those receiving federal aid. Submissions would include every student's name and Social Security number, along with gender; date of birth; home address; race; ethnicity; names of every college course begun and completed; attendance records; and financial aid information. Such detailed information is now provided only for students receiving federal aid, giving the department only a partial picture of higher education nationwide. The new approach, department officials say, would not only complete the picture but also help track students who take uncommon paths toward a degree. "Forty percent of students now enroll in more than one institution at some point during their progress to a degree," said Grover Whitehurst, director of the department's Institute of Education Sciences, which devised the plan. "The only way to accurately account for students who stop out, drop out, graduate at a later date or transfer out is with a system that tracks individual students across and within post-secondary institutions." It is not clear whether the proposal has enough momentum--or even a sponsor--to be added by the Senate. The House version did not include the plan, and Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, has spoken against it. Concerned that the plan could emerge through the Senate, opponents are trying to kill it before it gains any traction. "Our belief is that the department, itself, is both unconstitutional and a relic of the last century that should not exist, let alone create new databases," said Michael Ostrolenk, education policy director for two conservative groups, EdWatch and Eagle Forum. "I don't trust the government with databases with private information on citizens." Jim Dempsey, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said: "Once a database is created for one purpose, regardless how genuine or legitimate it is, it's very, very hard to prevent it from being used for law enforcement or intelligence purposes. If the FBI comes calling, it almost doesn't matter what the privacy policy is. They'll get the information they want." Indeed, the feasibility report permits the attorney general and the Department of Justice to gain access to the database "in order to fight terrorism." Backers of the proposal, while acknowledging the privacy concerns, say that the benefits of having more information about students outweigh the risks, especially for lawmakers who oversee federal aid programs. Entire contents, Copyright � 2005 The New York Times. All rights reserved. Copyright �1995-2005 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.
