Educational Alchemy: Balancing Data Privacy and Generative AI in School Systems

“How can we use innovative tools, responsibly?” ~ Gretchen Shipley, F3 Law

Since January 2023, Advanced Learning Partnerships, Inc (ALP) has recognized the arrival and rapid iteration of large language models as a watershed moment in education systems and the way humans learn. In our work with over 800 school districts across North America, we have learned that human-centered innovation is driven by each community's strengths and aspirations. Our IDEA Services enable our team of consultants to customize support within each partnership. By leveraging an appreciative inquiry process, our partners are empowered to define and operationalize generative AI and emerging technology- related change efforts. This process leads to sustainable systems and the continuous development of human capacity.

This stance hasn't changed since ALP supported its first-ever 1:1 initiative back in 2010. Literally hundreds of blended, personalized, competency-based and learner-centered implementations later, we have adopted learner's and practitioner's lenses to understanding and purposefully weaving human and machine learning through K-12 systems.

Despite this experience, we take nothing for granted. The purposeful and human-centric integration of generative AI into learning systems will require unwavering focus, bold creativity and sober-minded discipline. Since January, our organization has committed to clear and transparent enhancements to our internal and outward-facing policies and practices. Together, we are learning every day, and we’re honored to do so shoulder-to-shoulder with so many communities across North America.

Advanced Learning Partnerships has been working with a cohort of 18 school districts around the systemic integration of #GenAI and large language models at scale. Together, we consider 2023-24 to be 'Year 0', with our team of SMEs and ALP consultants working together with district leaders to understand, design, iterate and scale policy, strategy, operations, community and stakeholder engagement and professional learning around the risks and opportunities inherent with this inevitable and astounding innovation.

During our first collaboration, Cohort 1.0 welcomed F3 Law Firm's Gretchen Shipley . Gretchen shared the work she and her firm, who helped develop the National Student Data Privacy Agreement, have been doing with education systems on education policy, student data and privacy, and generative AI.

As learners in this space, here are a few things that are staying with us from Gretchen’s presentation:

• “Ask before you App”: Any district updating their acceptable use policy will want to consider Gretchen’s advice for vetting apps, advocating for vendor explainability of data use and security measures in place to protect user information.??
• Consent: The whole conversation on FERPA and parental consent is worth a listen.?
• Equity: A FAFSA chatbot supports seniors applying for financial aid–Is that? an equitable tool if not all students have access to phones?
• Safety Tips: Vet terms and conditions of vendor partnerships, obtain parent/caregiver consent, and ensure platforms have threat monitoring in place.

A quick preview of Gretchen's talk can be found here. Her entire presentation will be linked on ALP’s website later this week. Feel free to go to alplearn.com to access.?

ALP is not a legal firm, but we have a long and successful history of bringing people together in communities of practice. This community, comprised of those navigating generative AI-related challenges and opportunities in real time and subject matter experts that can inform that navigation, is no different. We promise to leverage our platform with the respect, care and dignity it commands. We pledge to share insights, successes and failures publicly and regularly as a means of assisting those who endeavor to forge pathways that benefit all learners and communities through these foundational phases of adoption and integration.

Eager to add your voice to the conversation?

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Please note, as a company ALP is committed to being transparent about how we are using generative AI in our work. The photo at the top of this article was generated by DALL-E 3. The title is an edited version of a title that ChatGPT-4 generated.