Download the A4L Quarterly Newsletter, December 2020 >>
‘Tis the Season!
Foreword by Larry Fruth II PhD., CEO/Exec Director, A4L Community
We have all heard and used this phrase – probably repeatedly – in our numerous holiday season conversations. I think you would agree that, in reality, this year is NOT our typical holiday “season”!
We are all trying to address how this year our “season” is impacting our work and family gatherings. Take a deep breath and look back at all you and your organization has achieved in the past 9 months. As a school leader, you dealt with being thrown into the fire last spring and then shifted to address getting kids learning either online or safely in person this fall. As a marketplace provider, you quickly addressed the new needs of your customers. As a parent, you found out how vital teachers are for not only the learning but the emotional and social support of your kids, and the list goes on.
So, in reality, even if it feels like we all have been somewhat frozen in place – a ton of work has been done!
We hope you take a few minutes and review the work done over the past 6 months in your A4L/SDPC Community! There is some market moving work being done in the from international technical standards development and adoption, a standardized and now nationally used data privacy agreement, partnerships developing tactical support for schools, and identification of what might be “next” for all of us while we connect and secure effective learning ecosystems. This edition just really only gives you a snapshot!
As we juggle our family and work schedules due to the pandemic, I pass along an often used line that I say to A4L Team, friends and family (you can ask them): “Take care of the important stuff!” Not “Tis the season” …but it works for me!
Global Community News:
Cyber Security Special Interest Group; Personal Privacy Obligations Document (P-POD) Update; Welcome new members; Come Join Us for ‘tactical’ Interoperability & Privacy conversations!
AU Community News:
AU announces 2020-2021 Leadership: AU Community Day Overview
NZ Community News:
SIF Data Model Specification (New Zealand) 3.1 now available
NA Community News:
COVID-19 Response: Experts needed; North American Contingent to aid in global privacy work; Greater State Support Expected in 2021; Partner Update
Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) News:
SDPC announce 2020-2021 Leadership; NDPA Now In Use by State Alliances; NDPA Policy, Procedures & Usage Project Team; Research Data Sharing Agreement Project Team; and Vendor Value