Download the A4L-SDPC Quarterly Newsletter, June 2021 >>
Appreciating the Deserved…
Foreword by Larry Fruth II PhD., CEO/Exec Director, A4L Community
We hope you can take a minute and take a breath – follow local guidance, if that’s through a mask or not!
As our Northern Communities move toward warmer weather and our Southern data brethren slip into winter, we ideally all have one thing in common – a light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. “Back to normal” is an often-used term each day but we all know we will have to adjust to a “new normal”.
While the media has seemed to move back to spending time informing us about the lives of sports heroes, Hollywood stars and even government movers and shakers, I have to say I miss the “old normal” of seeing stories about pandemic heroes – indulge me here…
My recently graduated daughter (go Buckeyes!) worked throughout as a neonatal nurse practitioner front line worker while her fiancé is a surgical nurse at a large university hospital. My wife taught 7-12 French and was weekly switching between virtual, face to face and hybrid learning. The last week of school was the first time she saw her student’s faces without masks! I mention these two because I live with them each day and see what it has done to them physically and emotionally. Imagine a first-year teacher starting in 2020!?!?
These deserving media stories are great to hear but often not heard, are all the support structures and people surrounding them. State and school IT departments, marketplace partners, family members, and numerous others are also part of the “deserving”. While the pandemic impacts will be measured for years to come – we made it through!
As a continuously growing Community we have a lot to tell the world about as well. We hope that we have captured some of it in this newsletter edition.
YOU have been part of that support structure for getting us through and you too are deserving… and we appreciate you!
Global Community News:
A4L announce SIF Fellow Award; Community Survey: coming soon!; Welcome new Members!; Introducing Data Standards United
AU Community News:
SIF Data Model Specification (Australia) 3.4.8 published; Safer Technologies 4 Schools
NA Community News:
North American 2021 Leadership announced; A4L Community (NA) Town Hall Meeting: Overview; The latest Unity release strengthens Personal Privacy; What A Review!; Leadership Board Alignment
Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) News:
SDPC Vendor Showcase Webinar: BSD Education (June 17); Advance Notice: SDPC Elections coming soon!; Project Teams Updates; Out and About; Come join us at the National pK20 Student Data Privacy Symposium!