Today’s Agenda May 15, 2014 Education Records Health Records 30-minute Sakai Quiz in class! Due: Signed Final Project Contract

Reminder! Continue taking notes as discussed for the Records Notebook Keep track of what records are available for education and health records Consider what laws or definitions allow access to these records Consider where and how to get them Consider the importance and how you can use them for stories.

Education Records Calli Breil University of Florida

Privacy Laws Florida law guarantees right to privacy regarding educational records for individuals FERPA/Buckley Amendment Applies to any individual who is or has been enrolled in any educational program Exempts academic records from public Allows directory information

The Starting Point The basics: Grade school vs. higher education Public vs. private schools Technical vs. traditional schools Home schooling

The Starting Point Grade school – District School Boards Records include: Budgets/Funding Teacher Contracts Curriculum Faculty/staff

The Starting Point Florida Department of Education Includes information about: Dropout rates Educational standards for public schools Assessment Test results for schools District Grades Directories Safety and standards of conduct

Accountability Reports For parents, accountability reports are very important School improvement ratings Grades county and individual schools School grades for over a decade School Type Minority Rate No. of students on reduced lunches Available in spreadsheets and documents

Florida School Indicators The Florida School Indicators Report is completed daily for specific indicators regarding: The Florida School Indicators Report Poor educational options at the school Poor support at the school The Report includes several key data: Dropout rate Absenteeism Classes taught by uncertified instructors Incidents of Crime and Violence

Assessment Information Florida Department of Education also has information regarding assessment tools that students will go through, including: FCAT End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments Advanced Placement College-Level Academic Skills Test And more…

Assessment Information Why are scores important? Provides demographic informationdemographic information Do minorities preform lower? Statistics can indicate decreased or increased abilities among students Florida Teacher Certification Examinations can reveal who is competent to teach in specific courses Florida Teacher Certification Examinations

National Assessment of Educational Progress Done by the National Center for Education Statistics Nation’s Report Card indicates performances nationally on specific topics as well as related demographics. Nation’s Report

Educator Records There are several records regarding state educators, which are very similar to license records. Florida Department of Education Bureau of Educator Certification Certification can provide information regarding previous licenses and teaching record

Disciplinary Records Like medical professionals, educators can face disciplinary charges as well. Complaints that are not followed up by charges can be found a the Office of Professional PracticesOffice of Professional Practices Disciplinary actions are filed at the Florida Department of EducationFlorida Department of Education To find disciplines go to the link regarding disciplines against the licenses (not teachers) disciplines against the licenses Lists all punishments (fines, suspensions, etc.)

County Records The Alachua County Public Schools has reports regarding their grades and indicators as wellAlachua County Public Schools School zoning maps Salary schedules The Gainesville Sun built a database for salariesdatabase To obtain specific records you are going to need special information, such as:specific records Date of birth, years attended or graduated, etc.

Other places to go: National websites: Education Data Tools: Delta Cost Project Common Core of Data Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act

University Records Directory Information Includes name, address, phone number, class and college, major, enrollment status, dates of attendance, degrees awarded, publication titles Does not include birth date, religion, citizenship, disciplinary action, ethnicity, gender, GPA, marital status, test scores To access, contact the University’s registrar office and make sure you have a full name, birth date and years attended

University Records Professor salaries are public records Professor salaries So are the following: Demographics of enrollment Graduation rates by year Tuition and Fees Department Expenditures Accountability Reports

So what? These records have significance not just for journalists, but for the average citizen Meaning that these records are extremely important for journalists Keep in mind that taxes go into the educational system – large expenditures are important information School grades and lack of progress can reveal the present or future of the area

Problems and Trip Ups Some Universities host their transcripts and directory information in a larger system This is illegal – but it doesn’t look like it is disappearing anytime soon Private schools don’t have to provide the same financial information and reports They are not funded by the state or citizens

Thinking Critically What other purchases do districts and school systems buy that are public records that we can use? School nurses School buses Phone records Construction Contracts Unions