EdTech & Student Data
Technology in education should serve students and teachers—not corporate profits or surveillance capitalism.
The EdTech Explosion
Education technology has become a multi-billion dollar industry, with companies eager to sell products to schools often with limited evidence of effectiveness. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption, but also exposed the limitations and harms of technology-heavy approaches to education.
The rapid expansion of EdTech raises serious issues:
- •Massive collection of student data with inadequate privacy protections
- •Products marketed aggressively without evidence of educational benefit
- •Screen time replacing human interaction and hands-on learning
- •Surveillance tools that monitor students' every keystroke
- •Algorithmic systems making high-stakes decisions about students
Student Data Privacy
Every day, students generate vast amounts of data through educational apps and platforms. This data—including academic performance, behavior, location, and even biometric information—is often collected, stored, and shared with third parties with minimal oversight. FERPA, passed in 1974, is woefully inadequate for the digital age.
EdTech companies collect everything from assignment scores to emotional states, building detailed profiles of children that may follow them for life.
Many EdTech business models depend on monetizing student data, creating conflicts between educational mission and profit motive.
Student Surveillance
Schools increasingly deploy monitoring software that tracks students' online activities, social media posts, and even their physical movements. While marketed as safety tools, these systems create a climate of surveillance that chills free expression and disproportionately targets marginalized students.
Evidence first: EdTech products should demonstrate educational value before schools adopt them.
Data minimization: Collect only what's necessary and delete it when no longer needed.
Transparency: Parents and students should know what data is collected and how it's used.
Human-centered: Technology should support teachers, not replace them or dictate instruction.