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Current Projects
Research Partnerships AISD is committed to providing students the best educational experience possible and to keeping students and their personal information safe and secure. As explained in the Notice of Student Records Maintained by the Austin Independent School District that is distributed at registration each year, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) requires that educational records must be kept private from persons and organizations outside the district. There are several exemptions to this requirement, including one for persons and organizations conducting educational research and evaluation. Each year, AISD receives a large number of requests to support the work of various community groups, government agencies, university-based researchers, and educational research firms, so the district has developed rules and guidelines to handle the review and approval of these requests. In addition, district administrators may enter into research partnerships with outside agencies and researchers when they believe these partnerships benefit AISD students, families, and staff, will benefit educational practice as a whole, or will facilitate student participation in important programs, such as Austin Community College's College Connections. In all cases where data are collected directly from students, outside researchers are required to obtain active, written consent from parents or guardians. However, in cases where only access to existing education records is required and the requesting person or organization (a) has effectively demonstrated the educational purpose of the project and (b) has demonstrated procedures for ensuring data security, the district may enter into a Data Sharing Agreement with the researchers. Below is a list of all organizations with which AISD currently shares student data for the purposes of educational research and evaluation or the facilitation of educational program participation. If you have any questions about these partnerships, district polices and procedures, your student's rights as a research participant, or if you choose not to have your child's data included in these research partnerships:
Please call Dr. Cathy Malerba at 512-414-3565 |
Department of Program Evaluation
Holly Williams, Ph.D. |
Research Partnerships