P-20 longitudinal data systems are state-level educational databases in the United States designed "to capture, analyze, and use student data from preschool to high school, college, and the workforce."
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Description
These databases are developed on different models in different states.
Twelve elements are required in these systems:
Privacy and data mining concerns
Under the Obama Administration, over 1 billion dollars has been spent in developing databases designed for improving the educational system, including P-20 longitudinal data systems. Although these databases contain extensive personally identifiable information, much of this information is "not kept in a format that allows officials to easily extract the complete file on any one child." As of June 2014, parents concerned about student privacy and data mining of student information have begun to organize opposition at the state level:
“We don’t know what they’re tracking and we don’t know what the implications are going to be for these children in the future ... Going for jobs in the future, trying to get into college — we’re in uncharted territory and we just don’t know the implication it’s going to have for the children. We need to slow down.”