For years, educators have been told that data is the key to improving student achievement. Used wisely, data can identify learning gaps, guide instruction, and help schools intervene before students fall behind. But somewhere along the way, education crossed the line from using data to support learning to collecting data simply because technology makes it possible.
Today’s schools collect far more than grades and attendance. Academic assessments, behavioral metrics, online activity, device monitoring, demographic information, and location data are routinely collected through digital platforms. While much of this information serves legitimate educational purposes, too often schools and technology vendors collect more than necessary, creating new risks for students, teachers, and families.
The concern is not with the data itself. The concern is whether every piece of information collected serves a clear educational purpose.
Many educators feel they are teaching in an environment of constant monitoring rather than one of professional trust. Students, likewise, are growing up in classrooms where digital activity may be tracked, analyzed, and retained long after its instructional value has passed. Surveillance should never replace meaningful relationships between teachers and students.
Privacy laws have struggled to keep pace with these rapid changes. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) were enacted long before today’s cloud-based learning platforms and artificial intelligence tools became commonplace. Although states such as Tennessee have strengthened student data protections, significant gaps remain in vendor access, data retention, and transparency.
Data breaches have only heightened these concerns. Every unnecessary record stored creates another potential vulnerability. Schools have a responsibility not only to protect student information but also to question whether it should have been collected in the first place.
Another challenge that receives far less attention is information overload. Teachers already face countless responsibilities, yet many are expected to navigate multiple dashboards, reports, and analytics systems. Not every metric improves instruction. In fact, excessive reporting often takes valuable time away from lesson planning, student engagement, and individualized support.
Good education has never been built on spreadsheets alone. The best teachers know their students through daily interactions, observations, and relationships. Data should inform professional judgment, not replace it.
Technology remains an important educational tool, but it should reflect the principle of “collect with purpose.” Schools should gather only the information necessary to achieve a legitimate educational objective, retain it only as long as necessary, and ensure that parents clearly understand what information is collected and how it is used. Vendors should face stronger contractual requirements, regular security audits, and meaningful accountability for protecting student information.
Tennessee has taken encouraging steps by reviewing data practices and removing unnecessary sensitive information from some systems. That approach deserves continued support. Every school district should periodically review its data collection practices and ask a simple but important question: If we stopped collecting this information tomorrow, would teaching or learning suffer?
A question policymakers must ask is what role, if any, K12 plays in the growth of data centers. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data centers makes this conversation even more urgent. The infrastructure that supports digital education carries financial, cybersecurity, energy, and environmental costs that extend well beyond the classroom. Responsible stewardship means balancing innovation with sound governance while protecting both taxpayer resources and student privacy.
Data will continue to play an important role in education, but more data does not automatically lead to better outcomes. The goal should not be to collect everything we can. It should be to collect what matters, protect it responsibly, and use it wisely.
In education, relationships remain our most valuable resource. Data is a powerful tool, but it should never be the mission itself.
JC Bowman is the executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee and Contributing Editor for TriStar Review.
