Discusses investigation of librarians by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the status of the Library Awareness Program. An American Library Association (ALA) resolution opposing FBI activities in libraries and demanding release of individual files to persons subjected to checks is described. A model letter for individuals to use in…

Discusses the integration of the school intercom system with phones in the classroom to enhance main office to classroom communication with an element of privacy. The contribution of classroom phones to safety and security issues is highlighted. (GR)

Presents four tips to help parents monitor whether website operators are complying with the 1988 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act: look for privacy policies on children's websites; determine if they ask for parental consent to collect personal information; regularly monitor information being sent to children; and determine if web operators…

Discusses current standards for formatting and etiquette of electronic mail in the business setting. Discusses privacy and appropriate content. Notes that class assignments involving electronic mail provide practical opportunities to develop ease with this form. (SR)

Examines the Internet's potential for becoming an information highway. Highlights include definitions of the information highway and the Internet; the infrastructure of an information highway; capacity; connectivity; simultaneity; network protocols; applications; interactivity; openness; mobility and remote access; universal access; affordable…

"Sleazeware" is the authors' term for spyware, adware, malware, trackware, foistware, trojans, and other programs that sleaze into computers, either as a hidden component or by tricking someone into downloading them. Once in the machine, the program phones home for purposes ranging from simply reporting where people browse to downloading…

This booklet gives adults practical tips to help kids navigate the online world. Kids and parents have many ways of socializing and communicating online, but they come with certain risks. This guide encourages parents to reduce the risks by talking to kids about how they communicate--online and off--and helping kids engage in conduct they can be…

Purpose: A factor largely overlooked amid the press for greater security in schools is the extent to which law enforcement participates in search and seizure and the implications such actions carry for student civil liberties. As case law suggests, police engaged in school searches may be held to the probable cause standard or the more flexible…

This report summarizes external research requests submitted to and reviewed by Austin Independent School District staff during the 2006-2007 school year.

Educators, mental-health officials, and law-enforcement officers often do not share information about troubled students because they are confused by what they can disclose under complex and overlapping privacy laws, according to a report on the Virginia Tech shootings. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and two other Bush cabinet secretaries…

"The Achiever" is a monthly publication for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) "Promising Gains" among Urban School Districts: Nation's Report Card Reveals Greatest Increases in Math; (2) Tying Names to…

Marketing and advertising support the U.S. economy by promoting the sale of goods and services to consumers, both adults and children. Sandra Calvert addresses product marketing to children and shows that although marketers have targeted children for decades, two recent trends have increased their interest in child consumers. First, both the…

If the resort city of Anaheim, California, home of Disneyland and its "imagineers," marked a departure from the urban reality of the typical American Library Association (ALA) annual conference, it was impossible, at this 2008 meeting, to avoid urgent library issues. How do libraries maintain their value and cultural presence as users…

Following suggestions from prior research, this 2-wave longitudinal study examined whether parental solicitation and control influenced adolescents' later perceptions of privacy invasion. Data from 307 Dutch adolescents were tested with structural equation modeling (SEM). Differences in adolescents' invasion perceptions were examined in terms of…

State education data systems have often been described as data rich but information poor. Historically, these systems were created for compliance purposes and, therefore, designed and managed as information technology projects, but a culture change is under way. Educators and other stakeholders are beginning to value data as a tool to inform…