Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/649572
Student Confidential D O Y O U T H I N K the name, Social Security number, home address, disci- plinary and mental health records, and progress reports for every student who has attended a K-12 public school in California since Jan. 1, 2008, should be made available to an outside party? e California Department of Education (CDE) doesn't think so, and is reminding parents, guardians and former students over age 18 that they have until April 1 to submit a written objection to the release of data to the plaintiffs of a lawsuit. California Concerned Parents, a group with members in 80 school districts throughout the state, alleges that CDE has failed to provide an appropriate public education to students with disabilities, and is asking for records to prove it. The federal judge issued a court order to protect the data from being made public. CDE and privacy advocates argue that such a massive release of personal information — involving 10 million current and former students — is unnecessary. Parents, guardians and former students can object to the disclosure of data by mailing a form to the judge's office. For a link to the form, see cde.ca.gov/morganhillcase. It may be hard to believe, but some who were students after 2008 — and who should fill out a form — are now part of the millennial generation of educators. Our story "What Do Millennials Really Want?" (page 18) asks young educators their thoughts on their cohort, careers and relationships with veteran educators and CTA. eir insights are keen and inspiring, and sound not at all "entitled" — a label often applied to this generation. "Veteran teachers are so experienced and wonderful at what they do," says millennial Katy Rees, an elementary schoolteacher with the Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association. "ey need to pass that on to us. We need their help. We have so much to learn. Be patient with us." Don't miss our look at California's parent trigger law, so called because it allows parents to "pull the trigger" on public schools in an effort to char- terize them and weaken educator unions (page 24). Parent trigger has largely been driven by Parent Revolution, the advocacy group backed by founda- tions that support the growth of charter schools. In five years, parent trigger proponents have seen no clear successes. e law has only divided communities, traumatized students and hurt public education. e upside, as our story notes, is that in many schools threatened by parent trigger, educators' relationships with parents and communities have been strengthened. e expansion of dual enrollment programs is a hot topic among high school and community college educators. Our article (page 40) examines the YOUR VOICE Have something to say about your students, and the art and science of teaching? Tell us a story that illustrates your experience or opinion, and it could be published in "Your Voice." It can be funny, serious or both. It can be purely descriptive of your day and those you interact with, or it can be your thoughts and reflec- tions as an educator in the trenches. Send no more than 650 words to editor@cta.org, with "Your Voice" in the subject line. Submissions are sub- ject to editing for clarity and space. editor's note challenges and opportunities these increasingly popular programs face as they shape the ways more high school students can transition to college. Finally, with Autism Awareness Month coming in April, you'll want to read an excerpt from the new book by Anne K. Ross, Beyond Rain Man (page 44). Ross, a Northern California school psychologist for 30 years, chronicles her personal journey after she learns her son is on the autism spectrum, and how it informs her work with parents and educators. Happy spring! Katharine Fong E D I T O R I N C H I E F editor@cta.org 7 March 2016