On April 8, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify and update the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA protects the privacy of education records, while allowing for the effective use of data in statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDS). The public comment period for the proposed regulations will close on May 23, 2011. To learn more, go to http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/04/08/2011-8205/family-educational-rights-and-privacy On a related note, the Data Quality Campaign will host a webinar featuring FERPA legal expert, Steve Winnick, to offer an initial analysis of the proposed regulations, including the extent to which they provide clarity to states to both use data for continuous improvement and protect the privacy, security, and confidentiality of student-level data. To learn more, go to http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/events/details/288