Data ethics in education: a theoretical, practical, and policy issue

Abstract

Responsible data use has emerged as an important concept in education, especially in the wake of the COVJD-19 pandemic, which continues to highlight inequities. The knowledge and skills to use data effectively and appropriately are at the heart of data ethics. Educators must tightly couple data literacy with an ethical approach to using data—that is, they must be thoughtful about what they choose to do with data, how they go about their work, and how they center their work to benefit, rather than to harm, those engaged in the work of schooling, including students, teachers, families, and other educators. In this article, intended to provoke thought around data ethics among educators, researchers, and policymakers, we take a broad view of what data are and assert that data ethics go far beyond protecting the privacy and confidentiality of data. To be an ethical data user means using the right data in the right ways for the right purposes. The article lays out a context for data ethics, demonstrates how ethics are coupled with data literacy, provides examples of data ethics in practice, and recommends steps for strengthening ethical data use in practice.