Essential Tools for Effective Data Governance

Data Governance refers to the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity, and security of data used in an enterprise. It's a comprehensive approach to managing and ensuring the quality, life cycle, usability, and security of data in business.

Key tools that are essential for effective data governance include:

1. Metadata Management Tools: These help organizations manage their data dictionary and ensure effective use of data.

2. Data Quality Tools: These are used to clean, standardize, validate and enrich enterprise data.

3. Master Data Management (MDM) Tools: These tools are used to define and manage critical data of an organization to provide a single point of reference.

4. Data Security Management Tools: These tools help in protecting sensitive data and comply with necessary regulations.

5. Data Integration Tools: They allow different software applications to communicate and share data with each other.

6. Business Glossary: This is a vital tool that provides definitions for common terms used within the organization.

7. Data Cataloging Tools: These tools help organize large amounts of structured and unstructured data.

8. Data Lineage Tools: They help track data from its origin throughout its lifecycle.

For more in-depth information regarding each tool, you may refer to this guide on essential Data Governance tools.

Remember that effective data governance relies on these tools but also requires well-defined roles, responsibilities, policies, procedures and standards which should be clearly communicated across the organization.

CoSN Resources:

• Protecting Privacy in Connected Learning (Links to an external site.) site with many resources
• Making the Case to Leadership (Links to an external site.)- presentation template school system technology leaders can use to thoughtfully share the importance of data governance
• 10 Steps Every District Should Take Today (Links to an external site.)

Raytown Resources:

• Data Governance website - list of policies and procedures as well as adopted resource list
• Data Governance Manual (Links to an external site.)
• District Staff Technology Handbook (Links to an external site.)
• Training Resources (Links to an external site.)

Other Districts:

• Cambridge Public School’s Student Data Privacy website - This website has sections on why student privacy matters (for both district staff and for families); a list of the pre-approved apps and other resources; a place for staff to request new resources; professional development resources; legal resources; resources for parents to keep children safe online at home; and forms, policies, and procedures for digital resources.
• Baltimore County Public Schools' Policies, Rules and Forms:
  • Student Data Governance
  • Rule: Data Governance
  • Employee email form
  • Employee Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
  • Employee AUP rule
  • Employee AUP form
• Denver Public School's
  • Student data privacy website
  • Social Media Guidelines
  • One-Pager
• Howard County Schools
  • Student Records Policy
  • Coordinator of Data Privacy Download Coordinator of Data Privacy job description

State Guidance:

• Cyber Aware Schools Audit summary. - In 2016, the Missouri State Auditor's office conducted data privacy audits of five school districts. The "Cyber Aware School Audits" were designed to assess the effectiveness of privacy and security controls with a focus on identifying practices that improve the security of information school districts have on students and their families.
• Colorado State Data Governance Framework

Additional Resources:

• The ABCs of Student Data Privacy for Administrators - Andrew Bloom and Linnette Attai summarize the data privacy landscape:
• Student Data Privacy Communications Toolkit Download Student Data Privacy Communications Toolkit - Founded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the Foundation for Excellence in Education is igniting a movement of reform, state by state, to transform education for the 21st century economy by working with lawmakers, policymakers, educators and parents to advance education reform across America.
• Data Sharing Playbook (Links to an external site.) and accompanying resources provide a solid foundation that communities can use to effectively share data across organizational boundaries to improve student supports.
• Data Security for Schools - National School Board's Legal and Policy Guide for School Boards that discusses the importance of data security in school districts and its intersection with data privacy and data governance and describes legal requirements and best practices for school districts in the event of a data security breach
• PTAC's Data Governance Checklist
• National Forum on Education Statistics Forum Guide to Data Governance