What is the primary purpose of FERPA?

The primary purpose of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) is to regulate student record management. FERPA provides parents and eligible students (students who are 18 years or older or are attending a postsecondary institution) with the right to access their education records, the right to request the correction of inaccurate records, and the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information from education records. This law ensures that educational institutions manage and protect student records in a way that respects privacy rights and maintains the integrity of those records.

Understanding FERPA is crucial for educators and administrators, as it sets the framework for how educational institutions handle personal information, ensuring that access to student records is limited to authorized individuals and that parents and students have control over their information. The other choices, while related to education in various ways, do not accurately capture the essence or primary objective of FERPA.