Q: Our school district is under fire for not storing student data securely. I wasn't even aware my kids' information was stored. What should parents know about this privacy risk to our children?

A: Schools have always used data to improve instruction. Teachers once maintained bulky cumulative folders for each student -- with notes and test scores and other records -- and passed them from grade to grade.

Since the dawn of "big data," schools have used technology to collect information that helps educators tailor instruction and catch learning problems early.

For example, data generated by a computer math game allows a teacher to individualize problems in real time: If Emma has mastered multiplication by 5 and 10, but needs to practice 8 and 9, her teacher adjusts the game as Emma plays and the program tracks her progress.

Schools also use trend data to troubleshoot problems. Because poor attendance in elementary school often predicts who might drop out of high school, educators assess attendance and tardiness records, grades and teacher observations to identify students who may need intervention.

A 2013 study by the Center on Law and Information Policy at Fordham Law School showed that student privacy was threatened because most school districts now use cloud computing provided by third-party vendors to store and manage data. This data includes health and attendance records, grades, teachers' notations, suspensions, expulsions, cafeteria records and bus routes.

Professor Joel Reidenberg, the study's co-author, says the third-party contracts fail to address privacy issues such as how the data is used, how long it's stored and whether it could be sold.

What can a parent do?

"We can't afford not to use data," says Aimee Guidera, executive director of the Data Quality Campaign, an education policy nonprofit. "Educators need the right data at the right time to improve student achievement. Administrators must show parents the value in the data collected, dispel myths and clarify the use in teaching, learning and decision-making."

But Guidera says districts also cannot afford to let their students' data fall into the wrong hands. She suggests parents ask administrators four questions: What is being collected and how is it used? How is the data stored? Who has access to it? When does it expire?

Adds security expert Alan Katzman of Social Assurity (a "social media management service"): "Who is financially liable for the safekeeping of student data? What will keep the data secure from unauthorized users? What end user authentication procedures are used? Will the data be encrypted when sent over the Internet? Does the vendor have data protection insurance? What steps occur if there's a data breach -- including mandatory notifications, corrective measures, compensation penalties?"

There's no denying that education technology has the potential to transform learning if it's used wisely, says Joni Lupovitz of Common Sense Media, an education advocacy group.

The organization launched the School Privacy Zone initiative to raise families' awareness of the increased sharing of students' personal data.

"We want to help ensure that we're creating an atmosphere where kids can learn and be engaged but thrive without putting their personal information at risk," Lupovitz says.

For more information, go to dataqualitycampaign.org and Commonsensemedia.org.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our daughter's second-grade teacher says she gives up too easily and needs to develop "grit." That sounds so negative, like gritting teeth! Who wants to put a 7-year-old under that kind of pressure?

A: Think positive. Grit -- the ability to persevere over time to overcome a challenge and achieve a goal -- is a hot topic from the ivory tower to the teachers' lounge.

Compelling research has educators and parents rethinking the role of praise in motivation and what constitutes "too much" pressure.

Stanford researcher Carol Dweck has shown that overpraising has negative affects. University of Nebraska psychologist Richard Dienstbier founds that routine stresses, such as dealing with a tough teacher, can make students stronger.

University of Pennsylvania researcher Angie Duckworth established the importance of grit in school achievement and says it's a better indicator of success than IQ or family income.

In his book, "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character" (Mariner Books, 2013), Paul Tough explains that grit combines several traits: motivation, a strong desire to achieve a goal; self-control, knowing how to focus and avoid distractions; goal-orientation, knowing where one's headed and having a plan to get there; and a growth mindset, a belief that one's abilities can be developed through effort and hard work.

If grit is good, then how can parents develop it?

-- Start early: The late parent educator Dorothy Rich, author of "MegaSkills: Building Our Children's Character and Achievement for School and Life" (Sourcebooks, 2008), called effort and perseverance two of 12 "megaskills" that could be taught to preschoolers. She encouraged such activities as structured dramatic play in which children learn self-control and focus by staying in character.

-- Model it; talk about it: Show how you demonstrate perseverance, whether restoring a home or getting an advanced degree.

Read children's books that showcase grit. Biographies of heroes such as Teddy Roosevelt and Rosa Parks give kids opportunities to talk about what they value, fear and want to achieve. "Folk tales are also a great way to spur those conversations," says reading expert Keith Garton, publisher of "Tales of Honor," a series about bravery, devotion and perseverance (Red Chair Press, 2013).

-- Encourage kids to set their own goals: "Too often parents set goals for their children. Teach them how to define their own goals that relate to their interests. Show them how to anticipate obstacles and lay out a plan that prioritizes time and resources to achieve them," says Bill Laraway, a fifth-grade teacher at Silver Oak Elementary in San Jose, Calif. "Kids should know this process by the end of fifth grade."

-- Make it OK to fail: Don't shelter kids from messing up, says Laraway. "Mistakes teach us -- motivate us -- to try again and do it better."

For more information, check out the free webinar "Got Grit? Help Your Child Develop a Sense of Perseverance" (parentfurther.com/webinars/got-grit). And watch Angela Duckworth's TED Talk, "The Key to Success? Grit," at ted.com.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Last year in third grade, we thought our son, Jared, learned his times tables. Now in fourth grade, he's struggling in math. His teacher says he hasn't developed "automaticity" and suggests drilling him on multiplication facts. What does that mean? And what might make "drilling" fun?

A: The teacher means that Jared can't retrieve his times tables automatically. So when solving problems, he has to stop and figure out, "Now, what is 3 times 6 again?" And that slows him down.

This is common, says elementary teacher Nancy Bourne of Jupiter, Fla., who was given a 2014 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching.

"First, check to make sure that he understands the conceptual model that underlies multiplication," she says.

This is important, says Bourne, because rote memorization can cover up lack of understanding. "Math educator Marilyn Burns often cites a time she was helping a struggling fourth-grader," she says. "She asked him to explain what he knew about multiplication. He said, 'Well, 6 times 8 is 48.' She asked about 6 times 9. He said he hadn't learned that one. Asked how he knew the answer to 6 times 8, he said, 'That's easy. Goin' fishin', got no bait, 6 times 8 is 48.' He'd memorized a fact, but multiplication was still a mystery to him."

If Jared's concept mastery is weak, ask his teacher for activities to develop it. Bourne loves working with number arrays (a set of numbers or objects that follow a specific pattern, often in rows, columns or a matrix) to develop understanding.

"A number array representing a box of chocolates with 5 rows of 6 pieces makes some pretty tempting multiplication connections!" she says.

Once Jared "gets" multiplication, work on automaticity -- the ability to retrieve facts immediately without using working memory. In other words, knowing them by heart.

First, suggests Bourne, "Clue him into helpful patterns and rules, such as 'When multiplying by 5, the product will always end in a 5 or 0.' Or the commutative property rule states that it doesn't matter the order; you still get the same answer. When kids learn that 6 times 4 and 4 times 6 yield the same answer, it's a eureka moment."

Second, have some fun. Bourne likes the book "Times Tables The Fun Way," by Judy Liautaud and Dave Rodriguez (City Creek Press; 1999), for its kid connections, such as "You have to be 16 to drive a 4-by-4." Teach mnemonic devices such as "1, 2, 3, 4. I like math, let's do some more!" (12 equals 3 times 4.) Or "5, 6, 7, 8, I think math is really great!" (56 equals 7 times 8.) Play fast games with two dice; have players alternate between adding and multiplying the two numbers. The first to get a total score of 100 wins.

Third, work for fast retrieval. "Bottom line, even with all the tricks, most kids still have to practice, practice, practice to be speedy," says Bourne. "Flashcards get great results. Websites such as multiplication.com, sumdog.com and apps such as Brownie Points and That's a Fact help, too.

"Just five minutes a night goes a long way to enshrining these in the brain forever!"

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)