Keeping students safe while online

Students do not receive adequate instruction to use technology and the Internet safely and responsibly, a survey from the National Cyber Security Alliance asserts.

The State of K-12 Cyberethics, Cybersafety and Cybersecurity Curriculum in the U.S. Survey found that 78 percent of U.S. teachers say that within the last 12 months they have spent fewer than six hours on any type of professional-development education related to cyberethics, cybersafety and cybersecurity.

The survey found that more than 90 percent of technology coordinators, school administrators and teachers support teaching cyberethics, cybersafety and cybersecurity in schools. However, only 35 percent of teachers and a little more than half of school administrators report that their school districts require cyberethics, cybersafety and cybersecurity in their curriculum.

"The study illuminates that there is no cohesive effort to provide young people the education they need to safely and securely navigate the digital age and prepare them as digital citizens and employees," says Michael Kaiser, Executive Director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "Unfortunately, we are not meeting the needs of schools, teachers, or students."

The survey, conducted by Zogby International and supported by Microsoft, gathered information from teachers, administrators and technology coordinators.