Microsoft Sponsors “Cyberethics, Cybersafety and Cybersecurity Curriculum” Survey with NCSA

Today the National Cyber Security Alliance released a survey entitled, “ The State of K-12 Cyberethics, Cybersafety and Cybersecurity Curriculum in the U.S. Survey .” Microsoft is proud to be a sponsor of this timely and informative research, and we support cybersafety education in public schools. From the NCSA announcement:

America's young people aren't receiving adequate instruction to use digital technology and navigate cyber space in a safe, secure and responsible manner and are ill-prepared to address these subjects, according to a new poll released by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and supported by Microsoft Corporation. The State of K-12 Cyberethics, Cybersafety and Cybersecurity Curriculum in the U.S. Survey found that more than three quarters of U.S. teachers have spent fewer than six hours on any type of professional development education related to cyberethics, cybersafety, and cybersecurity within the last 12 months; more than 50% of teachers reported their school districts do not require these subjects as curriculum; and only 35% taught proper online conduct.

Yet, despite this lack of professional development and consistent teaching of Internet safety, the survey shows that America's teachers, school administrators, and technology coordinators strongly agree that cyberethics, cybersafety and cybersecurity curriculum should be taught in schools.

The poll, conducted by Zogby International, surveyed more than 1,000 teachers, 400 school administrators and 200 technology coordinators, and has supporting analysis conducted with the Maryland-based research organization Educational Technology, Policy, Research and Outreach (ETPRO).

Among other the key findings of the survey:

· More than 90% of technology coordinators school administrators and teachers support teaching cyberethics, cybersafety and cybersecurity in schools. However, only 35% of teachers and just over half of school administrators report that their school districts require cyberethics, cybersafety, and cybersecurity in their curriculum.

· Low levels of integration of key cyberethics, cybersecurity, and cybersafety topics into everyday instructional activities. For example, only 27% of teachers taught about the safe use of social networks, only 18% taught about scams, fraud and social engineering, and only 19% taught about safe passwords in the past 12 months. Additionally, 32% of teachers indicated they had not taught cyberethics, and 44% of teachers had not taught cybersafety or cybersecurity.