"A federal law designed to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate and misleading data through informal and formal hearings."
The Act applies to students enrolled in higher education institutions as well as K-12 students. Under FERPA, these two groups are treated the same with one fundamental difference: WHO the rights are given to under the Act. If a student is a minor (e.g., under the age of eighteen) or a dependent, the parents or legal guardians are afforded the rights. On the other hand, the rights primarily reside with the student, regardless of age, once he or she is admitted or enrolls at an institution of higher education. Only when the student has signed a written release giving their parent(s) access to their record, or when an institution accepts proof from the parent that the student is a dependent, is an institution allowed to release information from the student's education record to parents.
For more information visit
http://www.aacrao.org/ferpa_guide/enhanced/main_frameset.html