The NCF Empowers Educators for a Safer Digital Future at Common Ground 2025
NCF Director of Education Dr. Alisha Jordan engages with educators at Common Ground 2025
Between March 21-23, 2025, the National Cryptologic Foundation (NCF) had the incredible opportunity to speak at and attend the Common Ground Conference in Ocean City, Maryland — a powerful gathering of over 300 Maryland State educators dedicated to advancing teaching and learning across disciplines.
Dr. Alisha Jordan (NCF Director of Education) and Ms. Kishanna Harley (NCF Education Program Coordinator) were honored to lead a session focused on Empowering Educators to Teach Data Care, Data Safety, and Foundational Cybersecurity Principles. The session sparked meaningful conversations around one critical goal: preparing our students to navigate the digital world with confidence, awareness, and responsibility.
Our mission was clear — to help teachers seamlessly integrate the NCF’s resources into their existing curriculum. We understand that educators are not looking for “one more thing” to add; they need tools that fit within their current instruction. That’s why we focused on critical thinking as the lens through which cybersecurity concepts can be introduced — asking students to question how their data is used, why privacy matters, and what role they play in building a safer digital society.
Throughout the session, we showcased the NCF’s free, standards-aligned resources — including the Outsmart Cyberthreats Collection, Cybersecurity Curriculum Guidelines, and our #CyberChats podcast. Teachers appreciated how these tools complement English, Math, Social Studies, and Science instruction while promoting student agency and digital citizenship.
From seasoned tech coordinators to new classroom teachers, attendees shared a common sentiment: This is not just a “tech” issue — it’s a life skill. And as one teacher shared, “I never thought I could teach cybersecurity until now.”
The energy at Common Ground was inspiring, and we’re grateful to have connected with so many passionate educators who are ready to lead their students into a safer digital future. If you attended our session — thank you. And if you’re just discovering our work, we invite you to explore how the NCF can support your teaching journey.
Let’s keep building cyber-literate classrooms — one lesson, one student, and one empowered teacher at a time.
