What do the rulings in the cases under FERPA emphasize about individual rights?

The correct answer highlights a critical aspect of FERPA, which is that while it establishes certain protections regarding the privacy of student education records, it does not create enforceable individual rights in the way that some might assume. FERPA primarily serves as a regulatory framework that protects the confidentiality of student records held by educational institutions.

Students and parents are afforded the right to access educational records and request corrections, but the enforcement of these rights relies significantly on the compliance of the educational institutions, rather than on an individual’s ability to enforce them through legal means. This reality underlines the understanding that while FERPA supports privacy and access, it does not empower individuals with legal recourse against schools that are non-compliant in the same way as other legislation might.

The other options, while relevant to FERPA’s broader implications, do not specifically capture the essence of individual rights as emphasized through the rulings in FERPA-related cases. For instance, enhancing individual privacy rights pertains to the protections offered by the law, eligibility for federal funding focuses on compliance standards for institutions, and the ability for parents to contest grades represents a different aspect of student rights that is not the central theme of the question.