<p>Unless a student has signed a [Family</a> Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)](<a href=“http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html]Family”>Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)) release, the university should not talk to a parent about academic performance if the student is over 18. I would say this behavior is not common and it is not proper. My school is small (2400 undergraduates) and as advisors, we are not supposed to speak to anyone without the 18 year old student’s consent.</p>