Can Online Student Records Improve Education?
By: Calvin W. Moreau
The days of handwritten report cards and backpack mail have just about gone away. Long registration lines are sure to get shorter. Unexpected failing grades will soon become obsolete. Today, schools are deploying web technologies to manage student records, and often they find unexpected benefits and challenges. Online portals create new interactions between parents, students, and the school. Schools that prepare for change have the potential of unlocking new paths of learning.
Benefits to moving to web-based systems are often related to the technology. Web-based systems offer automatic offsite data back-up protection and provide a reliable disaster recovery option. The implications are that you don't have to worry so much about managing hardware or back-up files. But, freedom from daily back-ups and periodic upgrades will require a shift in the way you think about your data. For example, a new concern for data security will require attention. Companies that develop web-based systems use security walls (firewalls) around data that prevent unauthorized access. In addition, they have procedures in place that prevent physical access to your data and a plan to back up and store copies of your data in a secure location.
While your staff and teachers do not need to know the specifics about security, they should have a good comfort level that the data they are entering into the "web" is secure. Parents may need reassurance that personal information is not going to be accessed by unauthorized personnel.
Upfront, it is important to find a way to deal with new technology and answer related policy questions. What is the best way to give teachers Internet access in the classroom? What upgrades will be required? How will passwords be maintained?
While these questions may be new to your organization, they can be answered in a way that works for your organization. "IT" support groups are widely available, and most vendors should be able to provide good resources. While the technology is important, the features that can improve education are more practical.
Remote access is another benefit that web-based systems offer. Changing the way teachers and staff access student data will be driven by convenience. Anytime, anywhere access to data allows teachers to enter assignment grades from home, or for administrators to send out school-wide notices on snow days even if the roads are closed. It just makes more sense to enter term grades from your vacation condo rather than cutting your Christmas break short so that teachers will have time to enter grades into a desktop application.
Additionally, web-based systems have introduced parent portals or parent logins that allow parents to interact with school information from home. "Line breaker" features like online enrollment and updating personal information online help parents respond quicker to registration deadlines. Viewing student grades online allows parents to monitor their child's academic progress, while there is an opportunity to correct study habits before the end of the marking period. Progress reports, report cards, behavior records, billing statements, calendars, and announcements are examples of the information that parents will find online. Well-informed parents are empowered to make decisions that can support learning in the classroom.
Unfortunately, some parents may not embrace web applications right away. Schools can prepare parents by developing an implementation plan that includes specialized training to help them log in and navigate the portal. At the same time, schools need to update school policies to encourage teachers and staff to keep information current. It is important to communicate these policies with parents so that they will have realistic expectations. Parents that cannot find the information they expect to see will be discouraged from logging on. As staff members answer parent calls, they should let parents know the information they are looking for is available online. The use of public access terminals in common areas can encourage parents to login rather than waiting in line.
The all-time favorite web feature for parents will likely be the Online Homework List. It has always been a good idea to know the answer of the question before you ask it. Parents will finally have the ultimate leverage over the afternoon study routine when they ask, "Got homework?" Initial student concerns about overly informed parents should quickly shift to a new generation of high-tech homework excuse.
It is important for the organizations to become comfortable with the new technologies, but before education can improve, we have to change the way we think about information. Web-based technologies can deliver more information to the people that need it, faster and more reliably than ever before. To leverage this new technology, school administrators, staff, and teachers must be willing to commit to changes in the way data is maintained. Some changes like accessing data from home will be easy and can save a lot of time. Other changes like entering grades and updating homework assignments regularly will require special attention. The key to change may be more about what can be done when the right information is available at the right time.
Calvin W. Moreau is Director, School and Childcare Markets, for ACS Technologies, www.acstechnologies.com/schools.
