Effective, two-way communication is essential in school districts for many reasons, from keeping parents and families updated on the latest information to complying with federal laws. Schools experience a number of benefits from having a strategic communication plan in place, and improving community relations within the district is one of the most significant. This article highlights how a detailed school communication plan (and the right vendor partner) can help improve community relations within districts.
Recent Posts by Alyssa Thornley
Alyssa Thornley has spent her career working to support schools and communities in providing opportunity to all students. In positions as a teacher, professional development coordinator, and as a volunteer, she has focused on the community’s role in education, and in designing efficient programs that work for diverse needs. Alyssa leads TransACT’s customer engagement and market strategy efforts, and works to ensure innovative programs, guidance, and thought leadership from across the country’s districts are being shared and spread.
Manual processes and data silos tend to lead to mistakes and inadequate financial oversight. However, when all of a school system’s data is integrated in one location, there is improved data accuracy and less room for error. Integrating accounting requirements into other departments in the school district helps make sure activity fees are accurately recorded and collected. Fees arrive in the bank account faster, as parents can pay directly from a mobile phone, and money is directed to a designated bank account determined by the accounting team. Eliminating cash payments means teachers and administrators no longer need to worry about collecting payments, learning accounting codes, or navigating the general ledger.
4 Steps to Becoming a Paperless and Cashless School District
on October 25, 2019
| By Alyssa Thornley
|
Cashless School
What does the modern school system look like? Technology is empowering many school districts today to explore paperless and cashless initiatives by offering digital options for fees, forms, and communication.
There are many benefits to investing in school management software—but it can still be hard to gain buy-in from stakeholders. Overall, school management software is both cost effective and convenient—it saves time that would otherwise be wasted on manual, inefficient processes and streamlines everything from communication to internal workflows and improves parent and family engagement throughout school districts. Here are some items to consider and share with stake-holders to help gain the buy-in needed to implement a school management solution at your school or district.
What's Trending: Top 7 Technology Tools for Teachers
on August 14, 2019
| By Alyssa Thornley
|
Automation
Many industries have adapted as a result of innovations in technology, and education is no exception. Technology is transforming the classroom and how administrators operate, presenting new opportunities for students to learn in digital environments. As a result, there are several technology tools for teachers on the market today. When a teacher is busy leading a classroom, it can be hard to keep up in an ever-evolving digital world.
From eliminating silos to reducing workloads throughout the district, there are many benefits to integrating the collection of school fees with the student information system (SIS) in a school system—not to mention many things to consider to make sure the process goes smoothly. In this article, we’ll talk about the benefits of consolidating systems, along with tips for successfully managing the integration of fee collection software and the SIS.
5 Ways to Ease the Workload of Your School’s Administration Office
on July 31, 2019
| By Alyssa Thornley
|
Cashless School
School administrative staff faces a number of challenges each day, from chasing down fees and forms to gaining parent approvals. Manual, error-prone processes slow administrative staff down and prevent them from focusing on more meaningful work. There are many ways to ease the workload —it requires having the right plan and resources in place to make it happen. In this article, we share five different ways to help ease the workload of the school’s administration office.
Event Ticketing System Use Cases for High Schools
on July 30, 2019
| By Alyssa Thornley
|
Event Ticketing
In high school, there’s always an occasion that calls for ticketing. Below are some of the different high school events that are made easier with an online registration and event ticketing system.
Meaningful, two-way communication between parents and their child’s district, school, and teachers is invaluable—but it’s also a challenge. Modern advancements in technology are causing a shift in communication preferences, and school administrators are left trying to figure out the best way to reach parents and, ultimately, bridge the parent-school communication gap.
In this article, we’ll share tips for improving parent-school communication across the district, but first, let’s talk about why it’s so important, to begin with.
There are many details to consider when planning a graduation or convocation. Organizers have to create a guest list, send out invitations, choose a venue, distribute tickets. The to-do list goes on and on.
That’s why we pulled together a few tips to help navigate the event planning process. By following the steps below, your next graduation or convocation ceremony will go off without a hitch.
