Industry Spotlight: Administrative Software
Discover, Acknowledge, Commit:

Guidelines for Adopting Administrative Software
By R.J. Gravel/School Administrator, December 2015


School districts are knee-deep in data. It includes test scores, report cards, teacher comments, homework scores, attendance, behavior records, enrollment stats, class schedules and much more.

R.J. Gravel (center) directs technology services in the 5,100-student Glenbrook High Schools District 225 in Glenview, Ill. (Photo by Melanie Krakauer)

To meet the challenge of dealing with so much data, K-12 administrative software companies have expanded their features by leaps and bounds with modules that assist with family and student communication, classroom tools, administration and student services. The tools are creating efficiencies, saving money and reducing the mountains of paper, as well as supporting teaching and learning.

“School administrative software is becoming the hub of a school’s digital ecosystem,” says Terri Zezula, director of marketing for PowerSchool Group, LLC.

Districts evaluating administrative software will need a strategy and a set of goals to guide purchasing decisions. As you map out your purchasing strategy, consider this three-step adoption process: (1) Discover priorities and products; (2) learn about and acknowledge product limitations; and (3) commit to a purchase and subsequent evaluation.

Discovery Process

When selecting administrative software, a school district’s first purchasing decision is to study the landscape of available platforms.

Various software developers create school administrative software for K-12 organizations. Three of these developers are Infinite Campus, PowerSchool and Skyward. Some systems work only with their own components, while others will integrate with multiple third-party solutions.

“Typically, districts look every five years at student information systems to see what is available in the marketplace, and to re-evaluate their current solution to determine whether it meets the changing needs of a learning community,” says Ray Ackerlund, vice president of sales and marketing for Skyward.

Schools are selecting software that provides core services and adding best-in-class features such as online registration tools that fit teachers’ and students’ specific needs, according to Zezula of PowerSchool.

“The district’s teachers and administrators are often aware of new products that may serve the district well,” says Michael Riggle, superintendent of Glenbrook High School District 225 in Glenview, Ill.

In District 225, a staff team looks for products that will remain dynamic and grow with the emerging needs of the district, according to Riggle. Technical staff advises the team on which products can be integrated successfully and be well-supported and maintained. Finally, a group of primary users gives feedback on the ease of use and what they feel will most benefit our staff, students and parents.

As schools establish criteria for what their unique community needs in a software solution, they must identify the desired return on investment.

Return on investment is reflected in operational efficiencies, reduced costs, higher-level analytics, increased staff efficacy and other similar metrics. Many districts identify ROI considerations so that once a solution is implemented, it can be measured and reviewed. Ideally, a firm should select a program that makes something better for users and ultimately for student learning and growth.

Efficiency is a key goal. Daily tasks such as taking attendance, collecting a lunch count, registering homework completion and reviewing grades can take up 10 minutes of class time. When teachers switch from a paper-based system to software, they can collect, manage and disseminate information in a few minutes. An ROI of 50 minutes of class time per week, freed up for instruction, is often just the start of how students benefit from a comprehensive solution.

New software features support teaching and learning. Administrative software now allows teachers to create digital learning environments and differentiated learning activities, provide instant student assessment and feedback information, and maintain a continuous dialogue between students, parents and school leaders.

Acknowledge Limitations

Every administrative software system has strengths and limitations. Determining the limitations can be addressed through in-depth evaluation of multiple products. Online videos and demonstrations are a good place to start learning about a software package.

Peer input from users in other school systems is also helpful, In Deerfield, Ill., Public School District 109, district teams have leveraged large professional learning communities across several states to gain insight about different products, according to Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld.

“We also look to professional organizations and the materials they publish as influential sources,” Lubelfeld says. “Learning from our partners, colleagues, peers, and the industry in general has helped guide our work on behalf of students, staff and one another.”

Reading and talking about a product will teach you a lot about a solution. But, with software, trying it out helps you experience it. Be sure to test-drive the system from the perspective of each user group.

“When we evaluate a solution, we ask for honest feedback,” says Mike Tuntland, technology coordinator for St. Mary School in Buffalo Grove, Ill. “We encourage our evaluation team to present real-life scenarios to the vendors and seek guidance to ensure we understand how this system will serve the needs of our school.”

An evaluation process confirms whether a prospective system is suitable and identifies limitations that might impact existing or future needs. To ensure the right tool is selected, Tuntland recommends developing a comprehensive understanding of how a potential system will be used within a school or district.

While limitations likely exist for all solutions, understanding a vendor’s ability and willingness to listen to the concerns of their customers and a demonstrated track record of product improvements and upgrades may decrease concerns of school leaders.

The Long-Term View

A student information system’s purchase requires a team to consider short-term costs of acquiring and implementing the system, as well as the district’s long-term needs. The data contained within a student information system may have a lifetime of 50-plus years, and the evaluation team must understand the product development roadmap for any enterprise-level system it is evaluating.

Superintendents should calculate how soon a product may become obsolete. “Technical support to maintain an obsolete product can be costly and the human capital and resources invested in continued professional development become counterproductive,” says Riggle.

While no school leader can predict what will happen to a particular software company in 5, 10 or 15 years, the district needs to understand a product’s adoption rate, customer retention and satisfaction rates and the company’s long-term plans for the software solution.

The software evaluation process does not stop once a product has been adopted and purchased. “Evaluating software solutions is a process each district will complete regularly,” says Ackerlund of Skyward.

Ultimately, the goal of any software adoption process is to select a solution that will serve the school district’s long-term needs. However, the evolving nature of learning organizations will require districts to revisit the decision in several years. To plan for future discussions, schools should document, and store stakeholder feedback that led to the product selection. Future system users will then understand how the long-term solution was chosen.


R.J. GRAVEL is director of technology services for Glenbrook High Schools District 225 in Glenview, Ill. E-mail: rgravel@glenbrook.org. Twitter: @rjgravel