Tag Archives for " ONLINE REGISTRATION "

0 Fundraising For Schools Increases the Socioeconomic Gap

We all know that there is a growing disparity over fundraising for schools. Some have a parent population that can commit an abundance of time and money to make fundraising for schools an easy task, while others within the same district are barely able to conger up enough parents to conduct a PTA meeting, let alone volunteer to give money or be in charge of fundraising for schools.

It is not uncommon for a gap between the have and have-not’s to exist within a school district. Public schools are meant to provide all children equal access to quality education; however, there are great disparities throughout the public education system. Private donations made to schools in more affluent communities makes this disparity an even greater gap.

The question then becomes, how does a district provide a level playing field for all schools within their district? One suggestion is to pool funds and redistribute to schools according to need. Some schools have successfully transitioned to such a shared system, however, parents with the means to step up and help offset budget cuts have threatened to stop donations because of centralized funding systems.

The reality is that parents at the “not so well-to-do??? schools are just as passionate about education as those wealthier ones; they care just as deeply about their children. But making large donations to a school for families at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum just isn’t an option.

So what is the right approach? Do parents have the right to pay for goods and services at one school when they are not available at other schools within a district? If districts attempted to move towards a “share the wealth??? system, would it create backlash for the districts, reducing the amount of donations they receive?

In most districts, fundraising for schools is done on an individual basis, and the differences can be huge. If parents at top fundraising schools were told that some of their donations would be redirected to other schools, parents may be discouraged to give and/or work hard to raise funds, which seems unfair to the schools that have the potential to raise large amounts of money to fund foundations and support programs that would otherwise not be available.

So what’s the solution? The truth is that there are no bad guys here – not the parents who can afford to sponsor programs and services so that their children receive a better education; and not the families at schools in lower socioeconomic communities who are desperate for more help so that their children can also receive a quality education.

There is no clear-cut across the board remedy that will satisfy all, but the uncomfortable truth is that until some steps are made to help close the disproportionate fundraising for schools, the gap between the public school have and have not’s will only increase.

What do you think is a happy medium for bridging the socioeconomic gap?  Has your school / district developed a policy that has proven successful?

0 K-12 Online Helps Solve School Problems with Budgeting

One of the toughest challenges in education is managing a small school. Budget cuts instituted on a statewide level affect both large and small districts, however, smaller schools tend to feel the crunch more when operating on an already meager budget.

In an age where everything is shifting towards digital, small school problems include falling behind with the inefficiencies of paper registration. K-12 Online is the first online school enrollment and registration system to cater to small schools. Although the web-based application is designed for any school or district, the product offers an option for small school problems by making the solution more affordable.

This could not be more apparent than in a recent encounter between K-12 Online owner, Michelle Sam, and a private school principal.

Upon returning from lunch, Michelle was saddened to hear a voicemail from a small school who had a demo scheduled for later that day. The caller, who in a proactive attempt not to waste anyone’s time, apathetically decided to cancel the demo. She had just completed a demo with two other online registration companies and had come to the conclusion that the software would just be too expensive for their little school.

Michelle immediately returned the call, outlining K-12 Online’s benefits and providing a rough estimate of cost. The caller was elated! She decided to go ahead with the demo and ultimately the school became K-12 Online’s newest client – the burden of affordable online school registration had been lifted.

“This is why we exist,” explained Michelle Sam, owner of K-12 Online. “I want small schools to have the same advantages and be able to operate with the same efficiencies as larger schools and districts. Because we are committed to improving the education system as a whole, making our product affordable for small schools in the end ultimately benefits parents, teachers, administrators and students alike.”

Savvy schools know their future requires them to become more integrated with parents, teachers and students. The world we live in is becoming increasingly interconnected and small schools can’t afford to be left behind for the sake of our children, nor can they afford to pay large amounts of money to implement the necessary improvements.

K-12 Online was developed to combat school problems like wastefulness and the excessive time and energy required to register K-12 students year after year. K-12 Online’s solution further helps to overcome school problems like application, registration, enrollment, and lottery management hassles and streamlines the process to be more cost effective and eco-friendly.

Finally, small schools and school districts can afford an online student application, enrollment and registration system that not only saves them time, money and resources, but also helps generate money through fundraising tools.

0 8 Tips to Improve Your Back-to-School Registration Process

Each summer, many districts begin their school registration and enrollment process for new and returning students. For some schools, this process can be a time consuming, dreaded affair filled with mounds of paperwork and hours of data entry. For other schools using online options, the back to school registration process is a smooth, stress free transition to a new school year.

Here are eight tried-and-true tips to help improve your back-to-school registration process.

1. Communicate with parents — Send a Principal’s Welcome Back letter. Staying connected and building mutual trust with parents from the start helps provide students with a strong foundation for learning throughout the year.

2. Utilize your school’s Web site — Provide parents and students with easy, online access to your customized registration forms right from your website. Post events, announcements, photos, etc. to stay connected with students, parents and volunteers throughout the school year.

3. Ensure easy website navigation — Provide easy-to-follow steps for registration on your Web site. Include a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section or a page regarding online registration.

4. Provide adequate training — Conduct a back-to-school registration training meeting with staff and volunteers so that they are familiar with your system and know where to find pertinent information. If volunteers and sub-admin are checking in students, ensure they have the correct role privileges. Recruit adequate staff and volunteers. Provide staggered time slots and make sure the times overlap to make for an easy transition.

5. Ensure data is accurate prior to information being loaded into the school’s SIS — Online registration software such as K-12 Online can provide a checks and balances system that allows information to be approved by an admin prior to it being uploaded to the school’s SIS, alleviating the worry of parents uploading data directly to the system.

6. Provide good signage — Have adequate signage so parents know exactly where to go when they arrive. Have signs outside with a copy of the registration form pasted to it with instructions of where to go if they do not have the completed registration form.

7. Simplify school registration day — If it is going to be a warm day, set up in the gym or another inside area rather than outside and make sure you have enough space to accommodate students and parents. Ask your PTA or a service group to host a refreshment station for parents. It provides a place to congregate and helps build a sense of community among parents. Have computers with access to the Internet and printers available (computer lab or library) for those who have not completed the registration process. Provide explicit directions on how to log in through the school network.

8. Start planning for next school year — After school registration is over, review the process with staff and discuss ideas for improvements. Email a short survey to parents requesting feedback about the registration process.

0 Inspiring Students: Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Year after year, schools enroll new students. For public schools, the process is a little less rigorous, but for most private schools, each student has to go through some sort of application process that determines their ability to succeed in that environment. An essay, teacher recommendations…something to help determine if they are "acceptable." Whether public or private, all students start the school year off with a track record – all the data, evidence, and documentation that make up a student’s academic story. But do educators equally judge the students they serve? More often than not, those with acceptable track records are not judged on their past, but on their potential. Interestingly, those with tarnished records are not judged on their potential but on their past. Is that fair to the student? Don’t all students have the potential to succeed? Does a student’s track record measure who they will turn out to be, or do they grow to measure up to their track record?

In any case, a student’s file might suggest potential, but it doesn’t determine success. Educators play a huge role in helping to shape the success of a child. We’ve heard multiple stories from successful adults about "the teacher that changed their life" – the one educator that saw their potential and helped them realize it.

Although difficult, teachers must see the potential in every child they serve. They must understand that each child has room for growth in order to believe that there is greater potential in every student. And more than that, they must make the child believe it! A fixed mindset cannot see beyond to a world of potential because a content mentality doesn’t value the search for better.

Potential includes the achievements just beyond what a student has already done. However, to truly work towards attaining that next level of growth, one needs to value getting to the next level more than they value the one they have already attained. This does not always come naturally to a child. Helping a child discover their potential is an exercise in finding and pushing their limits.

Success can only be achieved through effort, willpower, resilience, perseverance, and grit. Yes, grades and test scores are important, but without the aforementioned, one cannot consistently find success nor discover their true potential. Many will argue that it is the parents’ job and that the seeds of success are planted at home. The reality is that not every student has the most ideal, supportive family life. Statistics show troubling numbers of children nationwide who do not even receive the basic needs of survival, such as food and shelter, from their "home life." When a child’s reality requires them to persevere through some of the most unfathomable situations at home, how do you expect them to thrive and believe in themselves at school? The process to begin tackling these issues is so multifaceted, and of course there is not one concrete solution, so as an educator, where do you start?

As you look towards a new school year, ask yourself: will you be the inspiration your students need? Another year will bring another chance to help your students discover their own potential.

We want to know! What do you do to inspire your students?

0 Michigan School Collects $1000 in Free Money from Using K-12 Online’s Registration Software

Year after year, thick packets encompassing forms from a variety of departments were sent to Grosse Pointe Public School families to fill out and return. That information then had to be hand-typed into the district’s student information system, which sometimes took until March for the secretary to complete. An individual school could receive in upwards of 700 checks at the beginning of the year for gym uniforms, PTO donations, textbooks, etc., all of which had to be processed separately.

They knew there had to be a better way and six weeks after implementing K-12 Online’s registration solution, they had found it! Grosse Pointe initially rolled out the K-12 Online system to its high schools and middle schools. Because of its success, the following school year, they implemented online registration across its nine elementary schools and plan on using the system’s web store to allow students to apply and register for summer school.

The versatility of the system allowed admin to upload fines for the past 3 years for lost or damaged books. The school collected over $1,000 in old fines! “This was an unprecedented amount of money for us to recoup!??? Explained Sheryl Hogan, Parcells Middle School Secretary.

To read the entire case study for Grosse Point Public School District, Simply fill out this form, put Grosse Pointe in the comments section and we will email you the free case study.

0 Educational Technology Trends That Improve Student Engagement

Over the last few years, many trends have emerged in educational technology. For better or worse, one thing is for sure: schools are scurrying to find which tools work best in achieving student engagement and success. Has your school made educational technology changes recently? Did these changes improve a process or increase student engagement? Here are a few educational technology trends emerging in the field of education:

1. Social media used as a teaching tool

Social media has gained increasing popularity as educational technology over the past two years. These days, students know how to use a computer and the internet with ease, and most of them are using social media networks to share their thoughts and ideas. From student-created YouTube videos to professors creating classroom-focused blogs and Facebook pages, both teachers and students benefit from using social media inside the classroom.

2. Game-based learning gaining popularity

Who doesn’t love a good game? Game-based learning (GBL) exists as a learning tool by helping students visualize processes they otherwise could not see, such as the building of a molecule or the construction of a city. GBL is becoming increasingly popular inside the classroom as it can promote higher-order thinking skills, such as collaboration, communication, problem solving, and teamwork.

3. Flipping a classroom and BYOD

With more districts interested in saving money and more teachers interested in saving time, the concepts of flipping the classroom and BYOD (bring your own device) seem to be a good match. Because a key requirement to flipping a classroom is access to technology outside of the school, the joining of the two maximizes the potential of both concepts.

4. Increase in homeschooling

Like charter schools, home schools have enrolled more than 2 million students. The decision by so many parents to remove their children from local schools and teach them at home raises many issues. Scholars say parents are more likely to switch to homeschooling if they see the academic quality of local schools decline or the number of low-income students in those schools increase. Through homeschooling, parents are able to have more control over what their children learn. Although there is little data on homeschooling, it seems to be growing at the same surprising speed and volume as charter schools.

5. Integration of educational technology software companies

More and more, teachers and administrators are trying to streamline processes. From educational technology software companies that offer solutions to Common Core preparation and online courses to online registration, SIS systems, managing student data, and reporting, schools and districts are undergoing widespread adoption of these types of solutions.

0 Free E-Book: Guide to Help Catholic Schools Find Their Footing in a World of Charters and Financial Burdens

The Catholic Church worldwide is in the midst of a Catholic education boom, experiencing a 20% - 28% growth in enrollment amongst primary and secondary schools. But while there is significant growth worldwide, most are aware of the many challenges eclipsing the vitality of Catholic schools in the U.S.

This e-book presents some new perspectives to assist Catholic education stakeholders in identifying and implementing strategies to help overcome major challenges and recover the sustainability of Catholic schools.

Although Catholic schools fall under a larger umbrella, they tend to operate as smaller entities, leaving much room for self-governing. Dioceses can begin to swing the shift of disconnect by implementing programs that provide centralized autonomy to schools.

When these smaller entities are offered centralized services, they become more accountable, efficient, and effective.

Click here to get the free e-book "Guide to Help Catholic Schools Find Their Footing in a World of Charters and Financial Burdens."

0 School Budget – Free E-Book on Managing Tight Budgets

Are you struggling to manage school budget cuts?  Simply fill out this form, put free e-book in the comments section and we will email you the free e-book “How K-12 Schools Can Improve Efficiency on a Tight Budget.??? 

Schools spend a lot of money on registration, yet this cost is “under the radar??? of administrators. Most schools and districts have a difficult time answering such fundamental questions as: How much paper do we use for registration packets? What is our total cost per student for each packet? How much time does staff spend on registration procedures and data entry?
Despite this lack of clarity, traditional registration processes happen annually while schools are consistently going through cutbacks and looking for ways to save money.
Find out the secrets to Unlocking the Power of Online Registration, how to make a system work for you, what to look for in a system, and tips on improving efficiency while decreasing costs.

 
Visit our website to receive a free e-book: How K-12 Schools can Improve Efficiency on a Tight School Budget.

0 5 Ways Online Registration Supports CA School Funding

In 2013, California adopted a new formula for deciding how much money each school district gets, called the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Under this new school funding system, schools will receive a base grant for students in grades K-12. In addition to the base grant, a supplemental grant of 20% of the base grant will be offered for disadvantaged students: those who are classified as English Learners (EL), Low Incidence (LI) disability, Foster Youth (FY), or eligible to receive a Free or Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM).  Additionally, districts with more than 55% of their students identified as disadvantaged will be granted school funding at rats of 50% the base grant.

Each dollar granted to school funding will help improve programs and services in the areas where they are needed most. However, many schools have difficulty capturing the data required to ensure that they receive the greatest amount of funding for each student.  Whether it’s due to parent insecurities, student embarrassment, or lack of proper reporting, districts are “losing out??? on thousands of available state LCFF dollars due to students being misclassified.

So how can schools make certain that they capture accurate data for maximum school funding? Well, using an online system like K-12 Online helps:

1. Optimize data while at the same time safeguards privacy.
2. Parents can identify residency information, language, or disabilities in a way that maintains their dignity, is safe and non-threatening.
3. Parents feel a sense of anonymity because all registration and enrollment information is completed online, and hard copies are not circulated through volunteers, etc.
4. Only administrators who are required to know classification information have access to it, adhering to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws.
5. Using an online system increases reporting accuracy and allows for data to be easily sorted, saved, and sent to the district.

Online registration helps maintain the parents and students’ dignity and privacy while ensuring that the maximum amount of funding is allocated to a school or district.

0 Why Catholic Schools are Drawn to K-12 Online

A recent poll showed that 1 in 4 parents are considering switching their child(ren) from a traditional large public school environment to a Catholic school. Many parents feel that smaller schools have a clear academic focus and vision for high quality successful learning, while in a public school, children can easily get lost in the large, impersonal system.

With this change in mindset from parents, comes an increase in student applications for small schools.  Unlike the public school system that is required by law to accept all children, Catholic schools typically have an admission and acceptance process. Traditional procedures for handling applications and enrollment can be one of the most burdensome, costly, outdated and environmentally wasteful processes.  For that reason, many schools and districts are turning to online registration.  Online registration has proven to be extremely valuable, saving time and money, especially for Catholic schools.

Many small schools believe that online registration is just too costly, however, K-12 Online is the first company to offer affordable online solutions that cater to small schools.  Although the web-based application is designed for schools large and small, public and private, the product offers a solution for those districts and schools that otherwise would not be able to afford it.

Catholic schools are drawn to K-12 Online, not only for its affordability, but also for its assistance in increasing school donations.  Most Catholic schools rely heavily on fundraising in order to provide their teachers and students with the best learning environment possible. Therefore, a registration system that incorporates fundraising can prove valuable, help make money for the school, and in many cases, even pay for itself. K-12 Online offers several options for donations to be collected through the school web store or by linking a “Donate Now??? button from the school’s website. Schools that have used K-12 Online as a method of collecting donations have seen an increase in overall donations by 30%!

K-12 Online offers a complete online student registration software application that transforms the student application & enrollment process by eliminating expensive paper-based methods. They even offer payment plan options to small schools, making it an AFFORDABLE option to helping schools save money, time and resources!