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Effective K-12 Communicationin Action
ADDRESSING KEY CHALLENGES FACED BY TODAY’S DISTRICT LEADERS
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Presenters
Blackboard ConnectJennie BreisterK-12 Product Marketing [email protected]
Brandywine Heights Area School DistrictRoss McGovernDirector of Instructional Technology and Food [email protected]
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Key District Challenges
Teacher accountability,
prof. dev. & evaluation
Meet needs of diverse learners, all levels, in and
out of classroom
Maintain safe and secure schools with limited
resources Increase parental
involvement as
cornerstone of student success
Improve student achievement & graduation rate
(despite budget crisis, high stakes testing & standards assessments)
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•Enhancing student achievement with greater parental
involvement.
•Keeping your community safer and more secure.
•Improving attendance and enforcing accountability.
•Maintaining funding to better serve students, staff
and families.
• Strengthening support from the local community.
Respond to challenges by:
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In just a few clicks Send a notification to your community
And connect with confidence
!
VIASMS . Phone . Email . Social Media . RSS . TTY . CAP .
Fax . Pager . Desktop Alerts
REACH Everyone .
Targeted Groups . Geo Regions
USINGInternet .
Dial-in Card . Smartphone
Improving District CommunicationsUsing targeted notification services
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RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Recouped nine times the amount invested in Bb Connect with .75% improved attendance rate and $450K additional ADA funding
$18,600 yearly savings in cafeteria balance collection costs (labor and mailing)
Student achievement outcomes equivalent to $1000 in pupil spending, just by parents staying involved in studies & activities
70% reduction in unexcused absences by implementing daily attendance calls at all middle and high schools
AlertNow K-12 district
Federal Way Pubic Schools
Cornell/UNH study
AlertNot K-12 district
La Mesa-Spring Valley SD
Cut paper and printing costs by $2880 per year for every three mailings to 1000 families replaced by Bb Connect messages
Bb Connect client survey
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Director of Instructional Technology
and Food Services
Former Transportation Director, Food Service Director
Has continually maintained two or more departments over the course of his career at the district
Ross McGovern
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• Located ten miles west of Allentown, PA• Three campuses, 1,750 K-12 students• 275 professional and support staff• Population 99% Anglo-Germanic• Rural area, mostly farmland, low industry
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Recent surveys show that 90% of our households have DSL or cable/internet connectivity.
BHASD has been rolling out a paperless strategy for the past six years.
E-mail and the district website account for more than 50% of our communications
BHASD logo Leveraging technology to improve district wide communication:
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Key Challenge: Parent Involvement
Challenge:
How to effectively and efficiently notify parents of upcoming events to keep them informed and engaged in their child’s education.
Communication solutions:
Principals use Bb Connect to communicate weekly with parents concerning building-level events.
District news delivered via monthly “Letter from the Superintendent”
“The emails are convenient and I can refer back to them at anytime.”
-- Parent
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Key Challenge: Attendance
Challenge:
Although a relatively small district, we were still wasting valuable support staff time making individual attendance calls.
Communication solution:Each campus has an attendance secretary. The instructors load their attendance into our SIS which is then picked up by the secretary. Instead of two hours on the phone, the task is completed in as little as fifteen minutes.
“With budget cuts and reduced staff resources, every hour we can save counts, freeing us up to be more available for our students & parents.”-- Principal, Brandywine Heights Elementary School
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Key Challenge: Cost controls
Challenge:
As with attendance, a support staff member spent hours making individual phone calls to chase pennies for over-due library books.
Communication solution:The task can now be completed in as little as fifteen minutes each day by the library aide on each campus, saving thousands of dollars each year in staff hours district wide.
“Time IS money.”
- Ross McGovern
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Key Challenge: Safety & Security
Challenge:
A recent train crash that occurred right through the center of town (and in proximity to all three campuses) required immediate communication with families that students and staff were safe and secure.
Communication solution:
With Blackboard Connect in place, principals were able to simultaneously inform parents that their children were safe within ten minutes of the incident.
“It could have been a complete disaster fielding calls from hundreds of worried parents. The system works, period.”
-- Principal, Brandywine Heights High School
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Questions?
Brandywine Heights Area School DistrictRoss McGovernDirector of Instructional Technology and Food [email protected]
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Our Latest Technology
Smartphone App and Dial-In Card:
Send messages from anywhere
Evolving K12 Technology Needs
