ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Conducting a Technology Audit
Author: Flaherty, William
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Integration,Scoring Rubrics,Surveys,Interviews,Information Technology,Technology Planning,School Districts,Guidelines,Computer System Design,Audits (Verification),Evaluation Methods

Technology is a critical component in the success of any high-functioning school district, thus it is important that education leaders should examine it closely. Simply put, the purpose of a technology audit is to assess the effectiveness of the technology for administrative or instructional use. Rogers Public Schools in Rogers, Arkansas, recently commissioned a technology audit that focused on integrating technology in the classroom. The school decided that a technology audit would give valuable information to move the district forward from good to great in the area of technology. Some school districts prefer an external audit while others use their own staff to evaluate the success of their program. Whichever method the district selects, it must put certain practices in place to ensure reliable results.
Protecting Personal Information on Social Networking Sites
Author: Gallant, David T.
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Privacy,Internet,Web Sites,Social Networks,Computer Mediated Communication,School Districts,Information Technology,Computer Security,Risk Management,Information Policy

Almost everyone uses social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Since Facebook is the most popular site in the history of the Internet, this article will focus on how one can protect his/her personal information and how that extends to protecting the private information of others.
Can Your District Survive a Data Disaster?
Author: Smith, Gary
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Technology,Computer Security,Technology Planning,School Business Officials,Risk Management,Cost Effectiveness,Data,Vendors,School Districts,Guidelines,Emergency Programs,Crisis Management,Computer Storage Devices,Information Storage,Computer System Design

School business administrators have long recognized the need for a workable data recovery plan regardless of cause. Yet many have not reassessed their current data backup and recovery capabilities, perhaps because they have not experienced a catastrophic failure. There are three reasons school business administrators may not realize or recognize that their recovery plans have, in fact, left them vulnerable to unacceptable long-term data disruption: (1) Assumption that business data are safe; (2) Reliance on a tape backup system to retain and restore critical business data in the event of server malfunction; and (3) Failure to consider a recovery time objective (RTO) in the data recovery plan. One of the most important considerations in developing an effective data recovery plan is cost efficiency. School business administrators, always concerned about costs, can find their answer in a combination of the best of several options--a hybrid solution that ensures prompt data recovery without breaking the budget. In evaluating data recovery plans, it is important for school business administrators to begin with a business impact analysis that examines the three potential areas of vulnerability: safety and security of data, current backup, and an acceptable RTO for the district. Discussions with information technology personnel and the district's business software vendor can help steer the district toward the best solution.
Fighting Spam: Moving Email to the Cloud
Author: Schrader, Andrew
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Mail,School Districts,Information Technology,Computer Security,Risk Management,Computer Storage Devices,Information Storage,Computer System Design,Outsourcing

On average, more than 90% of email is unwanted junk mail--spam. Many spam messages include annoying promotions for irrelevant products, but others include viruses and pornographic content, which can pose a severe legal issue for schools. Spam puts districts in a difficult situation as schools try to enhance learning in the classroom with advanced technology. As a result, many school districts engage in a daily combat with viruses and other potentially destructive threats that enter the school via email in-boxes. How can school district overcome these potentially dangerous challenges? How can administrators, teachers, and students protect themselves from the threats that frequently accompany spam messages? And how can schools accomplish this feat in an effective and time-efficient manner? This article describes how the Morris School District in Morristown, New Jersey, found a way to do just that.
What's in &quot;Your&quot; File Cabinet? Leveraging Technology for Document Imaging and Storage
Author: Flaherty, William
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer System Design,Databases,Computer Uses in Education,School Districts,Information Technology,Information Storage,Reprography,Computer Peripherals,Student Records,Cost Effectiveness

Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) in Virginia uses a document-imaging solution that leverages the features of a multifunction printer (MFP). An MFP is a printer, scanner, fax machine, and copier all rolled into one. It can scan a document and email it all in one easy step. Software is available that allows the MFP to scan bubble sheets and score student tests. This device communicates directly with back-end databases; no computer is required. Data elements are entered from a keypad on the MFP. The system takes the data and the scanned images and captures them in a database. Other databases can also be linked to this system to create an even more powerful supersystem. By moving from laborious paper-based tasks to electronic storage and retrieval, the district has realized multiple benefits: reclaimed space that had been dedicated to storage, no dedicated staff to scan documents, a single piece of equipment for multiple functions, and lighter staff workloads.
Tuning the Tin Ear: In Search of Fiscal Congruency
Author: Dragona, Anthony N.
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Urban Schools,School Restructuring,Educational Finance,School Districts,Resource Allocation,Finance Reform,Funding Formulas,Change Strategies,Organizational Change,Educational Administration,School Based Management

For 70 years, the Union City School District used a line-item budget system, a top down approach that was regarded by many as "deaf, dumb, and blind." This antiquated central administration process gave school leaders and staff little, if any, input into the distribution of resources for their schools, resulting in a redundancy of allocations, regardless of efficacy. Putting an end to the days of throwing good money after poor results, the "Abbott v. Burke" decision finally gave the Union City School District an opportunity to adopt a school-based budget model and tune its tin ear when it came to budgeting, buy-in, and accountability. Emerging out of an effort to provide whole school reform, the school-based budget model exemplifies the concept of educating the whole child by getting all hands on deck, making key stakeholders of the people most directly involved in affecting positive outcomes among the students. It may seem deceptively simple, but achieving fiscal congruency--ensuring that allocated funds not only align with school's objectives but that they are used in an effective and efficient manner--eluded the district for over seven decades. With 16 schools employing the school-based budgetary model, and all slated to continue doing so, the Union City School District looks forward to many more years--and decades--of zeal for education and improved outcomes.
Transforming Education with Talent Management
Author: Brandt, Julie
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,Job Performance,Performance Technology,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Organizational Change,Professional Development,Talent Development,Talent,Personnel Management,Educational Administration

Attracting, developing, and retaining employees, ensuring a pipeline of qualified people, and building a culture of engagement and productivity are important to the success of any organization. It is called "talent management." With the right technology support, talent management's real value is that it allows organizations to identify high performers and future leaders, track and evaluate employee performance, and identify and address skill gaps with targeted training and development--all through a centralized system. Talent management's best practices, such as learning and development, performance management, and succession planning, have relevance and applicability across all sectors, including education. Talent management can be a key tool for promoting high performance among teachers and administrators. This article discusses Teach For America as one example of how learning and talent management can have a positive impact on K-12 education.
Dude! Where's My Bus? Telematics Takes Transportation Management to a New Level
Author: Lang, John, III
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Transportation,Bus Transportation,School Buses,Administration,Information Science,Telecommunications

Telematics describes the integration of vehicle-based hardware (for example, a Global Positioning System and a cellular communication unit) to transmit real-time data to a remote location for instant collection, processing, and subsequent transmission of actionable information to decision makers. While personal GPS is a great tool, it provides the user &quot;in the moment&quot; feedback on where he/she is; it does not tell where one was an hour ago or two weeks ago. It does not measure idling time and vehicle emissions, maintain a maintenance history of a vehicle, or track the comings or goings of the passengers in a car or van. A comprehensive telematics product enables the Office of Transportation in Baltimore County, Maryland, to do all of these things and much more. This article details the process the authors went through to find a telematics product that was within their financial means and addressed their operational needs, how they implemented a pilot program at 1 of their 11 bus lots, and the benefits they have realized.
Assessing Liability and Legitimacy of School Transportation Services
Author: Ammon, Tim
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Buses,Student Transportation,School Districts,Legal Responsibility,Risk Management,Educational Finance,Budgeting,Retrenchment,Costs,Change,School Schedules,Bus Transportation,Special Needs Students

Whenever a school district considers changing bus stops, bus routes, or bell times, the public reaction is often decidedly unequal to the magnitude of the changes proposed. Unfortunately, the severity of continued budget crises has compelled many school districts to make major changes to their transportation systems. While additional cuts in service are likely for at least the foreseeable future, a little planning can help school districts avoid downstream concerns regarding liability and other risk management issues. Being aware of the legal, financial, and operational consequences of potential changes will help ensure that districts receive maximum value from their transportation program without jeopardizing safety or exposing the school district to liability. This article discusses techniques for managing transportation costs.
A New Model of Transportation Service for Student with Disabilities
Author: Meslin, Pete
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Buses,Bus Transportation,Disabilities,Student Transportation,Daily Living Skills,Skill Development,Special Education

With tighter education budgets for support service, some districts must consider other means of providing transportation service for students with disabilities. Some districts have used creative strategies, such as optimizing class locations, sharing service with other districts, using other modes of transportation, and consulting transportation staff when deciding student class placements. All these strategies are laudable, but they are not the only options. If districts can teach students with special emotional, mental, and learning needs the skills necessary to ride the same buses as their nondisabled peers, special transportation may eventually be unnecessary as a related--and very costly--service. That is, if students can access the education program in the same manner as their nondisabled peers, they will no longer require special-education bus service. For this new transportation paradigm to succeed, districts must be able to offer increasingly more independent levels of bus service that correspond to the students' levels of skills mastery. As educators implement this model, transportation service actually becomes part of the education process. Not only do school buses safely deliver students to school ready to learn, they deliver students who have learned on the way to school. By changing the way they think about transportation, districts can reduce routes, improve service, and teach student life skills. (Contains 1 table.)
Leading by Example: Health Promotion Programs for School Staff
Author: Herbert, Patrick C.
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Health Promotion,Health Programs,School Personnel,Public Schools,Program Effectiveness

Health promotion programs for school staff are an overlooked and underused resource that can reduce overweight and obesity among teachers and other staff members. They can also reduce staff absenteeism, increase productivity, reduce costs associated with health care and disability, and foster a climate that promotes good health schoolwide. An award-winning example of an effective and innovative staff wellness plan is the program that Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, implemented in 1994. The goals behind this plan were to create healthier employees, give students better role models, and reduce health care expenses through incentives to employees. Implementation of the program reduced employee absenteeism by 20% and saved $15.60 for every dollar spent on the program. Based on the evidence from Washoe County, there is every reason to believe that what has worked in private industry will also work in public schools.
School Cafeteria Operations: Separating Myth from Reality
Author: Weeks, Richard
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Food Service,Dining Facilities,Educational Finance,School Administration,Obesity,Nutrition

School officials often assume that the food service director or management company should be the one concerned with the cafeteria program's management details. But of course that's not the case. Cafeteria operations affect the school business bottom line, so they indeed fall under the purview of school business officials. Not only should school business officials be familiar with the food service budget, they should also know the cost of school meals, the path food takes from supplier to cafeteria tray, and even the names of the "lunch ladies" in the district. When it comes to managing school cafeteria operations, school business managers must also distinguish myth from reality. This article explores some myths surrounding the cafeteria operation and how school business officials can ensure effective program management.
Public School Desegregation and Education Facilities
Author: Hunter, Richard C.
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Public Schools,School Desegregation,Educational Facilities Improvement,Academic Achievement,Court Litigation

Early federal court decisions in school desegregation placed little emphasis on public school facilities. Those early decisions focused primarily on requiring black and white students to attend the same schools and requiring the integration of teachers. What does the literature say about the relationship between student achievement and educational facilities? Will better educational facilities produce higher student achievement? In this article, the author provides a rationale for improving school facilities. He believes that, although there is no conclusive evidence that school facilities have a direct effect on student achievement, his experience with school desegregation in Kansas City, Missouri, has cemented his perceptions that there is a connection.
The Impact of Catholic School Identity and Organizational Leadership on the Vitality of Catholic Elementary Schools
Author: Hobbie, Marian
Date: 2010-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Catholic Schools,Catholics,Elementary Schools,Leadership,Instructional Leadership,Prediction,School Role,Religious Education,Institutional Characteristics

In order to fulfill their role of teaching children to receive Jesus and live out his call to create the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, Catholic schools need to possess and foster the distinctive characteristics of Catholic school identity. This study examined the relationship between Catholic school identity and organizational leadership and the extent to which these predict aspects of school vitality in Catholic elementary schools. The results of the analyses point to the significant predictive relationship of Catholic school identity on each subscale of school vitality and at least one subscale of organizational leadership on three of the four subscales of school vitality. In addition, years of teaching in Catholic schools and percent of Catholic students are significant predictors of Catholic school identity. (Contains 3 tables.)
Pastors' Views of Parents and the Parental Role in Catholic Schools
Author: Frabutt, James M.
Date: 2010-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Catholic Schools,Catholics,Parent Participation,Parent School Relationship,Clergy,Religious Education,Surveys,Parent Role,Attitude Measures,Multivariate Analysis,Qualitative Research,School Choice

Over 300 years of official Church teachings and documents affirm the importance of the home-school relationship, yet relatively little research has systematically explored the need and value of parent involvement in the school community. This study is a secondary analysis of survey data collected for the Notre Dame Study of U.S. Pastors (Nuzzi, Frabutt, & Holter, 2008) and examines pastors' views of parents and the parental role in Catholic schools.  The article closes with recommendations for action based upon analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data trends from pastors' responses. (Contains 4 tables, 2 figures and 2 footnotes.)
Urban School Connections: A University-K-8 Partnership
Author: Borrero, Noah
Date: 2010-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Catholic Schools,Catholics,Urban Universities,Elementary Secondary Education,Community Involvement,Partnerships in Education,Urban Schools,College School Cooperation,Educational Improvement,College Faculty,Administrators,Faculty Development,Workshops,Religious Education,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Student Evaluation,Alternative Assessment

This paper describes a partnership between an alliance of nine urban Catholic schools and an urban university in San Francisco, California. The development of the partnership is described in part, but the details of the actual collaboration and involvement of university faculty with school leaders and teachers are the central foci. This collaboration is outlined to show how university community involvement can provide direct support to urban K-12 schools. Specifically, the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) is presented as a foundation upon which university-K-12 partnerships can be built. PLCs in schools are groups of teachers and staff members with a shared vision for improving student learning. PLC members work collaboratively and hold one another accountable for results at their school sites (DuFour, 2004). Research-based, core elements of PLCs provide the framework through which the partnership in this paper is described. Along with the development of the PLCs, core elements of Catholic and Jesuit education are highlighted to illuminate the context in which this partnership was developed. In the sections that follow, the practical and theoretical backgrounds to the partnership are outlined, the context is described, and existing research on the core elements of PLCs and their implementation is presented. Additionally, details of the PLCs and the professional development workshops from the partnership are described in relation to this research. In the final sections, the author discusses the central ideas expressed by teachers throughout their participation in the PLCs and reflects on his own learning as a university faculty participant.
Improving Bilingual Service Delivery in Catholic Schools through Two-Way Immersion
Author: Scanlan, Martin
Date: 2010-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Catholic Schools,Private Schools,Elementary Schools,Bilingual Students,Immersion Programs,Second Language Instruction,Delivery Systems,Hispanic American Students,Equal Education,Limited English Speaking,Case Studies,Reading Instruction,School Culture

Catholic elementary schools underserve Latino students, especially those who are bilingual. This paper presents a conceptual argument for Catholic elementary schools to improve this by pursuing the two-way immersion model of bilingual service delivery in Spanish and English. The argument is presented in three stages. First, we show that Catholic elementary schools underserve Latino families in general, and bilingual Latino students with limited proficiency in English in particular. Next, we present evidence from research literature and a case study that the two-way immersion approach to bilingual service delivery is philosophically and functionally well suited for Catholic schooling. We conclude by suggesting the implications of this argument for Catholic as well as other private sector schools.
Developing and Sustaining Leaders for Catholic Schools: A Summary of the Conference Proceedings of the Second Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference
Author: Boyle, Michael J.
Date: 2010-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Conferences (Gatherings),Catholic Schools,School Effectiveness,Partnerships in Education,Educational Administration,College School Cooperation,Leadership Training,Management Development,Educational Improvement,Improvement Programs,Sustainability,Elementary Secondary Education

On October 1-3, 2009, Loyola University Chicago's Center for Catholic School Effectiveness (CCSE) and School of Education hosted the second in a series of six planned Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conferences (CHEC) entitled, "Developing and Sustaining Leaders for Catholic Schools: How Can Catholic Higher Education Help?" This working conference was structured around four main presentations, each addressing an aspect of the conference theme. Upon the conclusion of each session, conference participants were invited to respond and explore the themes that were presented in each session. This paper provides a summary of the presentations and the discussions of the participants. Finally, the follow-up actions, resulting from the conference, are shared. (Contains 1 figure.)