ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Managing Technology Resourcefully: Part I--Technology and Instruction
Author: Weeks, Richard
Date: 2009-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Management,Educational Technology,Superintendents,School Business Officials,Computer Uses in Education,Technology Integration,Internet,Administrator Role,Teaching Methods,Web Based Instruction,Assistive Technology

The transformative powers of digital technology to improve student learning and the resulting effect of that technology to make the business of education more cost-effective are two of the more exciting dynamics in schooling today. Before the current school year ends, new products and upgrades will be available to replace much of the technology. In the past few years, the Internet has created the biggest generation gap between educators and their students since the birth of rock and roll in the 1950s. Despite this newness, the task of "managing" modern technology is about two generations old. School superintendents, school business administrators, and others are responsible for overseeing considerable technology resources. For school business officials, the importance is underscored in ASBO International's Professional Standards, which identify information management as one of seven major skill sets in the profession. This article, the first of two articles on managing technology, looks at instructional technology.
Terror in the Board Room: The Bid-Opening Process
Author: Shoop, James
Date: 2009-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Bids,Public Schools,Purchasing,Best Practices,Contracts,Proposal Writing,Guidelines,School Business Officials,School Business Relationship,Competitive Selection

Competitive bids and the bid-opening process are the cornerstones of public school purchasing. The bid-opening process does not begin on the day of the bid opening. It begins with good planning by the purchasing agent to ensure that the advertised bid complies with the public school contracts law. In New Jersey, that raises the following questions: (1) Did the purchasing agent properly advertise the bid?; (2) Was the bid advertised for a Monday or the day after a public holiday?; and (3) Were the bid specifications drafted to ensure &quot;free, open, and competitive bidding&quot;? Although state laws may vary, the author uses these points as a foundation for this discussion of best practices for the bid-opening process.
Transforming the Federal Role in America's Public Schools
Date: 2009-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Public Schools,Educational Change,National Organizations,Federal Government,Public Education,Government Role,Educational Improvement,Partnerships in Education,Governance,Educational Quality,Financial Support,Accountability,Educational Research

As part of an American effort to reduce poverty, national organizations, like members of the Learning First Alliance, must make a vigorous federal, state and local commitment to improving public schools. Only such shared commitment can move them towards a common vision for the public education system they need. In the past decade, however, the federal effort to help states and school districts improve public education has become distorted. They now have topdown micromanagement of their public schools without the support they require to succeed. What states and districts need from the federal government is the right kind of support to guarantee every child equal access to an excellent public school. The Learning First Alliance's members represent millions of parents, educators, and education policymakers who have the talent, knowledge and dedication to work with federal, state and local governments in achieving their shared goals. To this end, they advance principles for appropriate and constructive federal involvement in education.
ASBO at 100: A Supreme Court Retrospective on Religion, Student Rights, and Employee Rights
Author: Russo, Charles J.
Date: 2009-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Civil Rights,School Administration,Court Litigation,Student Rights,School Business Officials,Public Schools,Religion,State Aid,Private Schools,Freedom of Speech,Discipline,Employees

In the opening sentence of his May 1949 article in this journal, Ward W. Keesecker was on the mark in writing, "What the Supreme Court of the United States has said pertaining to State school administration and how their decisions affect the rights and privileges of individuals are matters of wide interest and concern to school business officials and teachers generally" (p. 1). Based on the role that the Supreme Court has assumed in shaping American education, this column reviews key cases dealing with religious issues in schools, student rights, and employee rights to due process and free speech. As this column demonstrates, Supreme Court cases involving the rights of students and school employees have had a profound effect on the lives of school business officials, other education leaders, and everyone else associated with public education. As ASBO embarks on its second century, the only thing about which its members can be certain is that the Court will continue to resolve cases that help shape the future of public education.
Virtual Learning: Embracing True Education Reform
Author: Pohl, Robert
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cognitive Style,Educational Change,Individualized Instruction,Conventional Instruction,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Educational Technology,Technology Integration,School Choice,Financial Support,Student Needs

Communication, commerce, and social patterns have changed dramatically during the past 25 years, and technology has played a major role in these transformations. Yet, one product of technology that schools have not embraced is virtual learning. For technology to play a substantive role in education, an alternative K-12 model must be established that is based on the following: (1) An approach to teaching that acknowledges the various types of student learning styles; (2) An individualized curriculum for each student; (3) A response to families' demands for market choices; and (4) An alternative funding model linked to the student rather than to the school or school district. Wanting to change is insufficient to generate an alternative to traditional education. To bring about a new K-12 education model, school reformers must understand how to transform organizations. Only then will an alternative model emerge that leverages virtual learning. This new approach to schooling will change instruction, governance, school leadership, and school funding.
Are School Districts Immune to a Weak Economy? Don't Believe It!
Author: Horner, Jeffrey
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Taxes,Educational Finance,School Districts,School Business Officials,Income,Economic Impact,State Legislation,Budgeting,Enrollment Trends,Credit (Finance),Risk Management

Why should school districts worry about today's down economy? After all, the vast majority of their income comes from state legislatures and local property taxes, with some additional funding from the federal government. This funding is unaffected by downturns in sales, the stock market, and other basic economic indicators. School business officials should not buy into this misconception. While the effects of a bad economy may not be as drastic for public entities, school boards are adversely affected by a weak economy and should plan for such circumstances. Many aspects of a down economy affect school districts. In this article, the author discusses a few areas that can change a district's finances, which include: (1) state legislative cuts; (2) property devaluation; (3) student population; (4) access to credit; (5) public bonds; and (6) tax rollback concerns. He concludes that school business officials must be cognizant of these risks and develop comprehensive strategies to minimize the negative financial effect on their districts during hard economic times.
Implementing a Student-Based Funding Policy: Considerations for School Districts
Author: Shambaugh, Larisa S.
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Finance,School Districts,Financial Policy,Funding Formulas,Finance Reform,Resource Allocation,Budgeting

As education budgets continue to tighten, increased attention is focused on how school districts can best distribute existing funds to schools and how schools can best use these funds. Student-based funding (SBF)--sometimes referred to as a weighted student formula--is one approach that school districts have taken during the past decade. SBF policies replace the traditional district budgeting model in which the central office allocates resources to each school based, for the most part, on what central-office staff believe is needed. In contrast, SBF policies allocate funds to schools based on individual student need, with the goal of increasing the equity of funding. However, SBF policies are not without controversy; after using a weighted student formula for almost a decade, Seattle recently returned to a more traditional budgeting model. Still, many other districts around the country are considering implementing an SBF policy. Given that school districts around the country are considering this policy, this article outlines eight key considerations that districts face when designing and implementing an SBF policy, based on the authors' study of San Francisco's and Oakland's policies.
Managing Technology Resourcefully: Part II--Working with Your District's Technology
Author: Weeks, Richard
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Software,Educational Technology,School Business Officials,School Districts,Computer Uses in Education,Technology Integration,Educational Administration

A large school district may have a technology department staffed by a chief technology officer who supervises two or more directors of operations, project managers, and technicians. On the other hand, a small district may employ an information technologist who works with technicians, consultants, volunteers with a knack for technology, and instructional personnel who might receive stipends for extra work outside the classroom. Technology personnel are a part of the district team and should be treated as any other business office professional. Regardless of the size of the technology department, the software that school business administrators use most frequently can be neatly bundled into the category "operations technology." An effective software service should have browser-based access to all applications, maintain authorized security clearance, and have the ability to create, update, and rearrange the layout of reports and forms. The author presents a sampling of some operations software and offers some ideas on how to make the most of technology in one's district. He also presents different views on managing technology in schools. [For Part I, see EJ918588.]
Update on the Americans with Disabilities Act
Author: Russo, Charles J.
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Employees,Courts,Disabilities,School Business Officials,Federal Legislation,Educational Finance,Court Litigation,Equal Opportunities (Jobs),Budgeting,Boards of Education,Accessibility (for Disabled)

In 1990, Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act as a comprehensive mandate to eliminate discrimination against individuals with disabilities. The ADA's primary intent was to extend the protection of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The major difference between the two laws is that Section 504 applies to programs that receive federal funds, whereas the ADA primarily, but not exclusively, covers private programs, particularly employees. Based on the far-reaching significance of the ADA, particularly as it presents financial implications for school boards and their employees, this column examines the ADA's major titles, including a review of its 2008 amendments that took effect on January 1, 2009. It then reviews relevant case law to provide readers with a sense of how the courts have addressed the needs of employees with impairments under the ADA. And finally, it offers recommendations for school business officials and other education leaders who are charged with overseeing the resources of their districts as they implement the reasonable accommodations provisions of the ADA as they relate to employees.
Demystifying Remote Access
Author: Howe, Grant
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Management Systems,Information Technology,Internet,Costs,Computer Software,Computer Networks,Budgeting,Access to Information,Computer Security

With money tight, more and more districts are considering remote access as a way to reduce expenses and budget information technology costs more effectively. Remote access allows staff members to work with a hosted software application from any school campus without being tied to a specific physical location. Each school can access critical business applications directly from the hosted server, ultimately leading to increased productivity, more accurate data, and better collaboration across campuses. For example, remote access to a financial management system allows school administrators to enter budgets directly into the district system or enter invoices or payments into the district's centralized accounting system, reducing time and the chance of transmission errors and freeing district staff from daily data entry tasks. By combining infrastructure costs, schools can save a significant amount of overhead without sacrificing any resources for students. This article discusses what remote access is and the best way for a district to implement it.
Radio-Frequency Identification: Asset Control at Your Fingertips
Author: Scholes, Marcus
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Districts,Accountability,Public Schools,Documentation,School Administration,Educational Practices,Electronic Equipment,Financial Audits,Facility Inventory,School Accounting,Merchandise Information

Times are tough for everyone, including public school districts. During the past decade, school districts have faced the dual challenges of tightening budgets and increasing fiscal responsibility and oversight. Many school districts have found a way to manage their assets, reduce staff requirements, increase accountability, and save money on insurance premiums by implementing unified fixed-asset management programs and accompanying asset-tracking technologies, such as radio-frequency identification (RFID). Most people recognize RFID as the tiny tags placed in or on an item to help determine its location. RFID is incorporated in automated toll-road payment systems, ID cards, and retail products. In fact, the technology evolved from retail store security methods and from technologies such as bar coding, which was initially geared toward inventory management. RFID has been making waves for over a decade as commercial organizations sought to leverage the ease and accuracy of goods tracking to drive down costs and improve product availability. The technology is still advancing in this arena, especially with the continued decrease in pricing for the individual RFID tags, which can now cost just a few cents each. The technology has been strongly embraced by other entities as well, including libraries, museums, industries, and higher-education institutions to track valuable assets ranging from computers to vehicles. With increased focus on improving asset accountability and saving money, the time is optimal for school districts to also consider the benefits of RFID.
Get a Grip on Demographics with Geospatial Technology
Author: Raymond, Randall E.
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Technology,Boards of Education,School Business Officials,Planning,Resource Allocation,Geographic Information Systems,Board Administrator Relationship,Emergency Programs,National Security,Access to Information,Safety

Aging school infrastructure, changing population dynamics, decreased funding, and increased accountability for reporting school success all require today's school business officials to combine a variety of disparate data sets into a coherent system that enables effective and efficient decision making. School business officials are required to: (1) Plan for change; (2) Monitor patterns and trends in land use, housing, and population characteristics; (3) Make decisions and allocate resources for service delivery and costs; (4) Negotiate agreements with city, county, and state officials; and (5) Communicate with school board members, parents, students, and members of the community about changes, contentious issues, and district policies. A geographic information system (GIS) does all of these things by integrating the hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. GIS allows one to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. At the core of the GIS is a powerful relational database management system. This makes it possible to query the data points based on the various fields (attributes in GIS) found in the data. School business officials can view these data points in a variety of ways. Using GIS, school business officials can integrate their data with the data of the local homeland security agencies, providing information about building floor plans, classroom schedules, and high resolution aerial photos--all of which can prove important in a crisis situation when officials need to know where people are during an emergency. (Contains 4 figures.)
Put Power into Your Presentations: Using Presentation Software Effectively
Author: Safransky, Robert J.
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Software,Public Speaking,Check Lists,Educational Technology,Teaching Methods,Computer Uses in Education,Visual Aids

Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and OpenOffice Impress are relatively common tools in the classroom and in the boardroom these days. What makes presentation software so popular? As the Chinese proverb declares, a picture is worth a thousand words. People like visual presentations. Presentation software can make even a dull subject come to life with colorful text, videos, and hyperlinks. Presentation software is also easy to use. A short course on creating presentations gets one up and running quickly; however, many tips and tricks can make them "more presentable." In this article, the authors provide some suggestions on how to use presentation software effectively.
Keeping Students and Staff Safe from Technology Abuse
Author: Ruder, Robert
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ethics,Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,School Security,Safety,Educational Technology,School Policy,School Districts,Board of Education Policy

With the number of students who own cellular phones increasing at a dazzling rate, designing a school district-wide multilevel firewall to address electronic intrusions is a prudent course of action. In addition to invading a student's privacy in a locker room or bathroom, students can use camera phones to cheat on tests. Students can photograph a test and send it to fellow students so they know what to study. In this article, the author discusses how to keep students and staff safe from technology abuse. As the use and dependency on technology increase, the practice of updating technology use policies every few years is no longer a viable model. School districts may find it necessary to revise policies related to technology yearly--or even more frequently. Conducting due diligence in this regard will help a district remain current with trends and practices while safeguarding the safety of its students and staff.
Performance Contracting: Taking School Technology Green
Author: Taival, Dane
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Performance Contracts,Energy Conservation,Energy,Costs,Conservation (Environment),Educational Finance,School Buildings

Energy efficiency makes fiscal and environmental sense, and so does energy savings performance contracting. Because an energy savings performance contract can create a self-funding package of products and services that reduce energy and operating costs, over time, school districts' sometimes-large initial investment in emerging technologies saves money in as few as three or four years. Energy savings performance contracting creates sustainable schools that improve student and teacher health, increase attendance, and decrease energy and operating costs. In this article, the author discusses how performance contracting works and describes some technologies that meet the increasing demands for environmental certification.
Building Schools in a Tight Economy? Do Your Homework
Author: Watts, Chris
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Municipalities,School Construction,Budgeting,Economic Factors,Educational Facilities Improvement,Educational Finance,Planning,Costs

With unemployment rising and the public more concerned about the economy than at any other time in recent memory, the idea of a municipality deciding to spend millions of dollars to build or refurbish a school seems an uphill challenge to say the least. In the best of times, voter approval for school construction projects is difficult to get; during a recession, that difficult task seems all but impossible. But when a community's schools are too small for the population or their roofs are leaking and causing mold problems, a construction project cannot wait out the economy. As any teacher will tell, the secret to success is proper planning and homework so one has the right information when it is time to take the test. The same holds true for a municipality that is looking to build a new school or to undertake a significant renovation in this troubled economy. The task is not impossible; it just requires the building committee to do a little extra work to ensure that the project is correctly specified and budgeted. But often, municipalities do not do their homework on projects. One only needs to read the newspaper to see stories of towns encountering problems with their current building projects: towns with school construction projects running significantly over budget, "value engineering" to reduce costs on current projects, and postponing building, causing students to learn in crowded or damaged classrooms. In this article, Charles W. Boos, CEO of Kaestle Boos Associates, an architectural firm that specializes in municipal construction projects throughout New England, offers tips to avoid such problems when looking to build or renovate a school.