Insights & ideas for K-12 education leaders.
Business
Data and analytics are increasingly becoming a critical component of K-12 education. School districts are leveraging data to identify opportunities to improve student outcomes, increase teacher effectiveness, and enhance operational efficiency. However, purchasing data and analytics tools can be a daunting task. With this guide, we aim to simplify the process by outlining the key […]
Business
Questions about data and analytics in schools? You’ve come to the right place. Successful analytics isn’t about collecting the data, running a few equations, and discovering instant insight. It’s about asking the right questions and using the right tools to find valuable answers. By employing data-driven strategies, districts can engage in more effective financial planning, […]
Business
Throughout the school year, school technology departments are running like mad to ensure that teachers and students have the devices they need for the business of teaching and learning. But aside from all the work that goes into collecting, cleaning, servicing, and updating those devices over the summer, it’s also the perfect time to […]
Business
Chances are that your district has a student registration process that begins in January or early Spring and continues throughout the summer. Kindergarten, pre-k, and new family registration can be a hectic and time-consuming process for schools. It involves a lot of paperwork, data entry, and coordination with families to ensure that all the necessary […]
Business
School business is complex, with intricacies that affect revenue, compliance, and ultimately, student learning. As schools navigate all kinds of uncertainty (COVID! Inflation! Property values! Changing demographics! Government regulation!), it’s critically important to gauge where your district has been, and where it’s going in the future. While there may be scores of key performance indicators […]
Business
Big data is nothing new in education. Districts grapple with disparate datasets living in various places both at the district office and within each individual school, all with the objective of making sense of so many data elements. From state data sources to vendor data extracts to local data sets, collecting and organizing the vast […]
Business
In today’s K-12 landscape, school leaders face a host of challenges that seem to have only been exacerbated since the pandemic. Ongoing barriers to a quality education workforce, interrupted learning and widening academic gaps, increased social emotional need, inequitable access to opportunity, uncertain stimulus-boosted budgets and heightened pressure to demonstrate meaningful growth and change are […]
Business
Results of tax referenda over time vary significantly from state to state for a variety of reasons. In any given year, however, upwards of 50% of all school referenda seeking operating money or bonding are unsuccessful. Some factors such as demographics, the economy, anti-tax politics, and the presence of organized opposition are contributing factors and […]
Business
We’ve all seen the simple graphic representation comparing the concepts of equality and equity: three people of different heights stand behind a fence, trying to watch a baseball game. In an equal distribution of resources, the three people all receive a box of the same height; this helps one person see over the fence but […]
A data-centric view on the challenges facing school districts
Recruiting & Hiring
According to a 2021 Frontline survey, about two-thirds of over 1,200 school and district administrators reported having a teacher shortage. Some districts experienced the teacher shortage worse than others. About half of the respondents reported difficulty filling jobs across all grade levels and subjects while the other half felt the effects of the shortage in […]
Teacher Absences & Subs
Troubled by substitute shortages and low fill rates? You’re not alone. These are challenges faced by many districts, and for good reason. Substitute management is no walk in the park: a lot of different elements go into maintaining and managing a healthy substitute pool. To overcome the challenges associated with the substitute shortage, districts […]
Recruiting & Hiring
The Frontline Research and Learning Institute recently published a research brief called “The State of the Instructional Teacher Shortage”. Following a basic supply and demand economic model, the analysis investigates the quantity of candidates applying for jobs (supply) as well as the availability of open positions (demand). Trends show changes to both sides of the […]
Student Data
In early April, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that schools should be reopened and “full-fledged in person” come fall 2021, regardless of vaccination status. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona echoed this in early May, saying that he expects a full return for all students in the fall. With most states no longer placing restrictions on school […]
A series showcasing various leaders in the K-12 space
Frontline
Our formative years in school look different from person to person, but one thing is true for all of us: we owe a hard-to-quantify debt to the people who work in education. For most of us, teachers immediately spring to mind — and rightly so! Yet countless others also work to make sure schools can […]
Frontline
If you don’t work in the field of school business in Texas, it’s understandable that you might not know who our guest today is. But within the Lone Star State, inside school business offices, her credentials and experience speak for themselves, and she was kind enough to share some of her thoughts for our “Front […]
Frontline
Lourie Larcade is a Business Services Specialist with the Tehama County Department of Education in northern California. With 10 years of experience in school business and still more experience before that in the private sector, we’re thrilled to highlight Lourie in this edition of “Front & Center”. Tell us about yourself! I have been married […]