One of the most important factors in effectively running an independent K-12 school is the information system or systems that are used by the school. Although these systems help the school’s administration and staff maintain critical information for functions like admissions, academics, accounting, advancement, and more, learning to use and maintain these systems, while necessary, can be a time-consuming process. At Senior Systems, we make this process easier with strict implementation procedures.
When each department uses a different software program, these information systems become more complicated and costly, resulting in lost time and even lost information. Various programs for accounts, admissions and academic records cause faculty and staff be trained on new systems or switch away from the old ones. Software that combines these necessary information systems into one program not only saves time on software training and makes records easier to access, it also allows for better collaboration between departments, improved control of information and better integration of related information databases.
1. Simplified Access to Information
A single program that manages all vital student information systems makes it easier for a school’s administration and staff to quickly access the information they need. Multiple have to be updated and maintained separately, and their users will spend valuable time logging in and out of and switching between the various programs used by the school instead of doing actual work. With a student information system that integrates all of those functions, these records can be accessed with a single sign-on – making it much faster and more efficient to use and maintain student information.
2. Better Collaboration Between Departments
A single, integrated system for student information will also have an impact on collaboration and sharing of information between departments. When records and databases are split between programs, groups of users within the school may access different information sets – and even use them in different ways. Compartmentalizing information not only makes these records more complicated to access, but can also result in missed communication, and even lost information between administration and teachers or other staff. An information system that provides records for admissions, academics, accounting and alumni relations in one interface makes it much easier to communicate necessary information across the levels of school staff and ensures that information is neither lost between programs nor miscommunicated.
3. Time Saved on Software Training
For any organization, one of the most time-consuming tasks related to human resources is training new hires in the use of software programs and processes. Schools are no exception to this, and extensive software training can take up valuable time better spent on other tasks that more directly or indirectly benefit student learning. The more programs that are used to store student information, the longer this training process will take; the difficulty in learning multiple programs is further compounded when these programs have contradictory processes and interfaces. Storing, accessing and maintaining all student information with a single program significantly simplifies the training required for school administration and staff. In addition, an integrated system means a much lower learning curve for new hires and eliminates the chance of user errors that would be caused by differences between programs.
4. Improved Control of Data Integrity and Security
Maintaining the accuracy, integrity and security of student information are key concerns for the use of any program that organizes these details – student information systems must be able to be trusted and to be protected. The higher the number of software systems a school or an organization uses, the more difficult it becomes to keep the information within these systems accurate as well as secure. Replacing multiple systems with one system makes it exponentially easier to ensure that student information is protected from potential hackers and other security threats. It also makes it simpler to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the information system, since all information is contained in one program.
5. Better Integration of Related Records
Databases of information are meant to be connected and used in concert to make the best decisions regarding the educational needs of individual students and a school as a whole. Putting the right details together to make it more useful in making decisions and developing policies is much more complicated when the relevant information exists in separate locations. Student information systems with all of the information contained in one place make it much easier to make connections between the right information sets to see patterns and make well-informed decisions, as well as changes to policy when needed.
A student information system that combines different data sets and records into one program can make a school more efficient and effective. An integrated approach to record management allows administration and staff to more easily access vital information and to better collaborate with each other to share information and provide for students’ learning needs. It also saves time in training, as school staff only need to be trained on one system instead of several. Finally, an all-in-one student information system for admissions, academics, accounting and alumni relations allows for improving data control and security, as well as better integration of related information sets – making it a more practical choice than using multiple programs.
ABOUT SENIOR SYSTEMS
With Senior Systems, you only need to enter information once and access it everywhere. Eliminate the complications that come from trying to synchronize multiple copies of data across applications. Easily, seamlessly and securely manage the student lifecycle from prospect to alumni with our single database solution.