Technology can simplify cumbersome administrative tasks such as student record keeping, report writing, daily operating procedures, and school-based communications among faculty, staff, students, parents, and community stake holders.
The administrative branch of a school may see the need for a local area network (LAN) or a wide-area network (WAN) to facilitate communication and database development within a single building or throughout a district.
Database systems can be custom built and tailored to a school’s specific record keeping and accountability reporting needs. Some administrative tasks, such as record keeping of students’ attendance, grading, and progress reports, and communications among administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community stakeholders, may easily be allocated to the classroom teacher through networked technology.
When planning to implement technology for administrative purposes, the planning committee will find that technology can be used to facilitate systemic changes that provide for increased connectivity between teachers and administrative personnel, between administrators and parents, among administrators within the same district or throughout a region. Having a clearly defined vision and goals statement is key to succeeding in identifying technology needs for administrative purposes.