Editors Desk: Paper (and anger) management

I hate paper. The forms, receipts, and other unsolicited flotsam and jetsam in my mailbox and on my desk make me mad. Even the joyful scribbles of my children’s schoolwork can cause a spastic twitch. We used to have a dining room table under those worksheets, right?

So, it is with joy that I once again declare a War On Paper with some strategies for schools to end the waste and clutter. I’m sure you’ve heard all of this before: the promise of a paperless office/classroom is right up there with the flying car, right? Yet it can be done. Or at least it can be started. Len Scrogan lays out some big picture suggestions (No More Papers, No More Books).

In every story this month, and hopefully in every issue, you can view attempts at automation to end the paper chase. For example, SchoolCIO editor Ellen Ullman looks at Data-Driven Decision Making. I wonder how many of those results ultimately get printed out for board meetings (I hate that!). Even the schools featured in our special Wireless supplement are fighting the good fight. Every tablet-based app that summarizes my child’s progress and emails me the results increases the chances of my family eating in the dining room.