Two school districts that use Skyward, K-12 school administrative software provider, received top rankings in the 10th annual Digital School Districts Survey by the Center for Digital Education (CDE) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). Center Grove Community School Corporation in Indiana and Oconomowoc Area School District in Wisconsin both collected top honors in the Mid-sized Student Population District Category.
The national survey showcases exemplary school boards’ and districts’ use of technology to govern the district, communicate with students, parents and the community, and improve district operations. This year’s recognition goes to school districts for their expanding use of innovative technologies district-wide as well as in the classroom.
Center Grove Community School Corporation is in its seventh year of using the School Management System from Skyward. The district’s vision for information technology is based on the premise that technology impacts every operation across the district. Entirely web-based, Skyward supports the district’s vision by facilitating implementation of a 1:1 program, creating a paperless environment, improving communication with parents and increasing efficiency in operations.
“This honor is a tribute to the hard work of our district staff and the vision we share with our school board,” said Julie Bohnenkamp, director of technology at Center Grove Community School Corporation. “Our mission is to create an atmosphere conducive to all learners that utilizes technology to improve process as well as the educational experience for all students."
Selected for this honor four years in a row, Oconomowoc Area School District is in its 20th year of using the School Management System from Skyward. The district is implementing a three-year information and technology plan that leverages IT resources for educational and operational effectiveness. Under the plan, the district installed a fiber-optic wide area network, installed wireless school networks, upgraded Internet access, and initiated several mobile learning projects.
“Our goal is to leverage the district’s information and technology resources to raise student achievement, strengthen relationships with stakeholders, and improve operational efficiency," said Mike Rauworth, information systems analyst at Oconomowoc Area School District. "As our educators and staff have a hand in this award, so does our student information system from Skyward, which allows us to effectively communicate and share school-related information with our parent community.”
The top ten rankings are awarded to those school boards/districts that most fully implement technology benchmarks in the evolution of digital education, as represented in the survey questions. All U.S. public school districts are eligible to participate in the survey within the three classifications based on size of enrollment.
