15 Ways Pearson PowerSchool Integration Brings Peace of Mind to Parents, Teachers & Administrators

It seems to happen so rarely, but doesn't your school district run more smoothly when everyone's more-or-less satisfied?

Often, the best way to ensure efficient operations in a school is to head off potential problems that could cause disruptions.  Teachers managing students know this, as do administrators who have to deal with angry parent calls.  The best way to keep the easily-excitable calm is to take away things that disrupt their peace of mind.

Well, by combining BusBoss and PowerSchool, you can get that peace of mind.  As an all-in-one school and student information system, there are numerous ways it can be used to simply keep everyone happy... and therefore not disrupting your operations.

Keeping Things Calm And Steady With BusBoss and PowerSchool

I.     For Administrators...

• Centralize your databases.  You don't have to worry about data in one system failing to transfer to another.  Every change propagates instantly throughout your entire network.

• Same-day student record changes.  Whether a student is changing classes, or changing address in town, the system will ensure everyone is aware of a change that needs to be.

• Automated parent notification.  Rather than spending time dialing numbers over and over, Pearson PowerSchool can automatically notify guardians via multiple contact points whenever their attention is necessary.

• Quick and easy reporting.  No matter what data you need to track, PowerSchool has a report that can produce it.  Your state reports can be compiled in minutes, fully verified and ready to submit.

• Future needs planning.  Are you looking at redistricting or substantial population shifts in years to come?  BusBoss and PowerSchool can help you plan new routes, manage demographics, and otherwise produce an unlimited number of "what if" scenarios.

II.  For Teachers...

• All-in-one student record-keeping.  From attendance, to grades, to discipline and more...  if there's something a teacher needs to record, PowerSchool gives them a central interface for handling it.

• No-fuss calculations.  Mistakes happen, of course, but an error in the gradebook can create a lot of stress.  Since PowerSchool centralizes student tracking, it helps ensure grades are properly calculated and always available.

• Predictive attendance.  Every teacher can receive an estimated attendance report prior to class, based on bus ridership and prior attendance reports in the day.  If all is well, attendance can be a one-click process.

• Mobile compatibility.  It's becoming more common for teachers to bring their tablets into school as teaching tools, and PowerSchool is ready.  The system is available to them whenever they need, even in the middle of a lesson.

• Reduced parent calls.  Most teachers are too polite to say it, but we all know they have things they'd rather be doing instead of handling parent calls after class.  When your systems are streamlined by BusBoss and PowerSchool, fewer mistakes ultimately means fewer upset phone calls.

III.  For Parents...

• Universal Cloud access.  Speaking of reducing phone calls...  Parents can access their student's records any time, anywhere, and from virtually any Internet-compatible device.  When they can get information for themselves, they won't need to ask you for it.

• School bus tracking.  If a school bus is late in the evening, the last thing a parent wants to hear is that you've lost track of it.  GPS tracking, however, means that you always know where your buses are within a few feet.   You'll be able to sooth frayed nerves with accurate information and ETAs.

• No hidden report cards.  While it might be unfortunate for sneaky children, there's no more hiding grades from parents.  If a student is having trouble in a class, they won't be able to pretend otherwise.

• Better calendars and communications.  BusBoss can natively generate school calendars and other notifications based on activities programmed in the system, and make them available to all affected parents.  Field trips and holidays won't be a surprise - they'll know far ahead of time.

• ALWAYS knowing where their child is.  If you're using in-school RFID systems, the words "We can't find your child" won't be uttered except in exceedingly rare cases where the student truly has left the campus.   And even then, you'll know exactly when they left and what direction they were heading.  Otherwise, if they're truant, parents know they will be found.

What's A Little Peace Of Mind Worth?

We think that all these "little benefits" alone easily make the combination of BusBoss and PowerSchool a valuable addition to a school district.  However, they're really the icing on the cake.  BusBoss and PowerSchool make a powerful cost-saving package that reduces your expenditures while increasing your state reporting abilities.

It's a software investment that will quickly pay for itself, in both money and peace of mind.

So, if it's time for a change, just drop Orbit Software a line and tell us what your district needs to succeed!