Redefining Online Education with a Digital Uplift
In Brief
Custom technology promotes student growth and saves millions of dollars
Managing the educational experience of over 30,000 students across an entire state is no easy feat. Facing mounting administrative burdens and barriers to insights with over 60 separate educational systems, one of the largest public virtual charter schools in the United States needed an integrated technology solution.
Resource Data established an integrations team, designed architecture, and built integrations to synchronize data between all the school’s systems. As their technology partner, we’ve automated processes, streamlined reporting, and built multiple, custom tools and applications. Our software solutions have saved the school millions of dollars and, importantly, allowed teachers to spend less time on admin tasks and more face time with students.
Key Takeaways
Quality, individualized learning experiences through innovative technology solutions
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Comprehensive integration and automation reduces admin
Our partnership led to significant improvements in system integration and automation. Streamlined operations allow teachers to focus more on teaching and less on administrative tasks.
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Enhanced digital ecosystem fosters better engagement
By revamping the school’s digital infrastructure, including the implementation of a sophisticated student-teacher matching tool and a centralized student scheduling system, the educational experience was elevated. The results: better engagement and personalized learning opportunities.
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Innovative solutions save millions of dollars
The development of specific tools, such as automated grade submissions and a custom storefront for fund management, directly addressed the unique challenges faced by the charter school, saving time, resources, and millions of dollars.
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Focus on future readiness ensures educational excellence
Forward-thinking initiatives like consolidating data into a single-source database, developing an engagement portal for families, and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) such as a registration documentation verification tool, will ensure continued educational excellence.
The Challenges
A labyrinth of fragmented systems
One of the largest public, virtual charter schools in the U.S. caters to about 30,000 students from pre-K to 12th grade statewide. The school focuses on personalized learning tailored to each student’s style, abilities, and interests. While online programs are the main mode of instruction, teachers also have face-to-face meetings with students, fostering long-term relationships.
Given its size and tailored approach, the school struggled with managing data across 60 different systems, hindering efficiency and causing delays in accessing vital information on everything from grades and attendance to payroll and asset management. Integration issues with PowerSchool, their primary student-information platform, led to manual data-entry woes and reporting delays for the school’s thousands of teachers and administrators. Addressing these challenges was crucial to the school’s growth and ensuring their continued delivery of a high-quality education.
The Solution
A partnership dedicated to student success
The school teamed up with Resource Data to streamline and automate manual tasks, allowing teachers more time for teaching. By enhancing the system architecture and integrations, we enabled seamless connections with PowerSchool and other vendor systems, significantly reducing manual processes.
The seamless integrations revolutionized the school’s operational efficiency. We empowered administrators and teachers to efficiently capture and leverage data. Reports that once took up to 12 hours can now be generated in minutes, enhancing decision-making, and enabling easier compliance with government reporting requirements.
Beyond integration, we transformed the school’s digital ecosystem to align with their educational approach. Implementing innovative tools like enhanced student-teacher matching, centralized student scheduling, and a student fund management solution, elevated student-educator engagement to new levels.
“The transformative changes in administrative efficiency have paved the way for richer interactions between our teachers and students.”
~ Product Owner & Business Analyst, EdTech Department
“Resource Data has been crucial in making sure we make significant changes across our district with technology. We have saved teachers countless hours of administrative seat time by making improvements to the way they do some of their tasks and that translates to teachers spending more time face to face with students. And that’s really the ultimate goal we have as a district.”
- Product Owner & Business Analyst, Charter School EdTech Department
Custom Software
Innovative tools enhancing education and administrative efficiency
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Automated grade submissions reduced administrative workload
Grades Passback automates submitting grades for over 12 million assignments from curriculum systems into PowerSchool. On average, this tool saves teachers 15 hours per week.
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Streamlined teacher-student matching solution for better student outcomes
Teacher matching tool replaces burdensome, manual processes. It automatically identifies the best-fit teachers for students based on needs like primary language, grade level, proximity, and more.
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Custom storefront and fund management solution improved visibility and saved millions
Learning Fund simplifies managing students’ state funding allotment. It replaces a vendor-managed system that required significant manual workarounds, saving the school over $3 million.
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Robust student scheduling system improved meeting management
Centralized platform replaced multiple tools and integrates with PowerSchool for seamless schedule and site coordination across numerous locations.
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Modern Reporting Architecture for faster data access and compliance
Previously it could take up to 12 hours to get data from multiple, interdependent systems. The new architecture enables event-based reporting for faster and more targeted data access and easier analysis of student performance, attendance, employee time tracking, federal reporting and more.
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Automated instructional activity tracking ensured reporting compliance
Semi-automated attendance reporting using completed instructional assignments, means the school is doing more than simply taking roll call. They easily track engagement—over 13 million activities tracked in the first year— while ensuring compliance with state truancy requirements.
The Results
Less time on admin, more time for students
The school is committed to empowering students with a modern, individualized online learning experience, backed by in-person support. To achieve this, we collaborated on a multifaceted strategy. Leveraging advanced technologies, rapid prototyping, and stakeholder feedback, we delivered innovative solutions that transformed education administration.
With our partnership, the school has been able to achieve significant cost savings, streamline operations, and most importantly, enhance the educational experience for their families.
What's Next
Driving future innovations
Our forward-thinking solutions not only address current needs but also prepare the school for tomorrow’s educational challenges. Through ongoing collaboration, we are focused on scalability and future growth.
A key initiative involves consolidating data from all the school’s systems into a single-source, shared database for standardized and accurate reporting. Additionally, we are developing a custom family engagement portal and implementing cutting-edge AI tools like Robotic Process Automation to uphold The school’s commitment to educational excellence.
