posted by:
Bass, Joseph A - MNPS at Apr 23, 2012 2:00:00 PM
With nearly 80,000 students from hundreds of different backgrounds in 140 schools, nothing in Metro Schools is simple. Education is of course the primary focus of the district. It's what we do and it's the only reason we're here. But along with teaching, there are so many ancillary services that go along with it. Feeding students, getting them to and from school, assigning them to the right school or classroom, answering parents' questions: these are the other services of Metro Schools that really aren't so little at all.
It's the little things... is a series of articles highlighting examples of these efforts, changes in them, and ways to make them even better. Today: School websites.
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MLK Magnet: just one of more than 140 websites in Metro Schools.
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It’s an exciting time for Metro’s 140+ school websites. We have just begun implementation on a long-in-the-works program to compensate faculty and staff members who take on the time-consuming task of updating school websites. We know parent involvement in schools leads to increased student achievement and that school websites are a good way to communicate with parents.
With so many websites covering diverse schools, diverse programs and serving an even more diverse population, keeping these tens of thousands of pages up to date and accurate is a herculean task. Teachers, secretaries and principals have dedicated countless hours of their own time to the task in addition to their other full-time duties. Now, with a little help from Race to the Top, we will be able to pay a small stipend for their time and efforts.
Starting next school year, each school will have a Website Manager, responsible for maintaining the site and updating content. In return, Managers will be paid semi-annual stipends made up of funds from Race to the Top and funds from the school’s own budgets. The stipends not only show the district’s commitment to accurate communication, but also present opportunities for motivation and accountability in website maintenance. We plan to pilot the program this year, with an assessment and study for future feasibility to follow. If it proves successful in improving our schools’ communications efforts, we expect to continue the program in the years to come.
This is just one of many programs to address the “little things” in Metro Schools that seem so easy, but are made difficult by the scope of our district. Thanks to the leadership and support of Dr. Jesse Register, this project is now underway.
