In the 2009-10 school year, public school enrollment will surpass 50 million students for the first time in the nation's history according to The Condition of Education 2008, a recently released report from the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education.

The center is projecting through 2017, expecting numbers of elementary and secondary school students to grow to just over 54 million. Educational software solutions will need to keep pace with this growth in order for their to be effectiveness in administering the education system

At a May 29 news conference, NCES commissioner Mark S. Schneider provided a summary of the report's finding, one of which is the growing diversity of the student population.

In 1972, 22% of public of school students were considered to be from an ethnic or racial minority group. That number had nearly doubled to 43% by 2006. And while the number of students whose second language in English swelled from 9% of the school-aged population in 1979 to 20% in 2006, the proportion of those that has difficulty speaking English outside the home decreased from 34% in 1979 to 25% in 2006.

Another highlight of the report was the decrease in students enrolled in special education programs, private schools, but an increase in the proportion of students whose parent(s) has obtained at least a Bachelors degree.

While the report is strictly figures and numbers and does not address the issues surrounding the state of the education system, it can be helpful for school administrators and school management software professionals in developing technology solutions to meet growing demands.

Whether you have just joined the Blackbaud family or need a refresher on the numerous features of our software, many classes and resources are available. Being properly trained through one of the following options is the best way to ensure you get the most from your investment in Blackbaud's educational software solutions.

1. Classroom training at Blackbaud Headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina

Courses are available in a wide range of Blackbaud educational, fundraising, and data management software products. Plus you will have the benefit of visiting one of the most leisurely and historic cities in the United States.

2. Regional training available in 50 cities across the United States and Canada.

Just like traveling to our facility in Charleston, regional training sessions are held in state-of-the-art facilities. Each student is provided with their own workstation for hands-on learning.

3. Distance learning options available for busy professionals.

Can't travel anywhere? Distance learning can help you just like our in-class options. Instructor-led classes are available in an interactive, live group setting along with the eLearning library which provides self-paced online software lessons.

While these courses and resources can be purchased individually, Blackbaud recognizes organizations have budget constraints but also need a well-trained, passionate staff. For one affordable yearly fee, Blackbaud Training Pass offers unlimited classroom, regional, and distance learning courses along with unlimited access to the eLearning library.

Small and private universities must constantly be up-to-date and organized in order to fulfill the mantra of officials which is to Recruit. Retain. Solicit. This is easier said than done with hundreds and possibly thousands of applicants, students, and alumni.

A good enrollment management software option helps higher education with these tasks. Small university officials need integrated solutions to address the challenges they face, including administrative burdens on faculty, maximizing course requests, and standing apart from peer institutions.

One easy solution to these challenges is the Student Information Software (SIS) from Blackbaud, which can be integrated to share information across campus offices. Update to student information is instantly available to not only the registrar, but admissions, advancement, and even faculty, which allows for easier communication with students.

SIS software goes along way to meeting the challenge of reducing the burden of administrative tasks on faculty as to allow them more time to interact with students. Besides the easier communication, SIS also automates tasks related to determining how effectively recruiting dollars are being spent to developing various class scheduling scenarios to make the best use of instructors and space.

And students will love it to, having quick access to grades, schedules, billing statements all online. Also, assignments, news, and progress reports can be delivered electronically which is important to today's tech savvy youth. SIS, through efficient class scheduling, also easily modifies schedules to handle special and last-minute requests.

Today's competitive and fiscally tight environment demands institutions stretch the most of their resources to meet the challenges of recruiting, retaining, and soliciting. Student Information Software from Blackbaud is a useful tool in meeting those demands.

Users of Blackbaud school administrative software or any of their other services can connect with other users through the Blackbaud User Society. Maintained by volunteers, it was developed by Blackbaud users to provide an informational resource separate from the company itself.

The user society includes many items that help school and non-profit administrators maximize the usefulness of their software products. Forums are available for each of Blackbaud's products, including the Raiser's Edge, Education Edge, Intelligence Edge, etc. Users can post questions regarding specific issues that are then addressed by others.

For instance, one recent post was from a college administrator having a difficult time importing test scores into their Blackbaud database. With a quick post to the forum, they received many helpful responses to their inquiry.

The Blackbaud User Society also includes news releases from the company and other topics of interest - with RSS feed capability so users can have those directly downloaded to their desktops.

Another great feature of the society is the user suggestion area. Each year, members from the society meet with developers from Blackbaud to share their insights and suggestions for making their products better. Suggestions are organized into several different categories and ranked by other users.

While the user society is free, you must create an account to fully utilize the site.

Technology has the potential to improve every aspect of your school operations. But where do you start? What is most important? As a professional school administrator, time is precious to you. How do you know where should you invest the majority of your resources -- time and money alike? Where should you rely on technology the most?

Although your challenges may be numerous, there are a few key areas in which technology can really make a difference in school fundraising and school management:

School Fundraising
Technology can help you increase your school donations, communicate better with your alumni and supporters, and strengthen your relationships with your high-value donors.

Making better decisions
Planning will keep you far ahead of the competition. Technology supports planning by allowing you to maintain a single, up-to-date view of your constituents, identify high value prospects, and strategically plan for your organization's growth.

Managing your school finances
Without technology, reducing the cost of fundraising, tracking, and reporting on the "health" of your school, as well as complying with nonprofit-specific accounting requirements, would be almost impossible. These days, donors are more demanding than ever when it comes to accountability.

Managing your school daily operations
Increasing the efficiency of service delivery, optimizing your volunteers, memberships and sponsorships, and improving your internal processes are all areas in which technology can and will make a huge difference in the way your organization accomplishes its mission.

Seem Important? It is! But if your technology doesn't allow you to grow and explore new methods of fundraising, it's not worth the investment. At a minimum, your technology solution for your school should help you in these ten areas:

-- Single, holistic view of supporters
-- Relationship management
-- Analysis reporting
-- Accountability and stewardship
-- Online donor service
-- Direct mail
-- Pledge management
-- Recurring giving
-- Matching gifts
-- Saving time

---

About Blackbaud School Management Software:

Blackbaud's total school solution, including The Education Edge School Management Software, gives individual offices the functionally-rich solutions they need while also providing all key stakeholders with instant, secure access to up-to-date student and financial information.

Introducing Blackbaud NetCommunity: Membership Management Solutions. Powerful membership management software that connects students, parents and school alumni through an interactive websites; manage and renew school memberships online. Contact us to find out how you can enhance every aspect of your school administration with technology from Blackbaud.

By: Jeffrey A. Young Published 07/27/05
Article Source: http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=2055

For years, there have been calls to run government institutions as a business, with a tight bottom line and strict accountability to their shareholders: taxpayers. Now schools are facing similar scrutiny. The increased academic expectations of the No Child Left Behind Act have expanded the federal regulations with which schools must comply.

Taxpayers and local governments are also demanding more budget accountability at a time when school funding and staffing are under strain, enrollments are up in many urban and suburban districts, and schools nationwide are serving more students with special needs. To operate like businesses, schools need the same tools as businesses. In particular, they need the sophisticated business software that businesses rely on to streamline their business and administrative tasks.

In the past, business management software didn't provide the flexibility school districts needed to adapt to constantly shifting rules, regulations and policies. As a result, administrative and financial systems at most schools remained outdated, even as software was being welcomed into the classroom and curriculum.

Today's business management software, by contrast, can be adapted or automatically updated to keep school administrators and financial officers current with government mandates, and provide tools to create new efficiencies. Schools are beginning to take note. IDC projected that K-12 schools would spend $3.4 billion on all software in 2005 and $4 billion by 2006. Those figures include classroom or teaching software as well as a faster-growing market for enterprise software. According to Eduventures Inc., a Boston-based research and advisory firm, spending on enterprise software and services by high schools rose nearly 15 percent in 2004.

School district business managers and other administrators can use business management software to do the following:

• Integrate payroll, financials and human resources information. Data can be entered one time and shared throughout the school and the district, helping improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Easily calculate and manage complex payroll inputs, including flexible pay periods, variable compensation packages, contract management, licensure, certifications and tenure
• Reduce the time central office staff spends looking up human resources and benefits information for employees, by creating self-service business portals that enable employees to access their own information via a security-enhanced Web browser
• Streamline procurement of supplies and materials by having the most current financial information at users' fingertips

Read a complete article: Business Management Software for Schools

---

Blackbaud School Management Software: The Education Edge

This complete solution was developed exclusively for school administrators to help effectively manage every aspect of school administration and student information. It significantly reduces staff time spent on administrative tasks, dramatically improves data efficiency, ensures consistent collection and update of information across offices, helps cultivate strong parent-faculty relationships, and produces valuable reports to help drive future success.

VIEW AN ONLINE DEMO: How Education Edge helps school administration with information management

About Blackbaud, Inc.

Blackbaud is the leading global provider of nonprofit software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations. Approximately 13,000 organizations -- including the American Red Cross, Bowdoin College, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, the Detroit Zoological Society, Episcopal High School, Help the Aged, the New York Philharmonic and United Way of America -- use Blackbaud products and consulting services for fundraising, financial management, business intelligence and school administration. Blackbaud's solutions include The Raiser's Edge(R) Fundraising Software, The Financial Edge(TM) Nonprofit Financial Management Software, The Education Edge(TM) School Administrative Software, The Patron Edge(TM) Ticketing Management Software, Blackbaud NetCommunity(TM) Advocacy Marketing, The Information Edge(TM) Nonprofit Business Management Solution, WealthPoint(TM) and ProspectPoint(TM) Donor Management & Prospect Research Services, as well as a wide range of consulting and educational services. Founded in 1981, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Glasgow, Scotland, and Sydney, Australia.

Blackbaud, the Blackbaud logo, The Raiser's Edge, The Financial Edge, The Education Edge, The Patron Edge, Blackbaud NetCommunity, The Information Edge, WealthPoint and ProspectPoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, I