Engage and Involve Parents with Blackboard Connect

Everett Public Schools

Mary Waggoner

Director of Communications

Diane Bradford

Executive Staff Assistant

Traverse City Area Public Schools

Alison Arnold

Director of Communications

RaeAnn Fiebing

Technology Training

Specialist

Mobile Education & Connectivity

Multi-Modal Mass

Communication

Campus Commerce &

Security

Web Based Teaching & Learning

Synchronous Learning &

Collaboration

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• Close the gap between the way students live and the way they learn

• Empower district leadership to communicate directly and effectively

• Engage parents in their child’s academic progress

• Deliver a 21st Century educational experience

Goals

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• Providing leadership to keep your schools safe and secure

• Improving your attendance and Enforcing Accountability

• Enhancing your students’ achievement with greater parental involvement

• Increasing funding

• Strengthening your educational continuity

Connecting Your District

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• Fully-hosted communication and alert solution reaches millions in minutes through Voice, Email, SMS, Text, TTY, Wireless, and PDA capabilities

• Serves over 5,000 clients in K-12, Higher Education, and Government

• 500 million plus messages delivered in 2009

• 99.99% uptime, serving:– 1 in 3 K-12 students– 1 in 6 Higher Ed students– 10.5 million+ citizens

Blackboard’s Mass Communication In Action

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THE BEST SERVICE FOR YOUR DISTRICT

Connect AlertNowProven, reliable and secure

Industry leading service satisfactionPlatinum client care program

Connect for Teachers

Automated weather alerts Access parent portal

Map-based message delivery Flexible survey module

Building block integration: Bb Learn Multiple language translation

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Parental Involvement – Critical to Your Success

• Extracurricular activitiesCollege Night, PSAT, Student Body, Yearbooks)

• Academic PerformanceHonor Roll and Academic Probation

• Trusted voice of the districtLeadership beyond the classroom

Empowers teachers to communicate easily with students' families - in their home language - helping to improve parent involvement and student

achievement in the classroom.

Blackboard Connect for Teachers™

EVERETT PUBLIC SCHOOLSEVERETT, WA

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Everett Public Schools

Blackboard Connect

Ensure each student learns to high standards

Everett Public Schools statistics

• 26 schools• Over 18,000 students• About 2,000 staff

Ensure each student learns to high standards

Got “ConnectED” in 2005

• Began using in 2005 for emergencies• Added attendance notification in 2006• Outreach messages increased

significantly since 2006 – now are 55% of messages

• Sent 5,595 unique phone calls last school year

• 597,024 total phones called last school year

Ensure each student learns to high standards

How we use Blackboard Connect

• Daily attendance calls– Use follow up outreach call for excused absences

• Emergency messages• Community outreach for

– event and early release reminders– pass/fail status for athletics eligibility– Free and reduced lunch notification– Email newsletters– Fees owed– Classroom/teacher assignments

Ensure each student learns to high standards

What people are saying

• School staff reports – Increased attendance, or at least, decreased

unexcused absences– Increased parent involvement– Saves money, time and resources by reducing

letters and postage• Food and Nutrition alone saved approx. $1,800 in

Sept. by using Blackboard Connect to send free/reduced letters.

Ensure each student learns to high standards

Where we are going

• Beginning to implement Connect for Teachers with 7 schools as “early adopters” this year

• Anticipate it will become a systemwide communication tool

Ensure each student learns to high standards

Mary Waggoner

MWaggoner@everettsd.org

Director of Communications

Diane Bradford

DBradford@everettsd.org

Executive Staff Assistant

Ensure each student learns to high standards

Parental Feedback

Louise UriuParent in Everett Public Schools

TRAVERSE CITY AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TRAVERSE CITY, MI

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Traverse City Area Public Schools

Increasing Parental Involvement Through AlertNow

TCAPS Demographics

• Located in Traverse City, Michigan at the southern end of West Grand Traverse Bay

• Nearly 10,000 students in 18 schools• 300-square-mile boundary within 5 counties• Over 1400 employees • 34% free and reduced lunch

2008-2011 District Communications Goal

• All communication will increase support and engagement among students, staff, parents, and community for improved relationships and student achievement.

AlertNow in TCAPS

• Launched AlertNow in 2008• Driving factors for decision:

– Support Board initiated communications goal– Increase enrollment by debunking the notion

that “larger schools mean less communication”– Build school-home relationships and increase

parental awareness to support student achievement

How AlertNow is Used

• Attendance Calling in High Schools• H1N1 School Closures• Testing, Registration, Conferences, & Other Event

Reminders• Bus Delays• Calls for Volunteering Opportunity• Implementation of new Bus Routing• PD for staff / Trips Available for Bus Drivers

Parental Feedback

• “Just wanted to say..Fantastic! Great way to communicate. Feel like I’m in the loop now! What a great tool for us all!

• “I really appreciated this message. Both my daughters are in high school so I don’t always get the information any more.”

Parental Feedback

Denise Timm Parent in Traverse City Area Public Schools

• Alison Arnold, Director of Communications, Marketing, and Volunteer Servicesarnoldal@tcaps.net | 231-933-8995

• RaeAnn Fiebing, Communications Technology Training Specialistfiebingra@tcaps.net | 231-933-1794

DISCUSSION & QUESTIONS?

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Thank you!

Blackboard Connectwww.blackboard.com/connectfork12

(800) 424-9299 ext. 4

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