PowerSchool

 

As future teachers we learn all about the best practices to engage our students and run an effective and efficient classroom. However, one aspect that's not often discussed in education classes is the accounting so to speak, keeping track of attendance and grades. That is where PowerSchool comes in, an easy to use student information software. PowerSchool allows teachers and administrators to quickly take attendance, post grades, and even track things like permission slips and hot lunch orders. Alongside the teachers platform, PowerSchool offers a mobile app as well as a student side platform that allows students and their parents to stay up to date on all changes in grades and attendance. Personally I have used PowerSchool as a substitute teacher in multiple different school districts and every single time its been a breeze to take attendance and report to the school admin, students have also shown me the student side platform that makes the information easy to read even for younger children and allows them to know exactly which grades they got on which assignments without having to keep track of a paper test or quiz.

The uniformity of the platform makes the lives of school administrators much easier, parents always have access to their students grades prompting less confusion, as well as allowing administrators to quickly known if a student has left school for a doctor's appointment or a student who arrived late with an excuse. Platforms and tools like PowerSchool aren't well known but will certainly be used by each of us as we move into our future as teachers, maybe we will all be using PowerSchool in a few years.