STEM education prepares students for the digital world we live in. It also sets them up for success in our job market. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' ten-year forecast, STEM occupations are expected to increase by 10.8 percent by 2031. So how can your district enhance your STEM programs? The short answer: go paperless.
Discover how transitioning to electronic school records takes your district to the next level.
Streamline administrative processes and reallocate resources to STEM
A manual, paper-based system means shuffling through paperwork, searching through microfilm, and handling verification calls and faxes. That’s antiquated and time-consuming. Eliminating physical records allows your administrative teams to access and manage student records more efficiently.
“Interestingly, most districts still store these records in filing cabinets, offsite locations, and outdated media, such as microfilm,” according to a feature of the managing partners in CIOReview.
With a digital, cloud-based student records and enrollment system, your administrative staff can easily store, retrieve, update, and share information, thereby saving time. They can also retrieve and send information quickly with simple search functionality, which reduces processing time.
Your schools save when they reclaim the time and resources they once used for paper-based systems for important community goals. This includes enhancing school STEM offerings. When you go digital, staff can focus on other projects—like staying competitive, increasing enrollment, and improving school choice options.
Schools get more done with less budget spent on staff salaries for menial tasks. Plus, moving to a digital platform means your district has more accurate and extensive reporting. This data allows you to evaluate the performance of specialty programs.
This is especially helpful for determining the demand for STEM school choice programs.
Improve accessibility so your time is spent where it matters most
Besides saving time for your staff and resources for your school, going paperless benefits your students and families.
A digital platform simplifies families’ remote access to student records, eliminating the need to physically travel to the district office to request and collect transcripts.
This eases the burden on your community where paper-based technologies make it harder for families to participate—especially in low-income communities.
Going digital also helps marginalized members of your community who may face additional barriers in accessing paper-based materials, like those who are English language learners.
It’s important for students and families to feel ownership over their information. In addition to reducing frustration and increasing empowerment, digital records management also helps to ensure your district is FERPA compliant.
By improving accessibility with a paperless records system, your district highlights your commitment to providing an incredible experience for your community.
This goes hand in hand with providing excellent education, which includes offering STEM and giving students customized educational pathways.
Enable a paperless, digital-first environment to align with your values
Investing in STEM programs sets the students in your communities up for success. STEM is also heavily influenced by technology. And adopting digital technology makes life easier for community members.
Going paperless is a wonderful way for your district to display its commitment to STEM. Evolving your records system takes schools from talking the talk to walking the walk.
Not to mention it’s environmentally friendly. By digitizing school choice applications, enrollment, and record management across the board, your district can significantly reduce paper usage and improve your sustainability.
Generate revenue by switching to digital school records
Schools can actually generate revenue by upgrading their processes. Consider this case study about how one IT leader is revolutionizing Greenville City Schools.
Beverly Miller states going digital in her schools has:
“Helped us to generate revenue and invest in the cleanup of our paper records, which has been a significant undertaking for our district. I highly recommend Scribbles to other schools and districts looking to improve their data practices and streamline operations.”
It’s not surprising when you consider the total expense of paper, files, storage for every student, and printing and printer maintenance—it really adds up. Not to mention the labor reading, moving, and filing the records around.
Given the choice, families are inclined to pick digital processes. Don’t let outdated systems be the reason your enrollment suffers. Make it easy for families to enroll in your schools.
Going digital further supports STEM initiatives
Going digital also creates new opportunities to involve students in technology.
Miller described how their schools provided opportunities including allowing high schoolers to work on the schools’ IT teams for class credit. They offer software certifications, i.e., Excel, and create a program where students provide technical assistance to senior citizens.
Miller explained how the Scribbles platform has been a key part of their dedication to technological innovation. Going digital has gone hand in hand with opening new doors for students.
Reallocate revenue and savings to further STEM offerings
With improving efficiency, accessibility, and innovation come opportunities for increased enrollment, student demand, and revenue. These all positively impact your district’s financial standing.
For example, a streamlined, user-friendly process leads to an increase in transcript requests and generates additional revenue. With electronic school choice software, schools can assess their most profitable programs and make it easy to stay competitive.
Greater revenue generation allows districts more opportunities to invest in new technologies, support students, and further enhance STEM programs.
Bring your district another step closer to your goals
Embracing paperless solutions for your school records helps you offset inefficiencies, become more competitive, and increase enrollments.
The resource savings from going paperless can be redirected towards specialized STEM programs, enabling you to provide cutting-edge educational opportunities that prepare students for the future.
Learn how Seminole County Schools increased efficiency, security, and school funds for STEM programs with Scribbles.
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