March 2002 — Special Feature

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The Work Behind SIF's Framework

Each time this information is entered, the possibility of error arises and staff time is taken away from providing direct services to students. It can take days or weeks for this information to make its way into each system. And because these systems don't communicate on their own, updates to data in one system don't make it to all of the others; meaning that incorrect data or at least inconsistent data is the norm. Attempts to generate reports with a comprehensive view of the school or system often become tedious "data cleansing" operations requiring substantial staff time and effort.

In contrast, in a SIF-enabled school, once the new student's information is entered into the Student Information System, the data is automatically transferred to all of the other applications. This is a tremendous time-saver for school staff, because by the time a student walks from the office to the library, their library card is waiting for them. In addition, the cafeteria application and network operating system will already have the student's information, which allows them to get lunch and login to the network on their first day as well.

Providing data-reliant services directly to students is no longer contingent on school staff dragging themselves away from the students to re-enter information. Staff is free to do what they were hired to do - help students learn. For students, not having to hold up the checkout line at the library to get a library card or produce additional documentation to receive free and reduced lunches can help students feel like a part of the school from their very first day.

These are typical examples of existing SIF implementations. The number of SIF-enabled applications installed at the school or district will impact everything from saving time for instructional staff and streamlining administrative tasks, to enabling more efficient allocations of support staff, to facilities planning and long-range enrollment forecasting necessary to evaluate new construction needs. In addition, SIF is working with states and the federal government to look at ways in which SIF implementations can reduce the reporting burden schools and districts now face.

The ultimate goal of SIF is to provide all school and district personnel with appropriate access to the most correct and timely data available. So, for a teacher, the impact of SIF in their school or district will be significant. If their district implements SIF-enabled software, the first benefit they may encounter is a newfound confidence that the data they access - from class lists with parents' or guardians' addresses and phone numbers, to grade reports and bus schedules - is the most up-to-date, available data in the system.

Similarly, teachers responsible for data entry, such as entering stu-dents in an Instructional Manage-ment System or a gradebook pro-gram, may find all of this data entry has already been accomplished by the SIF-enabled software, pre-serving their time for planning and direct instruction. Teachers, secretaries and other staff may never have to deal with the nuts and bolts of implementing SIF in a school or district, but SIF's impact on their ability to be an informed, effective teacher will be both direct and substantial.