Quick takeaway: The best classroom management software keeps everyone aligned (owners, teachers, parents, and students) while reducing admin work through scheduling, attendance, reporting, billing, and communication tools.
Imagine this:
A perfect world, where all educators and school members are tech-savvy and eager to learn new tools.
Now answer the following question:
When was the last time you made a clever tech investment for your school everybody keeps talking about?
Whether it’s been four years, four days or you never did it, you should know that schools and tech are a great combo—when done right.
Nowadays, schools spend a lot of cash on new technology. The problem with that is they don’t always make the best decisions, which can end up hurting students (and the entire business) more than helping them in the long run. “Administrators are tempted to purchase by brand name when they are uneducated on the products themselves. This can lead to lots of technology that might be clunky for educators, too expensive for the district to truly afford, and ineffective for students,” points out The Tech Edvocate.
Before making any new purchase, consider the following:
- Will your school get the most out of this investment?
- Will your teachers and students benefit from it?
Schools that want to make the best investments as well as keep up with the current trends need to leverage programs designed for today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities. One tool your school can’t do without is a powerful classroom management system.
Here are seven reasons why.
Now, let's explore each point in detail so that you have a clear picture of what kind of software works best for you.
7 Reasons Schools Need Classroom Management Software
#1. Always Know What’s Going On
The beauty of classroom management software is that it keeps everyone in the loop.
- If you’re the owner, you’ll see what’s happening in your training business at any time: who's teaching, who's missing and who owes 💰
- If you’re a teacher, you can check student attendance history, monitor your lesson activities and evaluate your students.
- If you’re a parent, you get an accurate view of how your kid is performing in class.
- If you’re a student, you have online access to lesson notes and you can download course materials on the go.
The best ones allow you to see what's happening in your training business at any time: from student records, lesson scheduling, attendance history to tracking progress, billing, and reporting. Since you own a music school, the ideal software should have a 'Repertoire Tracker Add-On' feature. It will help you track the music your students learn and perform.
#2. Track and Evaluate Student Performance
In an educational environment, tracking student progress and setting realistic goals are top priorities. So how do you know if your students are achieving their learning goals?
Classroom management software gives teachers the ability to monitor, manage, and assess student performance and behavior in the classroom. School management apps like Teach ’n Go provide educators deeper insights about student attendance, homework, discipline, grades, and progress.
#3. Better Control
Classroom management software helps owners manage teaching businesses and educators lead multiple student activities within one central platform. As a result, they become more confident and in control of their classrooms.
Thanks to this software, teachers can monitor students and update parents, topics and course materials. Simply put, it makes the learning process easier and ensures nobody misses out on tasks and assignments.
#4. Transparent Information For Families
Here’s the thing with classroom management software: it should provide transparent and structured information on every student.
Each tool should have a dedicated dashboard for parents where they can get a closer look at their kid’s progress, make online payments and check out invoices. Classroom management software also sends parents automated email and SMS notifications, promoting effective communication between schools and families.
#5. Organized Information for Teachers
What teacher has the time to sift through zillion files and folders every day?
Not too many.
Classroom management software offers teachers everything they need to streamline their processes and be effective educators. From staying on top of upcoming lessons to checking out attendance history and updating lesson records in real-time, it’s a priceless tool to stay organized and well-informed.
#6. Reduce Paperwork
Here’s something we all know: there is a lot of paper waste in the educational environment.
Classroom management software simplifies schools’ financial processes. Not only can you use it to track
payments, generate payslips and record expenses, but it’s an efficient way to reduce the amount of paper and
be more eco-friendly.
Ditching paper files and using cloud technology can help schools maximize their space, save money and secure
their data.
#7. Save Time & Improve Communication
For schools that use classroom management software, task recording, reporting and analyzing become fast and painless. Plus, having all the info you need at your fingertips (student and parent data, billing and invoicing, attendance history, etc.) keeps you away from long-drawn-out activities.
In this busy world, it's challenging for parents to stay on the loop with their kids’ progress in school. A two-way communication channel is far more convenient—forget about the traditional parent-teacher meetings where parents need to make demanding arrangements to join—and adds value.
Moving forward, here are some aspects you should consider when choosing the right classroom management software for your school.
What to Look For In a Classroom Management Software
There are lots of myths going around about this topic. We summed up the four most important factors to help you make your decision easier.
#1. User-friendly
An integrated classroom management tool must be user-friendly. According to TechRepublic, 10 things make software user-friendly:
- Simple to install
- Easy to update
- Intuitive
- Efficient
- Pleasant, easy-to-navigate GUI
- Easy to remove
- Doesn't need third-party software
- Easy to troubleshoot
- Adheres to standards
- Effective error handling
#2. Mobile-responsive
Mobile is changing the world. Research shows the global mobile workforce is set to increase to 1.87 billion people or 42.5% of the worldwide workforce in 2022, up from 38.8% in 2016.
Every classroom management tool should be equipped with a mobile app so the staff, students and families can access their data on-the-go.
#3. Easy-to-use
Nobody wants to use sophisticated tools that feel like a Catch-22. If you want to encourage user adoption, you should pick simple, easy to use management tools.
#4. Cost-effective
Classroom management software shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg—if anything—it should help you reduce your operational expenses.
Make sure you look at the big picture: some products are cheap but lack useful features or support a limited number of platforms. Whatever you do, pick the one that suits your needs.
Last but not least, let’s have a look at the must-have features your software should include.
Classroom Management Software: Top Features
Monitor Teacher Activity
Classroom management software shows school owners who is teaching and what. Get a quick overview of teacher activity and upcoming lessons, plus access to accurate, up-to-date lesson records in real-time.
Monitor Student Activity
Teachers can automatically check if a student is present in class and view attendance history.
Powerful Scheduling
Whether you have to schedule lessons on custom or recurring days, assign teachers or locations, a classroom management software is all you need to succeed.
Send Custom Reports
See everything you need to know about a course, location, instructor, student, attendance or behavior. Plus, schedule automatic and personalized reports for your clients.
Revolutionizing Classroom Management
Running a school without a robust management system is like treading water.
To succeed in an industry where competition is stiff, you need to create a dynamic learning environment
where every student, teacher, and parent has a voice.
Moreover, you should streamline your school's day to day activities and upgrade to smarter management
solutions.
Ready to make a big leap forward? Get in touch and try Teach ’n Go for free.