Summary
There is a common misconception that educators don’t have time to adopt or implement a new program once the school year is underway, but the truth is that while staff may have to spend a little more time on the front end when integrating a new platform in their organization, the time personnel will save on the back end is no less than astonishing. Hall and Khan (2004) noted in their research on technology adoptions that, “The most important thing…is that at any point in time the choice being made is not a choice between adopting and not adopting but a choice between adopting now or deferring the decision until later…because of the nature of the benefits and costs” (p.1). In a nutshell, it’s really about helping kids now or waiting to help them later. Waiting is far too great a cost for the perceived benefit of starting on the first day of school with a new attendance system.
If we believe what we say that “every day matters”, then let’s prove that axiom by making today the day to update and upgrade to an automated attendance monitoring system without further delay. The bottom line is that you can’t measure what you don’t know. And knowledge is the greatest power we have in our line of work.
RaaWee’s comprehensive whole child approach helps paint a picture of the multiple factors at play when it comes to a student’s attendance history, current status, and potential future. It’s really only too late if you don’t start now.
Citation
Hall, Bronwyn & Khan, Beethika. (2004). Adoption of New Technology. Working Paper 9730.
National Bureau of Economic Research. Accessed on 9/12/21 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23742215_Adoption_of_New_Technology.
About the Author
Dr. Kim Wallace is a professional educational consultant with Process Makes Perfect. She started her career in public education 27 years ago as a high school instructor before going into site and district administration. She most recently served as the superintendent of a large San Francisco Bay Area district. Kim consults, writes, and presents on the topics of leadership, curriculum and instruction, policy and protocol, and future trends in education.
