Top Elevate Sessions for Advancement Directors

As we get closer to Elevate 2023, it’s time to start planning how you’ll spend your time in Orlando. To help you get started, we’re sharing handpicked sessions we think different Elevate attendees would especially enjoy attending. Last month, we shared top sessions for Business Managers, but this month we’re focusing on Advancement Directors!

Here are some of the sessions that we think will be a great fit for these important school professionals. With over 140 sessions on offer, however, there are so many more to attend!

Capital Campaigns: Ready? Set? Are You Prepared to Go?

Considering taking the dive and starting a capital campaign? Let’s discuss what you need to be thinking about and what you need to put in place to run a successful campaign.  Whether you are raising $10k or $10 million, the basic steps remain the same.

Generating Greater Gifts Through Awesome Fundraising Practices

Increasing your gifts requires cultivating meaningful relationships with your potential and current donors. In this session we’ll explore time-tested as well as new ways to find new donors and keep the ones you’ve worked so hard to get.

Best Practices for Data Management in the Advancement Office

Garbage in means garbage out. The key to a successful advancement office is having good information about your current and potential donors. In this session, we’ll discuss ways to keep your data clean.

Advancement: It’s Just Me, Myself, and I!

It’s just me, myself, and I – and some planning! Are you an Advancement Office of one, overwhelmed with all the things you could and should be doing for fundraising, marketing, alumni relations, and more?  Join us to discuss how to prepare and automate for a successful year and use the resources you have to make it work!

FACTS Giving – New Features and Enhancements

Whether you have been using FACTS Giving and would like to learn more about all the new features and product enhancements that have been released over the past year or are in the market for a new donor management and online giving platform  – this session will talk all about FACTS Giving and the incredible amount of new features that are available!

Your registration also includes access to our exciting main stage sessions, networking opportunities, round tables, evening reception, and discounted twilight tickets to Walt Disney World®. We guarantee this year will be our most magical yet.

With over 120 professional development and thought leadership sessions on offer, Elevate is a perfect fit for so many members of the education community – not just teachers and principals. In fact, a third of Elevate attendees work in their school’s business offices! If you’re looking for an opportunity to network, exchange trade knowledge, and just get to know other professionals doing the same work as you, you’ll definitely want to add this conference to your calendar.

In addition to offering our popular preconference workshops again this year, we’ve also created system training and thought leadership tracks to help attendees easily see which sessions may be of most interest to them. Feel free to explore the tracks and full sessions list, but to give you a jump start on planning your Elevate schedule, we’ve handpicked some sessions we think will be especially worthwhile for Business Managers.

Serving Diverse Student Populations with Federal Funds

Our schools’ diverse student populations deserve our best, but their different needs and the various funds to support them are hard to track and understand. Participate in this session to dig deeper into the specific needs and funding streams for students with disabilities, English learners, students experiencing homelessness, foster children, and more. The presenter is Nathan Williamson, a former local English learner leader and special education director.

Best Practices in Safeguarding Your Budgeted Tuition Income

This session will discuss the advantages of having an annual financial commitment and a licensed, professionally managed tuition refund program to address tuition income protection and student withdrawal risk.

Q&A – Pick a Federal Funding Expert’s Brain

Got a burning federal funding question? This is your chance to get answers! Federal funding expert Nathan Williams will be on hand to answer your specific questions about federal funding for your school, as well as share his extensive knowledge on navigating Titles I-IV, working with public schools, and accessing helpful resources.

Demystifying the Grant & Aid Formula

Learn everything that goes into calculating your students’ and families’ need. We will discuss the calculation and philosophy of the FACTS formula, customization options, and how to evaluate your families’ financials to determine that customization.

The Family Experience with Tuition Management

Ever wondered what a family experiences while viewing, making payments, and adding funds to a prepay account? Join us for an in-depth session to better understand the family experience with FACTS.

Whether you make it to all these sessions or just a few, we’re confident that you’ll leave Elevate 2023 with a wealth of new knowledge to bring back to your school. Even better? Your registration also includes access to our exciting main stage sessions, networking opportunities, round tables, evening reception, and discounted twilight tickets to Walt Disney World®.

Register here today! We’ll see you in Orlando!

If you’ve worked in the education industry in any capacity, you likely know how much teachers have on their plates. From lesson planning and family communication to classroom management and school dismissals, the average day of an educator can be hectic.

One aspect of teaching that’s taking up an inordinate amount of time, however, is grading. A recent study by EdWeek Research Center found that teachers are spending an average of 5 hours per week on grading and feedback, amounting to 140 hours for a 28-week school year. This average doesn’t include the time spent on report cards, which are typically generated four times per year and add even more hours onto this already labor-intensive task.

Unfortunately, grading isn’t just taking away valuable time for teachers. It’s contributing to teacher fatigue in a time when teachers across the globe are more stressed than ever and considering leaving the profession. A 2022 study by the National Education Association revealed that 55% of educators planned to leave teaching earlier than they’d originally planned, driven in large part by educator shortages and increasing work obligations.

While combating teacher fatigue isn’t a simple task, helping to eliminate the arduous grading process and giving educators time back in their days is a great place to start. Let’s look at some of the additional challenges teachers face when grading and the best ways to tackle the problem.

Grading Challenges

Grading isn’t as straightforward as sitting down with a test and marking answers right or wrong. Teachers must contend with a lot more than just finding the time to get the job done.

Grade Level and Course-Specific Differences

Schools that have a larger range of grade levels often use different types of grading methods. While a class of young students may need to receive narrative, skillset, or standards-based feedback, high school students may have moved on to receiving letter grades. Furthermore, specific courses may have their own grading criteria that’s different from other classes within a grade level (e.g., math vs reading standards). Having to use multiple and different styles of grading makes the process even more time-consuming for teachers.

Reporting Requirements

Governments, districts, and dioceses often require schools report on student achievement in a specific way. It is often a lot of manual work to gather the information from multiple sources and format it according to requirements. This collating and formatting of the data adds additional steps to the grading process. This often involves strict deadlines that teachers must rush to meet.

The Benefits of the Right Tools

While teachers will probably always have to grade, technology can make it much simpler and faster. Investing in the right gradebook software can save your teachers and administrators tons of time, giving them the opportunity to focus on what matters most. When looking for the right platform for your school’s gradebook, keep an eye out for these key features:

• Report Customizability: A good student information system will offer you the ability to customize reports to meet government, district and diocese reporting requirements. You can save these settings and run these reports year after year, significantly cutting down on your administrative time.
• Grade- and Class-Specific Grading: Whether your teachers are handling many different grades or multiple courses with different grading methods, look for gradebook software that allows you to create default settings for each grade level, even down to individual courses. This allows grading to be uniform across specific classes or grade levels and eliminates the need for teachers to create a foundation for each of their gradebooks.
• LMS Integrations: If your school uses a learning management system (LMS) such as Google Classroom, Canvas, or FACTS LMS, make sure your gradebook solution can seamlessly integrate and sync with it. This eliminates the need to double enter data into separate systems.
• Offers Big Picture Data: A comprehensive SIS and gradebook makes it easier for educators to identify at-risk learners more quickly. Being able to quickly see trends and access reports on declining test scores, absences, behavior events, and more can help schools to identify and combat learning loss.

With easy-to-run reports, simplified grading and seamless integration with your existing platforms, the right tech can give teachers hours back in their days – and hopefully lessen some of the load that can lead to burnout.

The FACTS Difference

After decades of working with schools, we here at FACTS are confident that our Student Information System (SIS) and its powerful gradebook, offer all the features listed above plus so much more. From our Family Portal that allows teachers to share student grades and comments with families, keeping them engaged with their child’s learning experience, to our report and transcript features, every feature of SIS was designed with school leaders and their staff in mind.

Thousands of users, like Russel Verster from Cedar House School in Cape Town, have experienced the difference FACTS SIS gradebook has made in their schools. “Our reporting system in the past required an entire team of staff to be involved in all aspects of the process. It was people intensive and this made it a clumsy and time-consuming process. Using FACTS report cards means the process can be managed by a single person who has oversight of all aspects, and then bring all individuals involved in academics into the process of owning the performance reporting that they are responsible for. This creates a sense of ownership of the full academic process.”

Additional features include:

FACTS SIS Gradebook Features/Benefits

• Records grades, homework assignments, and lesson plans.
• Supports grading scales using the point system, weighted percentage, and mixed systems.
• Supports standards-based/skills-based grading.
• Provides web tests and an online homework drop box and electronic student portfolios.
• Grades automatically flow to progress reports and report cards.
• Generates automated notifications to parents for failing grades and missing assignments.

FACTS SIS Report Cards & Transcripts Features/Benefits

• Provides free standard report card templates or completely customized report cards.
• Provides unique report cards for each grade level as desired.
• Transcript offers standard, weighted, and customized GPA calculations.

If you are ready to tackle teacher fatigue this school year, getting your tech in order is the best place to start. Learn more about FACTS SIS and how upgrading your gradebook can benefit your teachers here.

Whether you’re someone with your calendar filled out a year in advance or someone that books vacations hours before the flight leaves, having a plan in place for an emergency is incredibly important – especially when it comes to your children. No one understands this better than schools, who devote countless hours to creating emergency plans to keep their students safe, from running fire drills to crafting detailed communication plans.

While it’s a school’s duty to keep your children safe, there are also steps you can take to make sure that your children are prepared in the event of an emergency on campus. In honor of September being National Preparedness Month, we’ve compiled some simple actions you can take to make sure your family is emergency ready.

Keep the Conversation Flowing

The easiest way to help your child prepare for a school emergency is to simply talk to them. Whether your child has expressed concerns over something scary happening at school or not, making sure they know exactly what to do in a crisis can help them to not panic should anything serious ever happen. Go over general emergency best practices, like what to do in a fire and how to best shelter in place. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has lots of great resources for different age groups, including games and activity books.

Regardless of your child’s age, review any information the school has provided regarding emergencies: maps, reunification points, who to alert if they ever see suspicious activity, etc. For younger children, it’s often enough to remind them that there are rules in place and that their teachers and school administration are looking out for them. For older students with more specific concerns, it may be more helpful to go over specific steps the school is taking (security officers, locked doors, etc.) and how the actions they take can also help to keep their school safe.

Stay Informed

Staying informed is important for both parents and students. Students need to be aware of their school’s procedures in emergencies, as well as basic information like where their nearest exits and stairs are in different classrooms. Your child will likely be given this information early in the school year, as well as participate in different safety drills throughout the year. Parents may need to put in a little extra effort to stay informed, however.

Take the time to become familiar with your child’s school’s emergency protocols. How will you be contacted in the event of an emergency? Where and when will you be able to pick up your child in different emergency situations? What staff members have medical training? It’s also a good idea to know your child’s schedule, especially for older students. Do they leave campus for lunch or free periods? What time does school end and begin? What days do they stay late for clubs or sports?

Make sure to know how your child’s school uses emergency response terms, too. Knowing what is meant when you hear the world “lockout” versus “lockdown,” for example, can save a lot of confusion and stress.

Give Schools the Tools They Need to Succeed

Some schools already ask parents to provide a small emergency kit for their children, but you can still make one if they don’t. These packs typically contain First Aid supplies, a snack, a juice or bottle of water, a flashlight, hand sanitizer, and any other items you think would comfort your child. Whether you give this to your child’s teacher or keep it in their schoolbag or locker, knowing these items are available to them can help students worrying about an emergency.

Even more important is making sure that schools can handle any medical emergencies your child may have. Make sure that the school and your child’s teachers are away of any medical conditions that could lead to an emergency. Provide the school with prescription medicine, inhalers, Epipens, or other specialized medical supplies your child may need. Meet with staff early in the year to ensure they know how to deliver medications to your child in an emergency. It’s also important that your child knows how to safely administer their own medications if a teacher can’t help them.

Empower with Education

Especially for older students, taking a first aid course can be very empowering. Many schools offer CPR or other basic first aid courses as part of PE. If not, these courses are typically held frequently by your local emergency service departments – and are often free. Being self-reliant is an important skill for children to develop as they age, but it’s even more important during an emergency when school staff may not be able to get help to students right away. First aid skills will be useful to your children throughout their lives, as well as enable them to help classmates in the event of an emergency.

Make Use of Tech

Many schools have software like FACTS Parent Alert that allows them to send texts, automated calls, or emails to parents in live time during an emergency. Make sure you’ve registered or signed up for programs like these at your children’s school and that your information is current. Letting your child know that their school has taken this additional step to keep them safe may help relieve some of their anxiety.

Don’t Discount Small Emergencies

Chances are, many of the “emergencies” your child will face at school won’t technically be emergencies. For a teenager or middle-schooler, however, spilling chocolate milk all over their shirt or getting their hair ruined in the rain can feel like a huge deal. Plan for these emergencies by encouraging your child to keep an extra set of clothes in their locker or backpack, as well as a small toiletry bag for things like hair clips, deodorant, and a brush.

With just a little extra planning, both you and your children can rest assured that they’ll be ready for whatever the school year throws their way. Now start prepping!

You don’t have to work in the education industry to know that the last few years have been tough for teachers. While educators have always faced challenges, the stress and constant changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have made the situation even more difficult. A recent Gallup poll revealed that K-12 workers have the highest level of burnout across all industries nationally. This burnout has led to increasing numbers of educators leaving the field, putting even more pressure on remaining teachers.

While there’s no magic cure for burnout, one of the best ways to combat it is to prioritize wellness. You’ve probably heard different phrases emphasizing the importance of self-care, like “you can’t pour from an empty cup” or the popular airplane safety tip to “put your own mask on first.” No matter how it’s expressed, the sentiment is true. Making time for wellness is as important for teachers as grading tests or creating lesson plans – and it’s not only students’ mental health that needs to be a priority for schools.

In honor of August being National Wellness Month, here are some suggestions of ways schools can take the initiative and promote wellness for teachers and staff.

Give Permission to Set Boundaries

Whether we like it or not, technology has made it so that we can work from wherever we are, whenever we want. While this was great during the days of stay-at-home orders, it also means that employees across all industries never feel like they’re truly “off.” Chances are the teachers at your school are checking their email and working on projects long after the final bell rings.

Although emergencies do arise, it’s important to give educators permission to disconnect so that their time off is actually restorative and restful. Set expectations as early as possible that emails sent after a certain time do not have to be answered until the next day. Encourage teachers to establish times when they will shut down for the night and stop checking for new messages. Make sure to communicate this to parents too, so they know what response time to expect when contacting their children’s teachers.

Start the Conversation and Listen to the Answers

Every school faces different challenges that affect staff wellness. It’s important to ask teachers what particular obstacles they’re facing and what changes they’d like to see before deciding how to allocate time or budget. Getting this feedback can take place through group meetings, surveys, one-on-one meetings, or any other form of communication that works best for your school.

Make sure to keep this conversation going with consistent mental health check-ins. This is important not only to see what changes occur during different times of the year or as classroom situations change, but also to see if wellness tactics that have been implemented are working. Most importantly, however, it opens up an ongoing conversation with staff about their overall mental health and lets them know that their school is committed to creating a healthy work environment.

Provide the Tools for Success

Even educators prioritizing wellness through self-care like meditation, eating well, and sleeping enough will experience burnout and stress if they’re constantly asked to do things they’re not trained to do. With nationwide teacher shortages, educators are now often taking on roles they have no experience in, raising their stress levels and speeding up the timeline to burnout and potential resignation.

Give teachers the tools they need to succeed by providing customizable coaching or professional development opportunities like those offered through FACTS Education Solutions. Whether they need a deep dive into social-emotional learning or to brush up on the best practices for virtual learning, providing teachers with the education they need to instruct confidently will make a huge difference in overall workplace satisfaction. Championing a learning mindset that encourages professional development is crucial for staff retention, with LinkedIn reporting that 94% of employees are more likely to stay in a job that invests in helping them learn.

Offer Additional Support for Employee Groups That Need It Most

New teachers are especially susceptible to burnout and turnover, especially when they’ve begun their teaching careers during one of the most chaotic periods in the history of education. Build additional check-ins with new teachers into your school’s wellness plan, including anything from quickly stopping by their classrooms to ask how their day is going to more structured meetings. Encouraging mentorships is another great way to ensure that your newest teachers have what they need to stay afloat.

It’s important to remember that not all teachers are struggling with the same problems. Research shows that racism can play a role in teachers of color leaving the profession. Black and Latino teachers are also more likely to be dealing with the aftermath of losing a loved one to COVID-19. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when it comes to wellness. Take into account all the factors that can be affecting your staff’s mental health, ask questions, and make your plan accordingly.

Create a Culture of Wellness

Let staff know that creating a work-life balance is a priority at your school. While it’s always great to encourage self-care, setting an example by putting wellness into action in the workplace is even more important. Discussing mental health openly is the best place to start, but there are other fun changes you can make around campus to demonstrate your commitment to wellness.

Get your team excited to stay hydrated with easy-to-access water stations and fun branded reusable water bottles. Encourage teachers to build quick “stretch breaks” into their schedules, to give both them and their students a chance to get up and get their bodies moving. You can even start incorporating movement and mindfulness into staff meetings. Consider hosting a walking meeting in the school’s gym or around the parking lot or begin team meetings with a short meditation guided by an app to get everyone in the right headspace. Just adding plants to staff break rooms or opening up blinds can do wonders for everyone’s moods.

Show Your Appreciation

The idea of a company pizza party has become almost a joke at this point – just another example of bosses not actually listening to what their employees need. That being said, recognition continues to be incredibly important to employee engagement and satisfaction. Everyone wants to be celebrated for a job well done, whether it’s through a shoutout in a meeting or with a candle or special snack.

When small tokens of gratitude are offered in conjunction with schoolwide wellness efforts, teachers can see that their school is not only trying to create a better environment for everyone, but is also aware of how they specifically are contributing. Make sure gifts are accompanied with a note of thanks and remind teachers that you know they’re doing work worth being celebrated every day.

Last month, FACTS hosted our 11th annual Elevate conference at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, we were excited to host the largest event in Elevate history, with over 1,230 attendees. This was also the first year that we offered Pre-Conference workshops that provided a deep dive into our products for new users, as well as our Expert Bar and Exhibit Hall that showcased our Platinum Sponsor, 5 Major Sponsors, and 12 Exhibitors.

This year’s theme was Building What’s Next and focused on thought leadership, innovation, and building new ideas and relationships to face the challenges of the next generation. Attendees enjoyed nearly 200 sessions, covering a wide range of topics including everything from Application & Enrollment best practices to digital marketing. There were also mainstage sessions from keynote speaker Angela Maiers, FACTS President Scott Spethman, and Director of Product Strategy Jeremy Penner. Combined with an exciting reception at the Reunion Tower GeO-Deck, the soft launch of our new community platform FACTS^SPACE, and exciting giveaways, it’s safe to say Elevate 2022 was a success!

We’ve already had tons of great feedback from attendees and can’t wait to start planning how to make next year’s event in Orlando even better. Read on for some photo highlights from this exciting week in Dallas!

Even though it feels like it just started, summer will be over before you know it. While some students may be excited to head back to school and see friends they’ve missed over the summer, many others worry about returning to the classroom. This back-to-school anxiety may be even more pronounced for students starting at a new school or kindergartners going to full-time school for the first time.

Transitioning from the laid-back days of summer to a full-on school routine can be challenging for children of all ages, even if they’ve been doing it for years. Whether your child is worried about the social stresses that come with middle and high school or just not happy about having to wake up early again, it’s important to not dismiss their feelings. With mental health concerns rising in K-12 students across the country, helping students cope with back-to-school anxiety can be the first step in creating healthy habits.

Prepare for Success

The good news is that preparation makes a positive impact on starting the school year off on the right foot. Even if you haven’t pulled out the summer reading list yet or spent the summer working to prevent learning loss, there are still many easy steps you can take to ease your child’s back-to-school anxiety.

Start a Bedtime Routine

Enforcing bedtimes can be challenging on the best of the days, so getting students ready for their new school schedules requires a little extra work. One or two weeks before school starts, start making bedtimes progressively earlier until you get to the time your kids should be going to sleep during the school year. Do the same thing with morning wakeup times. If possible, also try to serve meals at the same time you’ll be doing so during the school year.

Do a Test Run

Many schools have special events before classes start where students can visit campus, meet their teachers, and get to know their way around. Schools may also offer special tours for new students or allow students and parents to walk around campus during registration days. Think of what your child will be doing daily and run through it with them, like finding their cubby or locker, the cafeteria, bathrooms, and where they’ll go at dismissal time.

For older students that are driving to school, make the drive a couple days before school starts to make sure they know how to get there and where to park. Make sure to do this test drive at the same time they’ll be leaving home during the school year so they can get a good feel for the traffic they’ll be dealing with.

Establish the Rules

Homes run differently during the summer than the school year. Sit down with your child and lay out what the expectations will be once the school year begins. Can they watch tv before doing their homework? Can they go out on school nights? What are chores going to be like during the school week? Work with your child to come up with rules that you both think they’ll be able to handle, explaining your reasoning behind why it’s so important to have routines during the school year.

Stay Connected to Your School

Do your part as a parent to make sure you complete the important forms and paperwork your child needs for the first day of school, as well as submitting any required payments. Keep track of important updates from their school regarding first-day procedures and processes, COVID protocols, and more. Many schools now have apps, like the FACTS Family app, that allow parents to submit payments, see important announcements, and access forms right from their phones. If an app is available, make sure to turn on notifications in your phone settings so you don’t miss anything.

Dress to Impress

If your child’s school doesn’t require uniforms, take the stress out of the first day outfit by picking it out far in advance. Let your child wear something special on their first day, whether it’s a piece of jewelry they got as a souvenir on summer vacation or a special outfit you shop for together. This is also a great way to get in the routine of choosing outfits the night before to avoid chaos in the morning.

Encourage Connections

So much of school anxiety is related to social situations and friendships. If your child hasn’t seen their friends much over the summer, arrange a time for them to get together and re-connect before the school year begins. You can even host a back-to-school party to celebrate the starting of a new year and how exciting it will be. Remind your child that even if they’re not in the same classes as their friends, they’ll still be able to see them over the weekends and stay close.

If you’re new to the area or your child is starting at a new school, find a community event or sport to get them involved in before the first day of school so they’ll have a friendly face or two in class. Many schools even offer buddy programs or special meetups for new students. Check with your child’s school to see what they’ve established to welcome new students.

Go Shopping

Letting students pick out their own school supplies can get them excited for the new school year, plus reassure them that they’ve got everything they need for their first day. If their school allows, let them pick out a fun pencil case, backpack, and lunchbox in their favorite color or with a special character. Turn this shopping trip into a fun tradition by going to a special lunch or getting a sweet treat on the way home. Once you get home, make sure they know how to use all their supplies safely.

Keep Summer Fun Going

Summers can be a great time for children to discover things they truly enjoy. If your child loved swimming all summer, consider registering them for a swim team with an indoor pool that allows for swimming year-round. If your child spent their break curled up with a book, look into youth book clubs in the area. Let them know that the activities they enjoyed don’t have to stop just because summer is over. Continuing a favorite summer hobby into the school year can make the transition even easier.

School safety seems to be the phrase everyone’s talking about these days, but the concept of building safety into the school day isn’t new. Educators have always sought to create a safe environment for students to succeed in learning.

Schools are feeling more pressure than in the past, however, based on a shift in the increased risk factors students are facing and greater expectations from the community. The sad reality is that some schools haven’t yet made the shift away from outdated systems that don’t have the capacity to build in the safety measures needed to meet these new expectations.

So what can an educator do? While school safety is a complex topic, if every educator takes a few small steps, we can make big impacts to make school safer. That’s why we’re sharing this list that our partner Pikmykid compiled of three quick tips every educator can do to make schools safer.

#1 Create a conversation with others to learn what’s working.

Though every school has their own challenges and needs, consistent practices such as arrival, lunch, recess, classroom time, and dismissal happen every day. Ask colleagues or friends from other schools what they’ve found helpful when it comes to infusing safety measures into each of those aspects of the school day.

Does your school send students home by bus and car line? Do students walk or ride their bikes home from school? Find out how other schools have implemented safety measures to reduce the risks involved in each of these challenging logistics. Then pick one and try it out!

#2 Plan how you’ll communicate clearly with everyone involved.

When everyone knows the plan, you’re much more likely to prevent information from falling through the cracks and causing accidents. With so many players involved in the school day, from teachers, school staff, and administrators to parents, students, and after school coaches, miscommunications can occur easily without intentional planning and a system that works.

By equipping all parties involved with accurate, clear, and timely information, you’ll be able to prepare each group to take steps leading to safety no matter what comes along. This is especially important when emergency situations happen.

Make sure to have a clear plan of how each person is meant to respond during emergencies and which system will be utilized to distribute instructions in the moment so people know what to do.

#3 Practice safety measures to build preparedness.

Nobody knows better than educators how practice and repetition lead to great execution. It’s the same when it comes to building in safety protocol during the school day.

When students are leaving school, having staff practice their key activities – like verifying the student is going home with the right person and communicating with their parents when they’re safely dismissed – will lead to the habit of it occurring every single day.

Practicing emergency procedures with staff and students can also help you work out the gaps and build in better safety practices for when they actually occur. When you go through safety drills beforehand, no one will panic wondering what they should do during the real emergency because they have already done it. Make sure to practice with the systems you’ll be utilizing during emergencies too, like apps and other software.

Technology and Safety

While this list is in no way comprehensive, these three simple steps can go a long way in building safety into the school day. We believe every educator can do something to make schools safer – and new tech solutions are making it easier than ever.

With affordable technology informed by safety experts, your school can utilize a platform like the Pikmykid school safety and dismissal platform to guide you in taking these steps and remove some of the burden of school safety from your staff.

Don’t wait until the fall to implement technology that could protect your staff and students. Show parents and your community how serious you are about building up your school safety in light of recent events. Investing in school safety will allow everyone to start the new school year with peace of mind.

 

To learn more about Pikmykid and how easy it is to set up with FACTS integration, request a demo.

 

Are you new to FACTS and still have some questions about how to navigate everything? Are you a not-so-new user that can’t seem to remember how you accomplished the project you worked on last year? Or maybe you’re just looking to brush up on your basic FACTS knowledge. Regardless of your goal, there is a dedicated digital space called the New Contact Training Center where you can find answers to your questions and use FACTS’ financial management tools with confidence.

These new contact resources are located within HubHelp, our online database full of documentation and trainings designed to help FACTS users. The New Contact Training Center serves as a resource center with multiple modules to reinforce your FACTS knowledge or educate you on what you may not know. Topics include everything from Grant and Aid basics to Incidental Billing, as well as modules on different kinds of commonly used reports to get you up and running quickly.

 

 

 

If you have more detailed questions or questions specifically related to your account, the FACTS team is always available to help. Please reach out to an account manager at 866.412.4637. Visit HubHelp for more information on the New Contract Training Center and how to take advantage of these modules.

By the time the school year ends, it’s hard to tell who’s more ready for summer – teachers, students, or parents. After a long year of homework, projects, and early mornings, it’s nice to take a break and relax a little.

No matter how hard it is to believe when you’re sitting by the pool or packing your suitcase for summer vacation, the next school year is right around the corner. While it’s easy for students to slip out of the school routine over summer break, some students experience learning loss that can seriously impact their academic performance in the new school year.

What Is Learning Loss?

Even if you’ve never heard the phrase “learning loss,” sometimes referred to as “summer slide” or “brain drain,” you’re probably familiar with it. These terms all refer to students losing some of the knowledge they gained in the previous school year over the summer. Education researchers have been studying this phenomenon as far back as 1906. Statistics vary slightly, but a recent study in the American Education Research Journal shows that the average student loses 17-34% of the previous year’s learning gains over summer break.

What Parents Can Do

While no child wants to study over the summer, it’s important for students to practice skills they already have to ensure a successful transition into the next school year. The good news is that there are lots of fun, easy ways to integrate learning into the things families may already be doing over the summer. Even better? There are tons of free options, too. Here are some of our top suggestions:

1. Prioritize Reading: Most libraries offer summer reading programs that incentivize children to read with different rewards. Even if your child can’t join an official summer reading program, reading in any form is one of the best ways to prevent summer learning loss. Summer is a great time for students to explore books they might not be assigned during the school year. As long as the book is challenging enough, let kids explore their interests!
2. Create Your Own Field Trips: After summers of closures and social distancing, museums, aquariums, and other fun attractions are finally open for everyone to enjoy – many with special rates for children or even free admission days. Look for attractions that offer hands-on experiences for children and encourage learning by asking your child to read signage, navigate with a map, and summarize what they’ve learned.
3. Build Learning into Your Vacation: Encourage your child to keep a travel journal or write postcards to family and friends while you’re out of town. You can integrate math into your trip as well by having your child calculate the distance traveled or create a budget for different activities or souvenirs.
4. Take Advantage of Authentic Learning Opportunities: You don’t have to go out of your way to create learning opportunities. From measuring ingredients while making to dinner to learning about plants while gardening together, there are so many opportunities to integrate learning into your day-to-day life. Even a trip to the grocery store can become a chance to refresh math skills!
5. Embrace Technology: While many parents are trying their best to keep their children from spending the entire summer on their tablets, games can be a powerful tool for combating learning loss. There are hundreds of free games that encourage math, language, and science skills that are so fun children won’t even realize they’re learning. Check the app store for highly reviewed options for your child’s age range.
6. Plan a Project: For older students, a long-term project like redecorating their bedroom can be a great option to learn all summer. Have them create a plan to accomplish the task, manage the project timeline, design a budget, and more. The best part? They’ll have something great to show for their efforts at the end of the summer.
7. Consider College: You don’t need to wait until your child is a senior to start thinking about college. Whether you’re able to visit a campus or do a virtual visit, talking about college is a great opportunity for your child to start thinking about what subjects interest them and how what they’ve already learned can be applied.

What Schools Can Do

The journey to combat summer learning loss doesn’t stop when the summer is over. Once class is back in session, schools and teachers should be ready to address learning loss before it becomes a serious problem. While some review is always necessary at the beginning of the year, it’s not fair to the rest of the class to spend additional time on last year’s learning materials for a handful of struggling students.

With busy schedules and multiple responsibilities to balance, one of the best ways that teachers can identify learning loss is through technology that can alert them to patterns of behavior indicative of learning loss. Training and professional development courses can also help teachers and staff identify signs of learning loss not easily captured by data – as well as give them the confidence to address it.

Once learning loss has been identified, action should be taken as soon as possible, ideally away from the main classroom setting. This allows struggling students to get the guidance they need without disrupting other learners and return to the classroom caught up and ready to learn. With a lack of substitutes, paraeducators, and teachers, however, it isn’t always easy to find staffing to manage these breakout sessions. Even more challenging, these intervention sessions should meet certain criteria and be conducted by experts that can help students overcome learning loss in the ways that are best for them.

Turning to data-driven, proven instructional strategies from experts is often the best approach. FACTS Ed offers Title I/Title III instructional services with custom education programs or enhancements for schools’ current programs. Through small group or one-on-one instruction, experienced FACTS Ed certified teachers can address learning loss and ensure that students get back on track – all while leaving teachers free to keep up with their curriculum. We’ll even work with your school to help make the most of federal funding.

 

To learn more about instructional services and how FACTS can help your school maximize federal funding to meet student, teacher, and parent needs, request more information here.

Recording a refund enables schools to report refunds they have issued to families. While the institution still handles the actual refund of the money collected, this functionality allows them to record that refund so that it can be displayed in the FACTS system. It also ensures that reporting in FACTS is accurate to the number of payments actually received at the institution.

What You Need to Know Before Recording a Refund

• Paid funds must be recorded or processed through our system to have a refund applied towards them.
• You cannot record a larger refund than the amount shown as paid in our system.
• Refunds decrease the amount paid, which will increase the remaining balance. You may need to process a second transaction to remove the balance if it is not owed.
  • The balance will decrease when refunding for Prepay Accounts. For instructions specific to Prepay Accounts, see Recording a Refund for Prepay Accounts.
• Refunds can be processed on any activity type – payment plans, incidentals, or prepay.
• If you record a refund in error, you can reverse the refund. See Reverse an Institution Issued Refund for more information.
• You cannot record an institution issued refund for ‘Immediate Full Payment’ payment plans.

Navigation

• Click Roster on the top navigation bar.
• Click Select next to the customer to be updated.
• Click Service Agreement, Service Other Billing, or Service Prepays depending on where the funds were paid.
• Select Record an Institution Issued Refund from the service options.

Record the Refund

• Account: Select the account where the funds were paid. If you need to refund from multiple accounts, you’ll need to process the refund from each separately.
• Refund Amount: Enter the amount you refunded the customer or student.
• Reason for This Refund: Select a reason to indicate why the refund was given.
• Description: This field is optional. Use this area if you need to clarify the reason. It is displayed to the customer.
• Apply to Payments: Select how the refund amount will be applied to the remaining scheduled payments. This section is not applicable for Prepay Accounts.
• Adjustment Amount: This amount may prefill based on the application option you selected. If not, enter the amount to apply to each payment.
• Send Notice of Change Email: The box is selected by default. If this option does not appear, the customer does not have a valid email address on file.
• Comments: Use this area to make notes about the change. The customer cannot see the comments.
• Click Save to record the refund.

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve applied a refund, the balance due for payment plans or billing has increased. You have several options for removing the balance depending on how you’d like it to be reflected in reports.

• Apply a Correction: Use this option to remove charges if you’d like reports to reflect a reduced assessed amount.
• Apply a Credit: Use this option to leave the assessed amount unchanged but apply an offsetting credit for a selected adjustment reason.

Reporting and History

When refunds are recorded, a line is added to the Transaction and Change histories in the customer profile as well as the Payments tab. Consumers will also see the change in their user account in the Transactions, Changes, and Payments Made tabs.

You can view a list of refunds in the Payment Activity report. This report has the benefit of showing you not only the refunds recorded but also any refunds that were reversed.

For more information, please visit this HubHelp article: Recording an Institution Issued Refund.

To view all HubHelp articles, make sure you are logged into FACTS before viewing.

Even as things across the country start to feel more normal, many of us are still dealing with the mental health effects of the pandemic. Whether we’re feeling anxious about returning to the office or attending crowded events, it’s understandable to be a little apprehensive. This anxiety isn’t just for adults, however, with children and teenagers across the country still reeling from the frequent changes to their learning environment.

The silver lining? It’s now much clearer how big of a role schools play in the mental health of children. Let’s take a closer look at the importance of mental health resources in K-12 schools and the challenges they face to help students be their best.

More Than a Lesson Plan

Most of us know that school isn’t just about the subjects we study. It’s vital for socialization and provides students with the opportunity to interact with their peers and learn important life skills. Educators have recognized the importance of this aspect of school, emphasizing social emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom. Through SEL, students develop healthy identities, manage emotions, show empathy, establish supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions – all contributing to overall better mental health.

This increase in SEL in schools is critical, as strengthening social and emotional skills is crucial for academic success. Mental health is directly related to learning; students struggling with depression or anxiety simply can’t process new information the same as other students. Schools also serve as “first responders” in terms of student mental health issues, explains NPR. Teachers and staff can quickly note changes in behavior that could point to mental illness and provide resources for their students. This became a lot harder when classes when virtual, however, adding another challenge for both teachers and students.

K-12 Mental Health Pre-COVID

Unfortunately, mental health concerns have been rising in K-12 schools even before COVID-19, with the number of students reporting symptoms of depression on the rise since the early 2000s. While the recent US Surgeon General’s Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health explains that the pandemic worsened the situation, other factors like academic pressure and social media have been in play for years. On the bright side, rising numbers may also be attributed to students being more willing to discuss the once taboo topic of mental health.

While we’re all familiar with staff shortages by now, K-12 schools have always struggled to maintain recommended mental-health specialist to student ratio. The American School Counselor Association recommends one school counselor per every 250 children, but the current average in schools is around 427 students for every counselor. School psychologist ratios are even worse, with some states approaching a ratio of 1:5000, far exceeding the recommended one school psychologist per 500 students recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists.

This means that teachers are often left shouldering mental health care in addition to their long list of other responsibilities, even when they’re not trained to provide the support needed. At the same time, staff shortages have meant that even when school counselors are on campus, they may be drafted to teach classes or substitute instead of providing dedicated mental health services. These problems have only been exacerbated by the pandemic – which has been reflected in the mental health of students.

The Effects of COVID-19

With so much change, it’s understandable that the negative mental health effects of COVID-19 were evident in students early in the pandemic. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported an increase in pediatric mental health-related emergency department visits starting in April 2020, remaining elevated through October 2020. Compared to 2019, mental health-related visits rose by 24% for children aged 5-11 and 31% for children aged 12-17. By the fall, a trio of children’s mental health organizations declared an emergency in child and adolescent mental health.

Unfortunately, numbers didn’t improve in 2021 as the pandemic continued. The Children’s Hospital Association reports that from January to September of 2021, the number of mental health visits to emergency departments at children’s hospitals was 14% higher than pre-pandemic numbers. Some hospitals even reported a 40% increase in mental health visits from 2020. Students across the country reported feeling symptoms of depression and anxiety as they struggled with social isolation, followed by an abrupt return to in-person school.

K-12 school mental health professionals also report that schools are dealing with more grief than ever before, with an estimated 175,000 children losing a parent or caregiver to COVID-19. This is especially troubling when coupled with the fact that according to an Education Week analysis of federal data, nearly 40% of all school districts across the nation did not have a school psychologist on staff during the first full year of the pandemic.

Returning to the Classroom

While students have largely returned to in-person learning, K-12 schools still face challenges. Many educators report that students lack social skills and seem less mature, with high schoolers behaving like middle school students and younger students forgetting basic classroom rules and expectations. This is especially true for younger students that have spent most of their formal school experience learning from home.

In an interview with NPR in early 2022, Dr. Tami Benton, psychiatrist-in-chief for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia explains that during the pandemic, students missed the chance to develop the social skills they normally would in the classroom. Now that students are back in school, they’re being forced to catch up in unusual circumstances. Accordingly, teachers have had to re-learn things too, like the time management required to teach while working through these social growing pains.

The Way Forward

Even though it may seem disheartening to think of the mental health struggles students are still facing post-pandemic, schools have made great strides to address these concerns head on. Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, as well as other pandemic relief funds, amounted to over $190 billion in education and health grants – some of which can be spent on mental health.

Schools are taking advantage of this, with PEW reporting that states like Arizona, Maryland, and Georgia are using federal relief funds to hire more counselors, nurses, and social workers to improve their student to mental health professional ratios. States are also enacting laws to support these efforts, including statutes in eight states that allow K-12 students to miss a certain amount of school days for mental health reasons. Furthermore, over 16 states now require K-12 school staff and teachers to take courses on identifying mental distress in their students.

Some states have taken a grassroots approach to mental health, with states like California, Illinois, and Utah enacting laws recommending high school students take mental health training themselves and learn to spot early signs of problems in their peers. Popular options include Mental Health First Aid’s training designed to help teens recognize and respond to mental illness and Aevidum chapters, school clubs which help raise suicide awareness and reduce mental illness stigma. With students speaking up and facing mental health challenges head on, there’s reason to be optimistic for a brighter future.

To learn more about how FACTS Ed can help your school create a personalized professional development program that prepares your teachers for the challenges of the modern classroom, including utilizing SEL to improve teacher turnover, click here.

We know that educators handle much more than their lesson plans. From supervising extracurriculars to getting students in and out of the classroom every day, teachers have a lot of jobs to juggle. Both teachers and parents will agree, however, that school dismissal can be especially stressful – with long lines of cars, confused students, and tired staff staying on campus far too late.

Luckily, there’s a platform to simplify this process. Our partner Pikmykid offers a school safety and dismissal solution that keeps students safe and saves times for parents and teachers. If you’ve never considered using technology to make your dismissal process a breeze, keep reading for some of the top reasons to invest in dismissal software like Pikmykid.

1. It Reduces Staff Fatigue.

Before students even step foot into the classroom, your staff need to organize how they arrive and get home, and hopefully ensure their safety along the way. To reduce staff fatigue, it’s important to minimize redundant steps. Answering phone calls from parents who want to make dismissal changes can take hours of your staff’s time.

Instead, you can provide a way for parents to make instant dismissal changes by utilizing dismissal software with a mobile app. This gives your office staff time to focus on other tasks and have access to reports to safely account for every student.

2. It Allows Teachers to Focus on Teaching.

Most teachers didn’t get their degree in education to use walkie talkies and deal with frustrated parents in the parking lot. They love educating students. Using a dismissal software like Pikmykid streamlines the entire dismissal process, allowing your school to get rid of unnecessary tasks and reduce the number of staff needed to run dismissal.

As the car line speeds up, you can give each teacher back an average of 75 minutes per week. They can redirect this time into their passion – helping students succeed. They’ll also have more time for planning and rest, which can help improve their mental health as well, reducing burnout.

3. It Makes It Easier for Substitute Teachers to Jump In.

When a teacher is preparing a lesson plan for a substitute, they often have to dedicate a large section of their instructions to the school’s overly complicated dismissal process. This not only adds more work for the teacher but can also create a lot of confusion for the substitute.

Dismissal software empowers you to run dismissal with tools that make it so easy, your staff can train a substitute teacher in their sleep. An added bonus? Since there are less staff necessary for dismissal, it’s less likely a substitute will be needed for dismissal in the first place.

4. It Equips Staff Better for Emergencies.

During a busy school day, the last thing you want teachers to experience is heightened anxiety over confusing emergency protocols. While many of us immediately think of worst-case scenarios, like an intruder on campus, the reality is that a myriad of smaller emergencies (like changes in pickup times due to inclement weather) happen more frequently.

The current processes often leave staff unsure of how to act in the moment, especially when they only have a few seconds to react. A school safety and dismissal platform like Pikmykid takes out the anxiety-inducing guess work by giving schools the ability to clearly communicate their protocol and direct staff to take appropriate actions in the instant they’re needed.

With Pikmykid, you can prepare staff to act quickly and confidently with a suite of tools on the devices they already have in their pockets. They’ll have access to initiate emergency or last-minute notifications through a panic button, receive staff instructions to their cell phone, and enable location services to ensure staff and student safety.

5. It Allows You to Eliminate Unnecessary Tasks.

Running back and forth between the front office, classroom, and parking lot is an outdated and inefficient way for staff to use their time. In a world where you can have meals delivered via app and robots mowing your lawn, school staff shouldn’t be stuck using walkie talkies, sticky notes, and overwhelming Google sheets to coordinate the everyday process of student dismissal.

By giving your staff technology that uses devices they already have, you can eliminate dozens of monotonous tasks for them. They’ll feel respected as you acknowledge their level of education and empower them to redirect their time towards the things only they can uniquely do as staff and teachers.

Even better? Many schools have used their grant money to implement Pikmykid – and their teachers are loving it. There are more than 8 grants and funding options available for you to start with, so don’t wait until August to get started.

Request a demo to learn more and get Pikmykid set up and ready to go!

Spring is a time for graduating students and their families to start planning how they will pay for higher education in the coming fall. This is incredibly important, as being educated on these types of finances can be crucial in reducing poor financial outcomes. As the end of the school year nears, we here at FACTS thought this would be an excellent time to shed a light on the importance of financial literacy – and why the sooner students start learning about it, the better.

The Importance of Understanding Finances

Today’s high school students feel unprepared about managing their finances according to a recent survey by EVERFI. The US Department of Education (ED) shares that students who receive personal finance education in line with their goals may be more likely to retain the information and use it to make informed financial decisions. Introducing the concepts of financial literacy may need to begin before students are admitted or preparing to obtain their higher education. Research from FutureSmart, a program by the MassMutual Foundation, shows strong evidence that financial education is effective – and necessary – for students as young as middle schoolers. Additionally, Champlain College suggests personal finance education should be a cumulative process, with age-appropriate topics taught each school year. Even if it seems early to start teaching these concepts, it’s important to provide substantive personal finance education throughout elementary school and into high school.

The Case for Financial Literacy in Schools

It goes without saying that learning about financial literacy is important, as personal finance education provides students with the knowledge and skills to manage financial resources effectively for a lifetime of financial well-being. It’s equally important, however, that this education be offered at school. A 2017 T. Rowe Price Survey noted that 69 percent of parents have some reluctance about discussing financial matters with their kids, so offering students financial literacy education at school is an ideal solution.

Additionally, research has shown that far too few students — especially those from low-income backgrounds — receive any personal finance education during high school, yet are expected to make financial decisions with long-lasting impacts about student loans and budgeting immediately after graduation. Even though today’s students have the benefits of technology and instant access to information, that doesn’t necessarily translate to financial literacy skills. Having access to that information during their formative years, especially in the form of resources like classes and learning materials, can set a firm foundation for their future financial stability.

If a student withdraws from your school, FACTS recommends following specific steps in Tuition Management to ensure your customer records and reports are accurate. These steps may vary depending on your institution’s withdrawal policy, internal processes, or accounting practices. (A note for Premier Integration users: If your school is using Premier Integration, you will need to complete additional steps in the SIS when withdrawing a student. The following information is specific to handling the financial portion of a student withdrawal).

Information Needed About the Student Withdrawing

1. Is there a balance still owed or a refund due? If a balance is owed, you will need to determine how much is remaining from the balance on their FACTS account.
   • If a refund is due, you will record an institution issued refund as part of the withdrawal process.
   • If a refund is due for the student withdrawing and there is an additional student with a balance still owed, you also have the option to transfer the funds to the balance owed for the remaining student.
2. Do the credits and charges on the account need to be removed or reduced (prorated)? Credits include any multi-child discounts, scholarships, etc.
   • If the credits or charges need to be removed or reduced, you will perform corrections to the transactions on the account as part of the withdrawal process.

 

Navigation

• Click Roster on the top navigation bar.
• Click Select next to the appropriate customer.
• Click Service Agreement.

 

If you are not sure which transactions are on the record for the student, you can review the charges, credits, payments, and balances on the Customer Profile before selecting Service Agreement. The Balances with Adjustment Detail Report is also helpful when trying to review the student’s balance details.

 

Recommended Steps

1. Determine if a refund is owed. If yes, record the refund or transfer the funds to a remaining balance owed for additional sibling(s) on the account.
   • Select Record an Institution Issued Refund or Transfer Funds from the service options.
   • Recording a refund on the system updates your FACTS reports, but you will still need to issue a check to the family. Refunds decrease the amount paid, which will increase the remaining balance. You may need to perform corrections to remove the balance if it is not owed.
2. After recording the refund or transferring funds (when applicable), correct credits and charges.
   • Select Correction from the service options. It’s a best practice to correct all credits first, then charges.
3. Once the student has withdrawn and any remaining balance has been paid in full, terminate the agreement. Termination of the agreement is final. Once terminated, the agreement cannot be reactivated.
   • Select Change Agreement Status from the service options or select Change Status from the customer profile.
   • If a balance is still owed, do not terminate the agreement. Terminating it will stop all scheduled payments from processing.
4. Once the agreement has been terminated you will also want to inactivate the student or customer so they no longer appear in the roster.
   • On the Customer Profile, select the student’s name, then change their status to Inactive. If there are no remaining students at your school, you can select the customer’s name instead and change their status to inactive. Inactivating the customer will inactivate all students on their record.

If Using Incidental Billing or Prepay Accounts

You can use the Service Billing option or Service Prepays option to record a refund, transfer funds, or perform corrections to the Incidental Billing or Prepay transactions. Incidental Billing activity can be terminated by selecting Change Status next to the Incidental Expenses on the Customer Profile. Prepay activity cannot be terminated.

 

Additional Information About Inactivating a Record

• Inactivating the student prevents you from adding transactions to their record in error on the billing admin page when sending incidental bills and the mass entry screen when adding transactions for Prepay Accounts. You will still be able to manually add transactions from the Customer Profile page.
• Inactivating the student or customer prevents their information from rolling forward to the new school year if you utilize electronic reenrollment.
• Inactivating the customer or student does not stop payments from processing. You must change the agreement status to stop future payments.

To learn more about withdrawing students, visit this HubHelp article.

While many people associate April with spring break, Easter, or even tax time, did you know that it’s also National Volunteer Month? This month not only recognizes the importance of volunteering, but also celebrates the contributions made by those who volunteer all year long.

The importance of volunteering is well-known to everyone at FACTS, as giving back is built into the fabric of our organization. One of our core values is to “Give Back to the Communities in Which We Live and Work.” We honor this commitment in many ways, including scholarships, matching gifts programs, charity partnerships, and more. In 2020, we even started the Living Our Core Values Recognition program, with a special award for associates who exemplify the core value of giving back, not only to their local community, but also to their fellow FACTS associates. 2021’s winner, Compliance Analyst Jack Vogel, volunteers extensively with Bikers Against Child Abuse, in addition to other organizations, even shifting into a new role to help prioritize his community work.

Our associates are encouraged to volunteer not only because it’s a part of our Core Values, but because it benefits them as well! Research shows that people who volunteer are more satisfied with their lives and rank their mental health better than those that don’t. Other residents in the state of Nebraska, where FACTS’ headquarters are located, must have realized this too, as recent data from Americorps shows that state-wide, 53.8 million hours of service were performed, making it 6^th in the nation for volunteer hours.

At FACTS, we even have a committee dedicated to organizing charitable and volunteer activities, our Social & Giving Back Committee. In March, the committee focused on helping charities in Ukraine, donating to UNICEF, World Central Kitchen, and Sunflower of Peace, as well as sending encouraging cards to refugees through Letters of Hope. A future volunteer event is planned for June in partnership with United Way. Furthermore, our associates are volunteering in more ways every day. In honor of National Volunteer Month, here are just some of the incredible ways that FACTS have given back to their local communities:

• United Way Day of Caring: Last fall, associates participated in United Way’s Day of Caring by volunteering at locations throughout Lincoln, including the Food Bank of Lincoln, YWCA Lincoln, and TeamMates of Lincoln. Volunteer activities included passing out meals, providing childcare for special needs children, and putting together community service program kits. This is only part of our ongoing partnership with the organization; in 2019, we raised over $1 million for local United Way organizations.
• Virtual Food Drives: Even during the pandemic, our team found ways to give back. Associates donated a total of 1,300 meals to those in need during the holiday season.
• CASA: We were proud to spotlight Product Owner Laura Faurot when she became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) late last year. CASAs volunteer their time as advocates for abused and neglected children in the child welfare system, helping to ease the strain on social workers and prevent anything from falling through the cracks. Laura completed many hours of training to receive this designation and shared her story in our weekly newsletter, hopefully inspiring others to pursue this incredible volunteer opportunity.
• City Impact: In December, members of our team participated in City Impact’s Gifts of Love event, which helps those needing assistance shop for discounted Christmas gifts that have been donated by local organizations (including Nelnet). Associates helped shoppers select gifts, stay on budget, and check out, as well as assisting with inventory.
• Gianna’s Women’s Home: Early this year, team members wrapped up an ongoing service project with St. Gianna’s Women’s Home by donating cash for items the center may need – including clothes, books, toys, and other essentials.
• Little Free Libraries: In 2021, one of our team’s ongoing service projects was to collect books and distribute them throughout their local community as part of Little Free Libraries, the public bookcases that encourage locals to add and borrow books as they please. Associates began collecting books in the summer, with the Texas team wrapping up the project in December. Overall, the team contributed over 1,000 books to local Little Free Libraries.
• Heartland Hope Mission: Associates in our Lincoln and Omaha offices collected and delivered canned goods, clothing, and household items to Heartland Hope Mission, an organization that provides working families struggling to make ends meet with essentials.
• Oak Grove Elementary School: After her daughter accepted a teaching position at this small Title 1 school in Texas and shared her students’ dire need for clothing, Phelecia Leitch, FACTS Regional Vice President – Sales K-12, worked with her church to donate and deliver over 1,500 items of clothing to Oak Grove Elementary School. We highlighted Phelicia’s story in our weekly newsletter, encouraging associates to take action when they see ways they can help.

Thanks to all the FACTS associates that are making their communities better places to live and work every day! We can’t wait to continue creating volunteer opportunities and helping our associates engage with causes they’re passionate about throughout 2022 and beyond. To learn more about how you can make a difference through volunteering in your community, visit www.volunteermatch.org to find upcoming opportunities near you.

 

Elevate 2022 will be here before you know it – and it’s time to start planning your experience! With over 100 sessions to choose from, however, we know it can be challenging to decide where exactly to spend your day. That’s why we’ve been compiling our top picks throughout our Elevate Session Preview series, with previous installments on the best sessions for business managers and enrollment managers.

Today we’re sharing our top sessions for K-12 Advancement & Marketing Professionals! Whether you make all these presentations or just a handful, we know you’ll leave with tons of new information to share with your school. We can’t wait to see you there!

Growing Support Through Recurring Gifts – by Randy Hawthorne, FACTS Giving Product Manager at FACTS

Building a predictable revenue stream is important to your organization. This frees you to focus on other fundraising efforts, knowing you don’t have to chase pledges and worry about relying on “the usual” months to reach your fundraising goals. In this session, you’ll learn how to build compelling campaigns for your recurring gift program to strengthen relationships and ultimately increase lifetime value of your donors.

There’s Only Me! Running an Advancement Office of One – by Lee-Ann Pepicelli-Murray, K-12 Technical Sales Engineer at FACTS

So, you’re a department of one and are juggling advancement, communications, social media, parent & alumni relations, your website, and more. Since you don’t have more hours in the day than anyone else, join us for some pro-tips on how to make all this work possible. We will talk about best practices, automation, and some tips to reach your goals and still have a little time for family and sleep!

Building Social Capital to Grow Your Network – by Randy Hawthorne, FACTS Giving Product Manager at FACTS

Having a rivaled human network, Randy will share with you some pro-tips to cultivate yours, even if you claim to be an introvert. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll gain clarity on how you present yourself, set goals for why you would want to grow your network, and learn network-expanding tools.

Tell the Story, Launch a School – by Dan Rogers, Partner at Mission by Design

Catholic schools are failing because they don’t convey value – they assume an audience, and ultimately, success. We’ll share the process we used to launch a new school from the ground up – raising $20M with a video a dream – and how you can too.

Getting Started on Capital Campaigns – by Lee-Ann Pepicelli-Murray, K-12 Technical Sales Engineer at FACTS

Are you thinking you are ready to take the next big step and start a Capital Campaign? Make sure you are set up for success – learn more about what you need to have in place before you even start thinking about kicking off a project, and what the first few steps will be. We will talk through preparation, best practices, and the four phases of a successful capital campaign.

The Marketing Jumpstart – by Kurt Lewis, Consultant at Education Marketing Solutions

This action-packed hour of techniques, tips, and tricks will kick your marketing efforts into high gear! Kurt Lewis provides practical advice on topics including value propositions, parent ambassadors, websites, and financial aid.

Effective Marketing Strategies to Reach Prospective Parents – by Dr. Rick Newberry, President at Enrollment Catalyst

Is your school the best kept secret in your community? Are you effectively reaching prospective parents for your admissions pipeline? During this workshop, we will discuss effective marketing strategies that you can implement to reach prospective parents. From word-of-mouth to online marketing strategies, you will learn the most effective strategies to generate interest in your school.

Next Level Web Strategies – by Kurt Lewis, Consultant at Education Marketing Solutions

Your online presence gives a prospective parent their first – and sometimes only – impression of your school. Kurt Lewis shares tried and tested best practices for school websites, high-impact social media posts, and paid online advertising.

Make sure you don’t miss these – and dozens of other exciting sessions – by registering for Elevate 2022 here and joining us this July 11-14 in Dallas!

For more information on sessions and speakers, view the Elevate 2022 Agenda.

Why should I send my child to your school?

When a prospective parent arrives at your website, they want that question answered and they want it answered quickly. They don’t want to scroll. They don’t want to read your About section. They want to take a quick look at your homepage and say, “Hmm, this school looks really good. I think I want to know more about them.”

How can we grab a parent’s attention and answer that key question quickly? The design and layout of your website are part of the answer, but the savvy school shopper is looking for your Diamond.

A Diamond is a simple phrase that captures the essence of your school. Most commonly, a Diamond is a tagline, motto, or set of core values.

It is often said that a school’s website is a book that tells their story. That is certainly not a bad approach. A website desperately needs a through-line. It should feel like an interconnected story rather than disjointed pages.

Instead of a book, though, I recommend thinking of your website as a thesis paper. The title of that paper is, “St. Anonymous School is the Right Choice for Your Student.” Then, just under that, your Diamond is your thesis statement. It is the core reason parents should select your school above all others. Every page of your website should serve as evidence supporting your thesis.

The reason I call it a Diamond is that it should be shiny, beautiful, and eye-catching. You have mined the raw elements of your school’s brand – your mission, vision, values, etc. – and condensed them into this perfect gem. Let’s look at some examples.

Diamond Type 1: Tagline

Example: “Success Starts Here”

Taglines are the most common type of Diamond you will find on school websites. A tagline is slick and punchy, but it can appear to be too general if is not explored throughout the site. In order to truly be a Diamond, a tagline like “Success Starts Here” demands examples both of how the school prepares students to succeed and of the successes achieved by alumni. Taglines that are too specific or wordy are also not ideal. Avoid taglines like, “Teaching Responsibly, Learning Faithfully, Loving Fully, and Leading Bravely Since 1958.” Instead, you might consider something like our next example.

Diamond Type 2: Core Values

Example: “Learning. Loving. Leading.”

A classic advertising strategy is to use a set of core values (typically three) as a Diamond. I think it is a terrific way to go, and I particularly love when they are alliterative as in the example above. It is simple to take these values and sprinkle them throughout your site. Use them as headings on your About page. Define how you both teach and demonstrate these values. Whenever one of these values shows up on a page of your website, call it out by bolding or using a different font color.

Diamond Type 3: Motto

Example: “Verso l’alto!” (“Reach for the Heights!”)

Your school motto – whether in Italian, Latin, English, or another language – can make for an excellent Diamond, but only if it is easy to understand and is not dated. I have come across schools with Latin mottos which were not translated anywhere on the site. I have seen other mottos which were clearly meaningful to students at the time they were written, but have lost their relevance over the years. “Verso l’alto” is the motto for a school named after Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was both a mountain climber and a passionate evangelist. That motto ties perfectly both to the school’s namesake and to their mission of encouraging students to strive for excellence, making it an excellent Diamond.

 

 For additional school marketing strategies, visit KurtTheMarketer.com.

While FACTS’ suite of connected products and programs can do many great things for schools, one of the best is help them manage their families’ financial situations. From helping determine available aid to covering fees for families in need, FACTS makes it easy for both schools and families to stay on track. Here are a few of the many financial management features available through FACTS:

Financial Summaries

The grant and aid awarding season presents challenges that can pull at the purse strings and tug at the heart strings. The Financial Summary report allows your school to make difficult grant and aid decisions by offering a wide range of information to inform the process. Information provided includes:

• Concise breakdowns of income and assets vs. expenses of applicants
• The ability of an applicant to meet the financial obligation presented through tuition charges
• Ranking of the family within all who are applying to your institution
• The applicant’s standing with regards to Title I (Free and Reduced Lunch) and what percentage of the Federal Poverty Guideline

By utilizing these tools, your institution will be able to make sound and equitable choices with regards to providing financial assistance to the families who need it the most.

Paying FACTS Fees for Customer

Did you know that FACTS fees can be paid for the consumer by the institution? This means that if a school believes a family shouldn’t have to pay the FACTS fee for financial hardship or any other reason, it’s easy to cover the fee themselves. A school user can simply adjust the fee in the consumer account and FACTS will collect funds directly from the school. This can be a helpful solution for covering fees owed to FACTS so that students can be rolled forward in the roster while payment fees are reassigned in Continuous Enrollment.

To learn more about this process, as well as access a step-by-step guide to paying these fees, please visit this HubHelp article. Make sure you are logged into FACTS before viewing.

Removing Awards

Anyone that’s ever written a paper knows that editing is sometimes the hardest part of the process. Luckily, if your institution is using both FACTS Grant & Aid and FACTS Tuition Management, editing or removing financial aid is a straightforward process.

Whether there was an error in the award amount or a family chooses not to accept the financial award, here are the steps to complete the return. If a correction has already been made on the payment plan for the returned award(s), you may start with step 6.

1. Once logged in, hover over Payment Activity and select Agreements.
2. Click Post Grant & Aid Awards from the links on the left side of the screen.
3. Click on #Transactions Created within the Convert Awards to Transactions step.
4. Select the transaction(s) you wish to delete.
5. Click Delete Selected to remove the converted transactions.
6. Click on #Awards to Convert within the Convert Awards to Transactions step to remove the award.
7. Select the award(s) you wish to remove.
8. Click Remove Awards.
9. To confirm the removal of the award(s), click Remove Awards again.
10. Once Remove Awards is selected, the full award amount is pushed back to Grant Management.

Visit HubHelp for more information on this process, as well as many more helpful articles!

In celebration of Women’s History Month, FACTS has been reflecting on the courage of past generations of women who fought for the opportunities women have access to today. It’s also been a great chance to celebrate the influential women in our lives right now. Fortunately for our team at FACTS, we don’t need to look far to find examples of women making a difference – our team is filled with incredible women in leadership positions.

As a company focused on education and payment technology solutions, we’re especially grateful to have these women on board, as data shows that women are only at the c-suite level at 6 percent of financial technology companies. Women are woefully underrepresented across the finance and technology industries in general, holding only 24 percent and 28 percent of leadership roles respectively. When factoring in additional challenges women face in the workplace, like battling stereotypes and increased rates of burnout and microaggressions, it’s clear that the path to leadership is anything but easy.

Despite these challenges, it’s important to keep pushing forward, as data shows that when women hold leadership roles, everyone wins – especially in technology. Tech companies where 30 percent of leaders are women have a 15 percent increase in profitability compared to those with no female leaders. Fortunately, one of the best ways to increase the number of women in leadership is well within our reach – representation, with women across all age ranges stating that strong role models are crucial to their own success in the workplace. In this spirit of representation, we spoke to some of the incredible women in leadership roles here at FACTS to learn some of their keys to success and what advice they have for the next generation of leaders.

Don’t Get Too Caught Up in Your Plan

DeeAnn Wenger, President, Nelnet Business Services: I didn’t necessarily aspire to be a leader. In fact, when I was approached about leading my first team, I turned it down. I only wanted to be accountable for my work, not that of other people. I was highly encouraged to accept the position; however, and it ended up changing my goals and my career.

Becky Pollock, President, Nelnet Payment Services: I didn’t envision my career as it is today. When I pursued a career in accounting, I had a goal to be a CFO, which I accomplished before the age of 40. Early in my career, I realized I loved the concept of revenue creation, but desired a closer connection to the end customer. So, I asked for an opportunity to lead a business.

Jackie Strohbehn, President, Nelnet Campus Commerce: Since a very young age, I aspired to be in leadership roles, but I would call my path to leadership unconventional and heavily shaped by mentors, leaders, friends, and family. The journey and experience of getting to where I am have been more valuable than the success itself.

Jodi Spethman, Chief Marketing Officer, Nelnet Business Services: My path to my current position has not been linear and certainly not a path I had planned for myself. It’s been more like a game of Frogger! I’ve served in various roles across different business lines within the company and feel strongly about continuing education and learning with each new opportunity. I hope I never stop learning.

Danielle Egr, Chief Technology Officer, Nelnet Business Services: I didn’t envision my career as it is today, as IT was not a path I thought I’d take. I received great advice to not focus on title when considering a new position, but instead the personal growth and contribution the position could bring. I’m a planner, so taking away the expectation that my career progress along a prescribed path of job titles was very freeing for me. It allowed me to take side-steps to broaden my experience in ways I’d never be able to do otherwise.

Never Be Afraid to Ask Questions

Egr: When I started in IT, there were very few women in formal leadership positions. I was often the only woman in a room of leaders and was even more intimidated because I was not in IT from the start of my career, and everyone seemed to know way more than me. Then I had my “Aha!” moment. One of my colleagues made a comment that I knew was not accurate, but he said it as if it were fact. Most of the people in the room were nodding in agreement until I respectfully challenged him and then everyone was nodding with me. That’s when I realized we’re all doing the best we can and none of us have all the answers. If I don’t understand, I ask questions. It’s not a weakness; it’s how we all learn. It would be worse if I didn’t ask the question and make bad assumptions.

Pollock: I recommend to individuals that I mentor to not be afraid to always ask why. Knowledge and expertise help to build confidence in yourself and allow you to hold your own in conversations and brainstorming in business discussions.

Strohbehn: It’s so important to never be afraid to ask questions. I believe that every problem presents multiple opportunities to come up with a creative solution and engaging thoughts and opinions from your peers makes problem-solving even better.

Turn Challenges into Motivation

Strohbehn: Watching the challenges my mother faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry inspired me not only to be a leader, but to press on, take even more risks, and never question that it was my choice to try, even if someone told me no. Many years before joining Nelnet Campus Commerce, someone told me to my face that I would not succeed in my role because I was young and a woman. This fueled my desire to prove him wrong. Moments like these continue to inspire me. Even if I fail, I will know I tried and that I did so with strong conviction and by staying true to myself.

Spethman: I have certainly encountered my share of moments in my career where there have been inappropriate comments made by male colleagues or leaders about my looks or others’ when the focus should have been on our abilities. While these comments can be temporarily demoralizing, I have never found that they held me back. Instead, they’ve given me even more drive and determination to succeed.

Egr: I’ve encountered a few leaders throughout my career who I felt trusted my male peers over me since there weren’t many women in IT at the time. However, I was always able to prove myself in those situations, so it never significantly affected my success.

Create Your Own Opportunities

Pollock: From an early age, I was encouraged to go beyond what was asked of me; so instead of waiting until I was given a new role to demonstrate new skills, I would volunteer for projects and take on tasks that were outside my current responsibilities. I also look for problems businesses or consumers are having and brainstorm ways to solve them. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas.

Spethman: My stepdad always encouraged me to be independent and stand on my own, and I’ve brought those traits into my career. I’ve always approached my roles with curiosity and raised my hand to take on projects or additional responsibilities. I believe your opportunities are driven by you and not necessarily by your circumstances.

Focus on What’s Within Your Control

Strohbehn: One of my favorite pieces of advice I’ve been given is to choose your attitude. We cannot control much in this world, but we can control how we respond and how we act toward others. The women I look up to, like my mother and peer female leaders, all work incredibly hard with smiles on their faces. They are also extremely supportive of each other, which creates an exceptional environment to thrive in.

Wenger: My best advice is to know when to stand up for yourself and know when to let something go. You shouldn’t fight every battle. Leaders have to work through some challenging situations and showing a little grace and treating everyone with respect goes a long way in building relationships.

Egr: Be coachable. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Take action on constructive feedback.

Grow Through Community

Pollock: Participate in your community by joining committees, boards, or non-profit organizations. This will not only help you build relationships and gain confidence working with people you don’t know but will also allow you to gain leadership skills outside your organization. Putting in this work and time helped me to grow as a leader and see challenges and opportunities I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Strohbehn: When you find people throughout your career who inspire you or are great at what they do, keep those people in your life. Stay connected to them, ask them for their opinion, and thank them for their time. More often than not, people will want to help you and may even learn something from you as well.

Be a Team Player

Spethman: One of my favorite parts of my position is helping my team accomplish their individual and professional development goals. Seeing them become more confident in their craft and helping them achieve success gives me a great sense of satisfaction. Knowing that I am representing my team and not just myself is also a huge confidence booster for me as a leader. Pushing for what I believe will help my team gives me drive and courage.

Egr: My career goals have always been based on purpose, continued learning, and working with others. When I consider new positions, it’s not about title or leadership credentials. It’s about personal growth and the contribution I can make to the team and organization’s success.

Wenger: I have a passion for business strategy and creating ways for sustainable growth, but more importantly, I want to be a great boss – somebody that makes a difference in the careers of those I work with. I care deeply about the people on my team and want them to be happy and successful. If I can help them achieve their dreams, that gives me tremendous satisfaction.

Pollock: I was raised by parents who emphasized characteristics of servant leadership. Valuing and caring for people, helping others succeed, and pursuing success as a team is what defines a good day for me.

Bring Your Authentic Self to Work Every Day

Wenger: One of my best pieces of advice to the next generation of women in leadership is to bring your authentic self to work every day.

Strohbehn: Stay true to your authentic self. I have found at times in my career, especially in a male dominated sector, I felt I needed to change my appearance, only say certain words, quiet my opinion, or stay silent when I should speak up. This never feels good in the long run and ultimately shortchanges both you and your organization. Trust your gut; it is so often right. Women tend to ignore it…don’t! Your opinion is worthy of being heard. Diversity of thought is what spawns innovation.

Egr: I now focus more on learning and being authentic to myself and less about what others think of me. To be authentic you need to know yourself and be true to what drives and excites you. Find positions or projects that align with those characteristics. Be curious so you’re always learning and growing.

With role models like these to guide the way, we can’t wait to usher in future generations of women in leadership at FACTS!

As the weather starts to heat up and the end of the school year gets closer and closer, summer is on everyone’s mind. Whether you plan to spend your summer catching up on sleep or jet-setting from vacation to vacation, if you’re a business manager at a K-12 school, there’s one summer experience you won’t want to miss – Elevate 2022!

Our annual conference is back in person this year in Dallas, Texas from July 11^th to 14th and will feature over 100 speaking sessions, networking opportunities, and more. While every Elevate session is full of useful information that can benefit all attendees, we’ve grouped sessions into Thought Leadership categories in an effort to highlight sessions that will be most beneficial to certain people.

If you work in a school business office, you’re probably involved in a little bit of everything that goes on at your school. Don’t worry about running from session to session, however – we’ve got you covered with this helpful cheat sheet of our top picks. We can’t wait to see you there!

Resiliency Through Sustainability: Combining Purchasing Power for a More Sustainable Community – by Victor Engel, Nelnet Renewable Energy

It’s time to think beyond rooftop solar. Most K-12 schools simply do not have enough rooftop space for a significantly sized solar array. By combining the purchasing power of multiple institutions, coalitions of K-12 schools can invest in large-scale solar projects that cover their entire collective electrical load – bringing energy resiliency, cost savings in the millions of dollars, and a cleaner local environment to your community. Energy and financial resiliency will only become more important in the years to come with a volatile energy market and increasingly destructive natural weather events. This session will illuminate how to secure your future with clean energy, powering the next generation.

Catholic Schools in Times of Change – by Mark Majeski, Associate Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of St. Petersburg

Small Catholic schools must sustain programs and services much like their public-school partners. What sources and tools can you use to lessen the impact of these expectations?

Partnering for Success – by Ernie Garcia, Director of Finance & Al Mendoza, Systems Manager, Diocese of Orange

After much success during the last few years, we’ve launched a diocesan-wide initiative to leverage FACTS and its applications to enhance day-to-day processes that impact internal organizational operations and enhance the customer (families) experience. Our results have directly impacted increased revenues and decreased costs, adding incredible value to the mission of our Catholic Schools.

A Better Back Office for Private Schools – by Jonathan Boulos, CEO, St. Joseph Financial Services

How can you protect your school or schools in your diocese from being susceptible to labor shortages and frequent absences? Our model combines learning and processing advantages to get the most out of FACTS.

Financial Aid Awarding Strategies – by Alisa Evans, Managing Partner at Mission Enrollment Strategy Solutions

How do you balance the need calculation, funding available, and the intricacies of families changing financial situations?  What is that “right” amount for a family – not too much, not too little?  Alisa Evans, Managing Partner at Mission Enrollment Strategy Solutions, LLC will give insight on how she makes these tough decisions and leverages financial aid to enhance enrollment, retention, and financial stability for both parents and the schools she works with.

Visit the Elevate 2022 Agenda for up-to-date information on speakers, session times, and more.

Still haven’t registered yet? Reserve your spot here to join us July 11-14 in Dallas!