Tools for Learning

PA Charter School To Beta Test Classroom Management Software

• By Scott Aronowitz
• 02/11/10

Danelo Education Solutions has announced an agreement with Manchester Academic Charter School (MACS), a K-8 school in Pittsburgh, PA, for the school to beta test its Project TEACH (Together Everyone ACHieves) suite of classroom management tools. The school will use the software during the second half of the current school year, and the company will use the feedback it receives to help it enhance the product's functionality and ease of use.

An Internet-based set of tools, the Project TEACH suite aims to help its users in three key areas of classroom management: teacher time management, student performance, and parental involvement. The tools offered in these areas, which can be accessed from any computer with Internet access, include:

• Lesson plan preparation;
• Assigning homework;
• Grade calculation and tracking;
• Analysis of student performance using the company's own proprietary method;
• Customized recommendations for addressing deficiencies; and
• Access to inputted and collected data, allowing parents to track classwork and assignments and monitor students' needs and progress.

Danelo is shooting for a general release date for Project TEACH in time for the 2010-2011 school year. "Based on user feedback that we receive during the beta test program, we will add functionality to the product that enhances the user experience and provides additional student information," said company president Daniel Gonzalez.

"A key tenet of our school's mission is enabling each child to meet academic standards through technological innovations," explained MACS Principal and CEO Vasilios Scoumis. He said he expects the software to save time by streamlining teachers' administrative tasks and to "enhance communications between teachers and parents, helping everyone to be on the same page regarding our students' needs, abilities and accomplishments."