SmartFindExpress® Solutions Summit

April 23 & 24, 2009 - Long Beach, CA

Take out your planners and start preparing! The next annual SmartFindExpress Solutions Summit is heading to sunny Southern California on April 23 & 24, 2009. 

Check this site frequently as agenda and registration information becomes available in the near future.

Hats off to a Successful Solutions Summit

April 2008 -- Judging from survey results, this year’s “Solutions Summit” in Austin, Texas was a huge success — with 96% of attendees saying that the conference “met or exceeded their expectations.” With its new name and new format, the event gave nearly 150 customers a close-up look at SmartFindExpress and eSchool Solutions — including tips to optimize the system, product enhancements, and a major announcement about a new partnership with the Substitute Teaching Institute. The Summit featured improved general sessions, more informative breakout sessions and focused tracks for HR, IT and system administrators. Clients like Elizama DelAngel, from LaJoya ISD, enjoyed the new format. “Past conferences were more like training,” she notes. “This year’s conference was interactive and engaging. It covered issues we deal with every day at work.”

SHARING BEST PRACTICES

Practical, real-world issues were the focus of keynote speaker Geoff Smith, director of the nationally acclaimed Substitute Teaching Institute at Utah State University. Using real-time data to gauge how districts handle various substitute teaching issues, his interactive “Q&A” offered “best practices” to help districts improve their processes. That approach resonated with Sherry Fairchild, assistant director of human resources for Academy School District in Colorado Springs. She asked Smith and other attendees for ideas to strengthen substitute training beyond the initial orientation. Responses included hosting continuing education luncheons or dinners, as well as providing in-service days with topics like “The District and You” or the legal issues surrounding substitute teaching. “It’s good to hear how other districts handle these issues. There’s a lot of extraordinary ideas being shared at the conference, so I’m glad to be here. I’m getting a lot of good value out of this experience,” Fairchild explains.

MORE BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Breakout sessions like “Gain, Train and Retain Substitute Teachers,” “Managing

Phones Lines and Hardware” and “Customizing Search Rules” provided takeaway skills for creating and maintaining a “healthy” SmartFindExpress. eSchool Solutions experts Karen Aho, Lori Nelson and Beth Vinci provided tips to improve daily and ongoing data maintenance, which will strengthen the software’s functionality. “The conference was very informative. When we get back, we’ll be able to train our co-workers to better use the system,” says Miveya Sotero, with LaJoya ISD. From eSchool Solutions’ perspective, the 2008 Summit met its goals, as well. “People left the conference armed with knowledge to help their districts improve substitute management and administrative efficiency,” notes Don Nagle, eSchool Solutions’ Chief Operating Officer. “For us, that’s what it’s all about: partnering with school district administrators to help them do their jobs better.”

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