PowerSchool Releases Education Focus Report Highlighting Top District Priorities and Shifts in PK-12 Education

By: PowerSchool Holdings, Inc. via Business Wire

August 31, 2022 at 11:00 AM EDT

PowerSchool examines survey results from over 3,500 educators in an Education Focus Report to illustrate the key impacts and trends in PK-12 Education

PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC), the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America, has released its key findings from the Education Focus Report for the 2022-2023 school year. The report represents the findings from a national survey of more than 3,500 educators, in-depth conversations with over 75 education practitioners and leaders, and a comprehensive scan of over 25 mid-to-large U.S. school districts’ strategic plans.

“We are excited about the valuable insights this report will bring to educators and district leaders,” said Ryan Imbriale, former district leader, and Vice President of Education Solutions at PowerSchool. “Our goal is to recenter PK-12 conversations starting with what’s most important to school districts—their priorities to better support students.”

The report found seven common strategic priorities across U.S. districts: high-quality, tiered instruction; whole-child supports; exceptional workforce; robust family engagement; expanded early childhood learning; graduates prepared for life, college, and career; and organizational excellence and efficiency. The report also highlights two grounding concepts: data-informed decision-making and equitable student supports. These common district priorities reflect schooling both before and during the continuing pandemic.

In the report, educators reveal that technology led to an increase in student engagement, strengthened family involvement, and prioritized modern professional learning needs. Key findings include the emergence of whole-child support as tantamount to students’ academic success.

“We have to account for our students’ mental, social, and emotional health needs before we can think about learning,” said Chris Cromwell, Instructional Technology Coordinator for West Chester Area School District in Pennsylvania. “Not long ago, when working with teachers, I felt I was driving down the road in my academic lane, and then there was an SEL lane, and those were two separate lanes headed down the highway. But they’re actually not—SEL and academic learning are on the same path and intertwined.”

Additionally, as the education industry continues to navigate digital transformation, school leaders are finding technology solutions beneficial to achieving organizational excellence and efficiency. This includes designing data systems, protecting student information, ensuring budget transparency, and achieving a modern technology infrastructure, which have shifted from the back of the office to front and center. This speaks to the power of data and the necessity of equitable resource allocation in meeting student needs.

To learn more about what we’ve heard from educators, and what the future holds, visit www.powerschool.com/edtech-focus-report-2022/ to download the full report.

About PowerSchool

PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC) is the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America. Its mission is to power the education ecosystem with unified technology that helps educators and students realize their full potential, in their way. PowerSchool connects students, teachers, administrators, and parents, with the shared goal of improving student outcomes. From the office to the classroom to the home, it helps schools and districts efficiently manage state reporting and related compliance, special education, finance, human resources, talent, registration, attendance, funding, learning, instruction, grading, assessments and analytics in one unified platform. PowerSchool supports over 45 million students globally and more than 15,000 customers, including over 90 of the top 100 districts by student enrollment in the United States, and sells solutions in over 90 countries. Visit www.powerschool.com to learn more.