District Administration - February 2008 - (Page 8)

Editor’s Letter Buying Security School security is a huge market, where staying informed is critical. D “Almost every district in the country has a crisis management plan” ISTRICT ADMINISTRATION IS THE ONLY MAGAZINE THAT REACHES top-level administrators in every K12 school district in the United States, including superintendents, business ofﬁcers, curriculum directors, technology managers and school board presidents. And through each issue and our integrated Web site, we commit to bringing our readers up-to-date and usable information in six core content areas: administration and supervision, facilities and construction, standards and assessment, curriculum, technology, and school security. For example, in this month’s issue we look at the growing interest in the International Baccalaureate as an alternative to Advanced Placement, the external pressures that confront every school superintendent, and part four of our ﬁve-part research series on district buying power, which focuses on “Purchasing Security Products and Services.” Although the buying study was commissioned prior to the tragic security breaches at Virginia Tech and elsewhere, it found that K12 districts spent an amazing $1.17 billion on security products and services last year, and the average district spent $163,600. Purchases included physical surveillance equipment and services such as cameras and recorders, devices to control building access such as keypads and card identiﬁcation programs, and computer network and data security systems. It also found that almost every district in the county has a crisis management plan in place—97 percent—and the few that didn’t were planning to institute plans in the near future. Informed Purchasing Now more than ever, school security has become a huge and emotion-ﬁlled market with countless options, where accurate information is essential for making wise purchases. And it is easy to make wrong decisions. We therefore work to keep our readers up-to-date in a variety of ways through product reviews, news updates, proﬁles of successful programs, columns and articles such as “Brave New World of School Security” in December 2007, “Threat Assessment Plans” in January 2008, and “Security Update” in this issue. In fact, a search on “school security” on our Web site displays more than a hundred articles from back issues. Similarly, clicking in the School Security core content area of our site brings you to recommended resources, and you can distribute the articles in your district and add the links to your site. You and your staff can also view the important “New Paths to School Safety & Security” leadership Web seminar through the DA site at any time for free, and search our online products database for new developments. There’s every reason to be well informed on school security through DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION. Odvard Egil Dyrli EDITOR-IN-CHIEF gdyrli@edmediagroup.com 8 February 2008 District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - February 2008

District Administration - February 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Security Update
Virtual Schools Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
The “Other” Advanced Program
State of the Superintendency
Landing the Chief
Purchasing Security Products and Services
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Speaking Out
Professional Opinion
Supervisor’s Opinion
Overheard on the Pulse
New Products
Problem Solution
Computer Literature
Research Corner
Calendar of Events
Products Showcase
Understanding the Times

District Administration - February 2008