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Tom Lang

Tom Lang has spent more than 3 decades in the field of journalism and marketing, while always having a hand in public education. His father was a school teacher, his mom a school secretary, and his wife teaches high school English and Humanities. On his own, Tom worked his way through college as a school bus driver and today remains closely tied to education as a Board member of FIRST (Robotics) in Michigan. He has worked with high school coaches and athletes for nearly 30 years as a freelance sports writer at the Detroit Free Press, and for more than 10 years as a basketball referee. Bottom line -- help kids grow, learn and create productive futures.

Recent Posts

3 min read

Level Data Acquires Glimpse K12

By Tom Lang on July 27, 2023 at 1:32 PM

KALAMAZOO, Michigan – <07/27/2023> – Return on Investment (ROI) is one of the leading financial measuring tools for businesses and industries everywhere, including school districts. But another ROI is even more important to schools, Return on Instruction.

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2 min read

A Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Print Attendance Reports in PowerSchool

By Tom Lang on June 27, 2023 at 10:00 AM

PowerSchool is a widely used student information system that helps educational institutions manage various aspects of their operations, including attendance tracking. Generating attendance reports is a crucial task for teachers and administrators, allowing them to monitor student attendance patterns and identify areas that may need improvement. In this blog post, we will provide a comprehensive guide on how to print attendance reports in PowerSchool.

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3 min read

Mastering Failure Reports in PowerSchool: A Step-by-Step Guide

By Tom Lang on June 27, 2023 at 10:00 AM

In the fast-paced world of education, efficient management of student information systems is crucial. PowerSchool, a widely used student information system, offers powerful tools for administrators and educators to streamline their processes. One such tool is the Failure Report feature, which helps identify struggling students and provides valuable insights for intervention. In this blog post, we will walk you through the process of running a failure report in PowerSchool, empowering you to make data-driven decisions that support student success.

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2 min read

Simplifying Daily Attendance Percentage Calculation in PowerSchool

By Tom Lang on June 20, 2023 at 10:00 AM

Keeping track of attendance is an essential aspect of managing schools and educational institutions. PowerSchool, a widely-used student information system, provides a comprehensive platform for tracking attendance records. Calculating daily attendance percentage is a crucial task that enables educators to monitor student engagement and identify potential issues early on. In this post, we will guide you through the process of calculating daily attendance percentage in PowerSchool, making it a hassle-free task for educators.

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2 min read

Decoding Attendance Codes in PowerSchool: Understanding Their Meanings

By Tom Lang on June 20, 2023 at 9:58 AM

Keeping track of student attendance is a vital aspect of any educational institution. PowerSchool, a popular student information system, provides a comprehensive platform for managing attendance records. Understanding the attendance codes used in PowerSchool is crucial for both teachers and parents to accurately assess a student's attendance patterns. In this blog post, we will explore the common attendance codes in PowerSchool and shed light on their meanings.

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3 min read

5 Simple and Free Ways to Improve Data Quality in K-12 School Districts

By Tom Lang on June 20, 2023 at 9:56 AM

Collecting, tracking and analyzing school district data on students and staff is not an easy task, but there are fairly simple, low cost or no cost ways to try making it easier – and result in much greater data accuracy in the process.

In many ways, improving data quality and accuracy is a mindset.

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3 min read

What Can Be Found in Proper K12 Student EFA Codes? How about an extra Half a Million Dollars

By Tom Lang on June 13, 2023 at 2:42 PM

Cindy Williams had the stiff neck and crisscrossed eyes to prove she’d done her job protecting the critical funding her school district needed but was in threat of losing.

She is now 100 percent confident that using State Data Validation Suite (SDVS) software from Level Data, Inc. – those days are over.

Williams, most recently running PowerSchool in her new district of Limestone Charter Association in South Carolina but who came from a large traditional district, learned the hard way a few years ago about keeping student funding in place for her former district.

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2 min read

The Impact of Data Validation and RealTime Reports in Alabama

By Tom Lang on June 13, 2023 at 2:41 PM

When the state of Alabama implemented PowerSchool statewide in 2021 as the mandatory SIS for school districts, it not surprisingly forced many districts to make drastic changes to how they had been storing, tracking and managing student data.

Thankfully for data managers like Greg Titshaw, Technology Coordinator at Fort Payne City Schools in Alabama, Level Data Inc.’s State Data Validation Suite was included in the statewide implementation of PowerSchool.

Simply, it made life simpler.

And it made possible the drastically improved accuracy of the small school district’s data.

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3 min read

K-12 Online Enrollment: Pros and Cons

By Tom Lang on June 13, 2023 at 2:38 PM

In an education world that has progressively shifted toward online options, the opportunity to allow parents to enroll their child online is available as well.

Yet when K-12 school districts consider that the journey of their student data can start outside of the district staff’s control, the pros and cons should be weighed heavily before making that software investment leap.

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2 min read

Revolutionizing Student Data Management: Level Data's RealTime Reports Transformed Alabama District

By Tom Lang on May 5, 2023 at 4:32 PM

When the state of Alabama implemented PowerSchool statewide in 2021 as the mandatory SIS for school districts, it not surprisingly forced many districts to make drastic changes to how they had been storing, tracking and managing student data.

Thankfully for data managers like Greg Titshaw, Technology Coordinator at Fort Payne City Schools in Alabama, Level Data Inc.’s State Data Validation Suite was included in the statewide implementation of PowerSchool.

Simply, it made life simpler.

And it made possible the drastically improved accuracy of the small school district’s data.

Continue Reading