Enhancing Communication and Trust at Lake Worth ISD with SchoolStatus
This case study explores Lake Worth ISD's choice to use SchoolStatus Connect for school-home communication, and the ways in which the platform has helped the district win the community’s trust.
District: Lake Worth Independent School District
Size: 3,500+
Product: SchoolStatus Connect
Location: Texas
As the landscape of education continues to shift and evolve, effective communication between schools and families is crucial. Lake Worth Independent School District, a Title I district serving approximately 3,500 students, was experiencing challenges communicating with students’ families.
After testing and evaluating multiple solutions, Lake Worth ISD decided that SchoolStatus was the best choice to help them build a more connected school community. This case study explores Lake Worth ISD’s choice to use SchoolStatus Connect for school-home communication, and the ways in which the platform has helped the district win the community’s trust.
The Challenge
Initial Transition Away from SchoolStatus
When Dr. Jeff Seeton joined Lake Worth ISD as a Principal, the district was using SchoolStatus Connect for their school-home communications. However, a decision was made by the district’s leadership to switch to a different communication platform.
The transition wasn’t easy. The new platform lacked the functionality and ease of use that the district has been used to with SchoolStatus, making it cumbersome for teachers and administrators to communicate with parents effectively. The step down in quality led to complaints from district staff, who preferred SchoolStatus Connect to the new solution.
Communication and Trust Issues
Moving away from SchoolStatus exacerbated existing communication and trust issues within the community. Many families in the district already had difficulty trusting the school system, and the new platform’s inefficiencies only made matters worse. Keeping families engaged with school directly impacts student outcomes and behaviors, such as attendance, so a lack of trust can develop into bigger challenges over time.
Part of our student management plan is an effective, efficient, lightning fast way to communicate with parents in real time. Because we’re in the day and age where an email takes too long.
Dr. Jeff Seeton, Assistant Superintendent, Lake Worth ISD
The Solution
Return to SchoolStatus
When Dr. Seeton rose to the role of Assistant Superintendent in January 2024, he made it a priority to address the communication challenges. After consulting with principals and teachers, the consensus was clear—SchoolStatus was the preferred solution.
The district transitioned back to SchoolStatus in July 2024, leveraging its robust features and ease of use to improve communication and build trust with families. The district uses SchoolStatus Connect’s communication features like messaging and announcements to stay transparent with families and keep them in the loop. And having a consistent log for messages and family outreach has been a huge time saver for creating reports and checking in on student cases.
[SchoolStatus Connect] is just so much less cumbersome than most of your communication solutions. And it’s a very simple concept. We want to do real time communication with parents.
Dr. Jeff Seeton, Assistant Superintendent, Lake Worth ISD
Implementation and Impact
Building Community Trust
Rebuilding trust within the community was a significant focus for the district. They implemented several initiatives to engage families right away, including school open houses for community events and holding registration nights.
SchoolStatus played a crucial role in these efforts by making it easy for school staff to communicate about the events and get the community excited. The district invited families to communication nights and other community-building events that helped shift the image of schools into a place that students and families actually want to be. SchoolStatus has event planning and communication tools that make it easy to welcome families to the next open house or parent-teacher night.
Lake Worth educators also made use of call logging and transcripts in SchoolStatus Connect to establish transparency and clear records. Working directly with the community through SchoolStatus made it easier to build trust with families in the long run.
Parents and guardians have rejoiced at the return to SchoolStatus. Many appreciate the transparency and timely updates about their children’s academic performance and school events. This renewed trust has fostered a more collaborative relationship between the school district and families.
System of Record
Attendance is a critical issue in public schools across the nation, and Lake Worth ISD is no exception. Districts need an easy way to track outreach to families and review past conversations—for accuracy, transparency, and reporting.
SchoolStatus Connect provides call logging and messaging records that give staff a clear picture of past family communication. This feature is invaluable for Lake Worth ISD when dealing with truancy cases, which have strict requirements in Texas, as it provides documented proof of the district’s efforts to engage with families. The district team can quickly and easily pull reports to see records organized by individual students and district-wide.
Convenience and Functionality
One of the standout features of SchoolStatus Connect is how easy it is to use. Teachers and administrators can quickly pull up a student’s information and send a text message to families, streamlining communication. The platform also allows for the quick and easy creation of groups and bulk messaging based on specific student attributes, making it efficient for school-wide announcements. Dr. Seeton recalled an instance when a student fell asleep in a class he was observing; he was able to use SchoolStatus Connect to text the student’s mother and quickly get her involved without a conference.
Teachers and administrators at Lake Worth ISD have praised SchoolStatus for its user-friendly interface and robust features. According to Dr. Seeton, “SchoolStatus allows us to buy time back and it’s well worth it.”
The thing that parents care about is a lack of communication. ‘I just want to know how my kids are doing.’ That’s it. ‘I just want information.’ And so SchoolStatus allows us to solve a lot of those problems.
Dr. Jeff Seeton, Assistant Superintendent, Lake Worth ISD
Conclusion
The decision to return to SchoolStatus has had a profound impact on Lake Worth ISD. By prioritizing transparent and consistent communication, Lake Worth ISD has created a more supportive and engaging educational environment for its students and their families.
If your school district is facing similar communication challenges, book a demo to learn about the benefits of SchoolStatus. With a proven track record of enabling meaningful school-home interactions, SchoolStatus can help you build trust, improve attendance, and create a more connected educational community.
Learn more about how SchoolStatus can transform your school district’s communication strategy by visiting our website or scheduling a demo today.
