We sat down with Mark Kania, the webmaster overseeing the Round Rock school district’s online ecosystem. Mark found himself navigating a complex web of challenges in keeping the website accessible and usable while ensuring it attracts new students.
In the bustling suburb of Austin, Texas, Round Rock Independent School District (Round Rock ISD) serves a vibrant community of over 42,000 students and approximately 6,000 staff members. With a mission to provide top-notch educational experiences and maintain high standards of communication and accessibility, Round Rock ISD partnered with Silktide to enhance the quality and accessibility of its vast digital presence.
Addressing the complex challenges of running an independent school district website
There are four main areas where Round Rock focuses its attention:
- Ensuring ADA compliance across the district’s websites
- Managing a large number of microsites
- Addressing the need for a more efficient way to monitor and fix quality control issues
- Retaining existing and attracting new students
Ensuring ADA compliance across the district’s websites
Mark’s efforts were twofold; to comply with ADA standards to avoid legal complaints and also ensure the overall quality of the website through fixing broken links and other quality control measures.
Silktide’s platform directly addresses this challenge by providing comprehensive tools that allow for the seamless identification and rectification of accessibility issues. This ensures that all users, regardless of ability, can navigate Round Rock ISD’s websites efficiently. By using Silktide, Mark and his team can automate much of the compliance testing process, identifying areas of the website that may not meet ADA standards and receiving actionable insights on how to address these issues.
“Accessibility was a big focus for us. We needed to make sure our websites met ADA standards to avoid issues with the Office for Civil Rights. At the same time, I found myself spending just as much effort on fixing broken links and other quality issues on the site.”
Webmaster – Round Rock ISD
Managing a large number of microsites
“Managing 90 microsites on WordPress was a significant challenge for us. The complexity of maintaining consistent quality and accessibility across so many individual sites was not just a logistical issue but also a critical concern for ensuring equitable access to information for all users”.
Silktide has been instrumental in simplifying the management of these microsites. With its robust reporting features, ease of use, and centralized monitoring capabilities, Silktide provides Mark with a bird’s-eye view of the entire district’s web presence. This visibility is crucial for identifying and addressing issues across multiple sites efficiently.
“Managing all our websites effectively is challenging. Silktide makes it easier for us by allowing us to monitor and improve their quality and accessibility from one place”
Webmaster – Round Rock ISD
Monitoring and fixing quality control issues
Silktide consolidates the monitoring of all microsites into a single dashboard, eliminating the need to check each site individually. This feature saves significant time and effort, making it easier for Mark to oversee the entire web ecosystem.
The platform’s user-friendly interface and clear reporting cut down on the learning curve, enabling Mark to quickly identify and prioritize issues that need attention.
Silktide’s detailed reports provide actionable insights, not just on accessibility but also on quality control issues like broken links and spelling errors. This comprehensive approach ensures that all aspects of the web experience are optimized.
“Using Silktide has significantly cut down the time I need to manage our websites. It allows me to handle everything—from accessibility to fixing errors—across all our microsites in one place, which has been a huge time saver.”
Webmaster – Round Rock ISD
Enhancing Round Rock ISD’s web presence to attract new students
Mark delved into the intricacies of the U.S. educational system, highlighting the pivotal role of student enrollment in securing funding for Round Rock ISD. The post-COVID era has intensified the competition for attracting and retaining students, making it imperative for the district to stand out not only through its educational offerings but also through its digital presence.
Mark pointed out, “COVID drastically changed education. Now we are competing with entities that we were not in competition with before, so it’s important to we provide the best possible products and resources available”.
The emphasis on a dynamic and inclusive web presence is crucial in an environment where families are exploring more educational options than ever before. The quality, accessibility, and overall user experience of the district’s website can significantly influence the decision-making process.
Conclusion
Round Rock ISD and Silktide have successfully worked together to manage and improve a complex set of websites, setting a high standard for educational web presence.
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