Chances are, your school or school district already has a web site or
home page, or you're in the process of developing an Internet presence.
While you were putting your web site together, you no doubt found a plethora
of books and articles written on the technical aspects of web development
-- computer programming and HTML, for example. But few guidelines are available
for school staffs that are looking for answers to questions about the management
aspects of web creation and maintenance: Who will be responsible for designing,
creating, monitoring, and gathering content for your school's web site?
We recently conducted an informal telephone survey of approximately
20 districts that have or were in the process of creating web sites. We
found that districts used two basic management models: centralized and decentralized.
In the centralized approach, someone at the district level -- such as
the superintendent, assistant superintendent, or technology coordinator
-- is responsible for creating the web site and given the title of webmaster.
This person posts content on the web server for all schools in the district.
Representatives from each school create their web site materials using an
HTML editor or web application (such as Claris Home Page or Microsoft FrontPage)
and feed the material to the webmaster to put on the district's web server.
The webmaster handles not only the design and content of the district's
web site, but also supervises the building representatives.
The decentralized approach uses the same staff: a district webmaster
and building-level representatives. However, in this approach, the building
representatives have direct responsibility for their own web sites or home
pages, working closely with the district webmaster to coordinate design
and content. The district webmaster is primarily responsible for the district's
web site content and design but leaves the school-level content and design
to the building representatives.
Which works best?
Over the short term, the centralized web site model appears to be efficient
and effective. If you're just beginning to develop a web site, you probably
have only limited materials to post on the web server. Giving building representatives
limited access to the web server will minimize complications concerning
the content and timing of information put on the web. Monitoring is easy
because the webmaster has total control.
Once you get up and running, though, the centralized approach becomes
complicated and inefficient. When teachers and administrators begin to develop
more materials, they begin to pressure the webmaster to put content up in
a timely way. Materials can quickly become outdated when demands outstrip
the webmaster's time. The building-level staff members who create the web
site materials start to have problems updating and making corrections to
the web sit. They begin to feel dependent or helpless.
At first glance, the decentralized web site model is neither efficient
nor effective. For one thing, it does not make for a quick start-up. People
at both the central office and the building level must be trained before
materials are posted. With more people involved in the creation process,
more time will be spent on questions of purpose, content, and design. Using
the decentralized model means that it will take longer to get the web site
up and running.
Look beyond the start-up, though, and you'll see the decentralized web
site model is both effective and efficient. People at the building level
can control their information on the web server, making changes, updates,
and improvements. Another plus: When a lot of people are involved in making
decisions about web site design and content, they generate a greater diversity
of ideas. And the decentralized model spreads the work among many people.
A seven-step model
The school districts we surveyed supported the idea of creating
a district leadership team with corresponding building leadership teams
who are charged with creating and maintaining the web sites. This kind of
decentralized web site development model can be put in place by following
these seven steps:
1. Form district-level and building-level web teams that represent
teachers, administrators, parents, students, and board members. Choose a
district webmaster, making sure that the webmaster and the teams have clear
instructions on what their duties are. The webmaster's job description should
include information about his or her role and responsibilities in design,
content, and authority. The teams should have job descriptions outlining
their functions and authority as well.
Don't expect your technology teams to have all the skills needed to construct
the web sites. Invest in long-term staff development where teams can learn
together. Resist the temptation to hire an expert to design and construct
your web site or to let students design and construct the web site. The
purpose of the teams is to provide input, ownership, and continuity of the
web site.
2. Train teams to ensure they have the requisite expertise. This
includes content skills (communicating district and building information);
technical skills (using web application software); design skills (understanding
color, font, placement, and so on); and visual literacy skills (organizing
audio, video, graphics, and text).
3. Decide the purpose of the district web site and how the building
web sites will complement or differ from the district web site. Ask the
teams to determine, for example, whether the goal is to expand or enhance
public relations, build an electronic community, expand or enhance parent
information, collect information by polling, or provide general information.
You must know the purpose or purposes of the web site if you are going to
achieve your goals.
4. Determine the content and design relationship between the district
and building web sites. It's common to maintain both district and
building web sites, but it's less common to ensure that the district and
building sites are coordinated and consistent in terms of information, site
design, and linkage.
Another crucial aspect: requiring staff members to post information on
the web themselves if they've been responsible for this information all
along. It might seem arduous to train staff on web applications and the
process of posting information on the web server. But in the long run, it
is more efficient to have staff members who are responsible for information
be responsible for posting and updating it on the web site.
5. Look at other web sites. Identify the top two or three web
sites that mirror your own district's needs and purposes, and have team
members analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Diagram these sites to understand
their design and layout. Analyze how the content is arranged on these sites:
What information comes first? If the information is organized in a hypertext
fashion, where does it lead the user?
6. Use a single web application to create your web site. In the
design process, we recommend that everyone uses the same program -- such
as Claris Home Page or Microsoft Front Page -- when building your web sites.
If different users (at different buildings) use different software applications,
staff development becomes difficult -- and so does the webmaster's job of
team coordination and communication.
7. Upgrade your web site systematically and regularly.
Field-test the web sites with existing or potential users to get their reactions.
Gather feedback from users about strengths and weakness and make changes
accordingly. Don't expect a high rate of hits at first. Even for effective
web sites, success sometimes comes slowly. And it won't come at all if no
one knows you're there. So publicize and promote your web site to your intended
audience in different ways: in parent newsletters or flyers, announcements
at meetings, placing ads in local newspapers, and getting state and national
agencies with web sites to link to your site. And be sure to post your web
site on the various search engines. Two of the many sources for getting
your web site listed on the major search engines are Free
Quick Step Website Submissions, and A1's
Searchable Directory of Free Web Page Promotion Sites.
Keep the school board informed and involved in the process of creating
district and building web sites. Make sure that the decision makers recognize
that web site construction is more than a one-time event.
These seven steps reflect the ideas and work of pioneers who see the
Internet as a new opportunity to transform education. Their work offers
us a lesson: Web sites will always be works in progress. Remember that web
site development is an experiment. Our suggestions are subject to change
as others discover new strategies to address questions and as the technology
becomes more sophisticated.
Gerald D. Bailey is a professor of education and technology consultant at Kansas
State University, Manhattan, Kan. Dan
Lumley is assistant superintendent and Bart
Goering is superintendent of Spring Hill USD 230, Spring Hill, Kan. | 
