Detroit Public Schools

This list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is designed primarily for principals, teachers and others who are affiliated with schools and would like to know more about the DPS MySCHOOL web site school environment and how to create a site for their school. Questions that are not covered here may be submitted to the web team either by filling out the contact form or by using the user help/discussion forums.

1. What are some of the features that a school site hosted here can have?
2. Will our web site improve communication with parents and community?
3. We hope to increase our parent’s involvement in their child's education. How can we our Web site help us to do this?
4. Our school is proud of its student’s accomplishments. What are some ways to let our community know about their successes?
5. How can we tell if our site is really being visited and by how many people?
6. What is a Content Management System (CMS)?
7. How is this Content Management System (CMS) better than other site-building tools we’ve used in the past?
8. How is this site hosted by DPS different than a web site that might be hosted by another service?
9. How can my school get a web site on mySCHOOL?
10. Can any DPS elementary, middle or high school use develop a web page?
11. What is a Site Content Manager?
12. How many staff from each school needs to be involved?
13. Which staff members should participate and what qualifications should they have?
14. How soon after we apply will we actually have a site?
15. Is help available if we get stuck building our site?
16. How much does it cost?
17. Is my school site viewable to the public?
18. What will be my school’s web site address?
19. What happens to any existing web site pages that we might have?
20. If this CMS is so easy, why do we need a content manager?
21. Can we have private, password-protected areas of our web site?
22. I want to have more control over the look of my pages than templates give me. How can I do that?
23. Does DPS limit the amount of storage space provided for a web site?
24. Is there a set of web site policies?
25. Why do we have to sign a Service Level Agreement?

1. What are some of the features that a school site hosted here can have?

Hosting a mySCHOOL web site provides the following features/benefits:

• No additional budgetary Cost
• No Ads - No banner ads such as are often associated with free “external” web sites
• Fast – Because we’ve provided the basic framework for you, you create web pages in minutes with customizable templates.
• Online – Once you are an approved Site Content Manager, your site is accessible from anywhere. Work on your web site from home or school.
• Self-Publishing – You select and post content.
• Flexible Security - contributor's access is restricted only to pre-assigned areas.
• Simple - eliminates complexity including FTP, file upload, or other special software.
• Polls
• Surveys
• Calendars
• Discussion Forums
• News Feeds
• Custom images/Image gallery
• Document Posting
  

2. Will our web site improve communication with parents and community?

There is no absolute guarantee that communication with parents and community members will be improved, however your site certainly increases that possibility! Your viewers are part of an internet age that uses the internet as a primary means to seek out information. It’s a reasonable assumption that a simple, convenient, reliable, timely and consistent web site at which your school’s information can be found, will keep your viewers engaged and coming back. And you keep it up-to-date. Remember, also, the idea of Open enrollment has created a competitive educational environment. You can't afford NOT to have a Web site

3. We hope to increase our parent’s involvement in their child's education. How can our Web site help us to do this?

By creating an easy-to-access online presence, you can communicate important events, inform parents, share student successes, and involve the community. Visitors to your site can learn all they need to know about what sets your school apart from the rest, what activities and events are planned, when breaks are scheduled and contact information that assists in the most effective communication with the school.

4. Our school is proud of its student’s accomplishments. What are some ways to let our community know about their successes?

Some common ways to recognize students is to include tributes to Students of the Month, Honor Rolls, team wins, and other special recognitions. Make a place just for these announcements and encourage your students to tell their parents that they are included on the Web site this month. Be sure to review the Web Publishing Guidelines regarding student and staff privacy, and make sure to obtain written permissions as required.

5. How can we tell if our site is really being visited and by how many people?

One of the background tools being used on all school sites is Google Analytics (GA), a free service offered by Google. It generates detailed statistics about the visitors to your website. Each school will have access to its own set of metrics data that will give clear, up-to-the moment information how and where visitors actually interact with your site.

6. What is a Content Management System (CMS)?

For our purposes, a content management system (CMS) is the program used to create a framework for the content of a Web site. As with most CMSes, our basic framework can be customized with a “skin” (template) that defines the look & feel of the site. A “dashboard” or “control panel” is used by an administrator (our web team) which provides for global control, security and access definition, and monitoring of all content.

CMSes are used primarily to accommodate interactivity by a potentially large number of contributors, e.g., each Detroit Public School. After careful consideration and evaluation of a number of CM tools, we have chosen DRUPAL, a robust, software package with an open-source like usage model. It is free, easy to use and maintain, and supported extensively.

The content managed on your site can include computer files, image media, audio files, electronic documents, data, and generally, ‘all the stuff in your Web site.

7. How is this CMS better than other site-building tools we’ve used in the past?

Previous site development tools were little more than forms-driven, fill-in-the-blank types of utilities that allowed each school the most minimal content and control over content. With each school’s output looking almost exactly the same, there was no provision for customizing and tailoring. Most content required the assistance and intervention of the IT web team to post to the web, adding both time and complexity to the process.

With this CMS, control has been placed into the hands of the users. You decide, within parameters, how general or how detailed, how structured or how colorful your content should be!

8. How is this site hosted by DPS different than a web site that might be hosted by another service?

This tool is geared toward meeting the unique requirements of DPS schools individually and collectively. Site content managers may have limited time and perhaps limited technical expertise at creating web sites. We recognize this, so our focus is on providing easy to use tools, guides, and helps which reduce the amount of work and knowledge required to create and maintain the web site.

9. Can any elementary, middle or high school use This DPS CMS?

Yes, any DPS school can register to participate.

10. How can my school get a site on mySCHOOL?

School Administrators may sign their school up by completing the short registration form on the mySCHOOL site. You will be notified by email when your site has been prepared for you. Shortly after a site has been assigned to you, your content manager will be able log in and work on the site to prepare it for "launch".

Before your site can become an official school web site, your Principal (Or the lead administrator at your location) must sign a Service Agreement and read and agree to abide by the terms presented in both the Web Publishing Guidelines and the DPS Internet Usage Policy.

11. What is a site Content Manager?

A Site Content Manager is the person designated by the principal at a school location to be responsible for the information that appears on their school web site. Working alone or with other school team members, this person will format school material – text, images and media – for publication on their website. As a content manager, this person would also be the primary contact for the DPS web team for any needed coordination of the site content. The main duties include:

• taking a lead role in maintenance and development of the site
• helping to develop site content, style and appearance
• ensuring that school content and page links are current and up-to-date
• managing permissions for site users and select content
• promoting information about the website to the school community
• reporting technical problems to IT support staff

While no specific training or skill set is required for this role, principals are encouraged to select someone with internet or web literacy that is willing to learn and perform these tasks in addition to regular job duties.

12. How many staff from each school needs to be involved?

While the school principal is ultimately responsible for their schools site, he/she may designate as many or as few individuals as needed to manage their site.

13. Which staff members should participate and what qualifications should they have?

See #11

14. How soon after we apply will we actually have a site?

Once Web Services has received your request to participate, your site will typically be ready within one to two work days. No development may take place on your site, however, until the Service Agreement has been signed and returned to the Office of Web Services.

15. Is help available if we get stuck building our site?

Many help features have been made available to you in the Resources section of the mySCHOOL site. You have access to:

• Do’s and Don’t Tips
• Video tutorials,
• discussion forums,
• internet links

Requests for assistance may also be directed to the web team through the submitting of the Contact Form.

16. How much does it cost?

The only cost to you is the time and effort required to participate! Because the DPS web team is dedicated to supporting this initiative and because such a robust and widely-used CMS is being used, this service is being freely offered to each school.

17. Is my site viewable to the public?

Yes, this DPS service hosts a standard public web site for your school.

18. What will be my school’s web site address?

Each school will have a web address of the form http://myschool.detroitk12.org/[school name], where "[school name]" is the District’s official “short” school name as stored in the School Information Data Base.

19. What happens to any existing web site pages that we might have?

School web pages that you may be maintaining in other locations will not be migrated forward to this site. You may elect to recreate or copy and paste content, but there is no mechanism currently in place to import pages from other locations.

20. If This CMS is so easy, why do we need a content manager?

As a central point-of-contact for both your school staff and the Office of Web Service, It is recommended that you have at least one content manager. The duties and workload for this role is still greatly reduced compared to the requirements for organizing and maintaining typical web sites.

21. Can we have private, password-protected areas of our web site?

Yes, some navigation areas of your site may be designated for select individuals or groups: school staff, department heads, counselors, clubs and other activities may also have their own private communication areas within the main school site. Securing and assigning access to these types of areas will be the school’s responsibility.

22. I want to have more control over the look of my pages than templates give me. How can I do that?

Keep in mind that a number of templates are available from which to choose. Each is individually customizable and configurable to a large extent. In addition:

• If you are familiar with using HTML as a development language, you can create your pages using the many available software programs for web publishing, i.e. create an HTML file.
• You may not upload JavaScript or Java files, but you may select from a number of script-like utilities that allow you to enhance the capabilities of tour site.
• You may submit requests for site enhancements or technical assistance to the IT web team.

23. Does DPS limit the amount of storage space provided for a web site?

Presently, each site’s disk space usage will be determined by the individual requirements of their school. We anticipate being able to accommodate most requests and, in fact, encourage ambitious site development. Note, however, that space and allocation of server-side resources is totally up to the IT support staff and therefore may be increased or decreased as deemed appropriate.

24. Is there a set of web site policies?

Yes. These policies may be reviewed and downloaded from our Resources page.

25. Why do we have to sign a Service Agreement?

Signing the Service Agreement does two things; first, it generates an authorized request to officially allocate server space for your school’s web site, and second, it acknowledges that policies and guidelines related to web publishing and internet usage have been reviewed, understood, and that responsibility to adhere to those policies and guidelines has been accepted.