Content management systems for school websites

School content management systems are available for K-12 public and private schools, and are made specifically to enable school administration and staff to use a web-based admin system composed only of the CMS tools a school needs. They can be used to store, create, control, and otherwise share dynamic information relevant to the school and its community.

Website Sections
Sections like the following can be used to organize schools' information:
* News and Announcements - This section allows schools to share news and current information. The most recent additions to this section may appear on the school's home page.
* Bulletin Board - Schools use this section to post their daily, weekly or monthly bulletins.
* Marquee - This feature enables a school to place a single sentence on the home page as colorful text that moves across the screen.
* Calendars - Calendar pages allow schools to plan, organize and share upcoming events. There may be different calendars for separate departments, classes and extracurricular activities. Calendars may be available both in web friendly and printer friendly versions.
* Teacher Pages - Each teacher with an account has his or her own set of pages, which generally serve as an introduction to the teacher's interests and projects, or give an overview of the subject(s) that that teacher teaches. Teachers can also use their pages sections to post podcasts, links, pictures and documents that they don't want to associate with a particular class.
* Class Pages - Teachers can set up pages dedicated to each of their classes. They can post documents including homework assignments, reference documents, and syllabuses. They can also post links, photos and may be able to post podcasts and audio files.
* Photo Albums - Here pictures can be organized into categories and placed on the site for public viewing. Users can create subcategories within the albums for organizational purposes.
* Staff Directory - This list provides contact information such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
* Podcasts - Podcasting may be available as an extra module associated with some school content management systems. It allows users to post both streaming and downloadable audio and video content.

User Interface
A simple user interface makes updating websites possible for people with varying degrees of technical skill. Those who know nothing about web design can make updates which aesthetically conform to the rest of the website and appear to have been updated professionally, without needing to consult a webmaster. Like some other CMSs, a school CMS allows users to update information from any computer connected to the internet via a web-based administration system. Pages can be updated as frequently as needed by authorized users. Some CMSs also allow users to alter the website's content in real time. Many systems also allow the use of rich text editing which enables users to employ familiar formatting such as bolding, italicizing and underlining for emphasis within the text.

Password Protected Areas
Whereas most pages created as the result of a school CMS are intended for public viewing, password protected sections allow sensitive materials such as test scores and personal information to be secured from the general public.

See Also
*Content Management System
*School Websites

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