District Administration - November 2008 - (Page 62)

How Well Does This Web Site LEARN WHAT OUR WEB ANALYST SAYS IS RIGHT AND WRONG WITH THIS DISTRICT SITE Richland (S.C.) School District 2 www.richland2.org By Laura R. Bona THE RICHLAND S.C. SCHOOL District 2 serves over 23,000 students and includes 35 schools and centers. e average pupil-teacher ratio is 19 to 1. e district oﬃces are located in the state capital of Columbia. Design e pleasing, uncluttered design of this site makes it very user-friendly. e home page oﬀers a selection of valuable content, presented in a highly organized manner. Site visitors will ﬁnd news headlines and “How do I … ?” informational links, including “How do I register for school?” and “How do I ﬁnd safety information?” ere are four-color photographs (that rotate upon page refreshes) representing each of the main content portals: “Parents,” “Students,” “Community” and “Faculty & Staﬀ.” e individual school and center sites have unique designs, but because there is an introductory page for each school and center with the same presentation as the main district site, a feeling of continuity is maintained. Although there is a prominent “Home” link at the top left of every site page, the district logo, which appears just under the “Home” link throughout the site, does not serve as another handy way to get back to the home page, as it often does in the Web sites of other districts. Navigation e top navigation bar, with its ﬁve categories, appears consistently atop all site pages. An “In is Section” left-side navigation box, with section-speciﬁc links, is oﬀered throughout the site as well. To aid further in smooth site browsing, a breadcrumb trail (links indicating the path 62 November 2008 The pleasing, uncluttered design of this site makes it very user-friendly. The home page offers a selection of valuable content, presented in a highly organized manner. you’ve followed to a particular page, allowing you to quickly retrace your steps) appears at the top of the sites’ pages. A search box is provided on every page, although its location is diﬀerent on the home page (at top right) than on the rest of the site (at top left). e search function is a bit quirky. For example, although the “Message from the Superintendent” is prominently linked from the site’s top navigation bar, in the search results, it comes up as the 8th item. Among the helpful search-related features: search terms are highlighted in relevant content results, and each content item is dated. An advanced search feature is oﬀered, allowing ﬁlters to be applied (for author and date created, among others). e site map is linked from the bottom navigation bar, rather than adjacent to the search box. It seems incomplete, however, and the sections that are called out somewhat confusingly don’t appear to consistently match those named in the top navigation bar and other high-proﬁle content sections. At the time of this review, several of the links were inoperable. Usability is site provides a wide array of useful information for all visitors. ere are speciﬁc sections for parents, students and the community at large. In the “Parents” section, there are links to content covering everything from academics to volunteering. e “Parent Portal” (which is hosted oﬀ-site) enables direct access to students’ grades and attendance records. In the “Students” section, educational and instructional resources are listed. Visitors can ﬁnd detailed information on the district’s education foundation and the grants development program in the “Community Relations” area. is site is not optimized for access by disabled users. District Administration http://www.richland2.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November 2008

District Administration - November 2008
School Breakfasts: An Added Value
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
1-2-3 Campus Safety
News Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Snacks as Part of Your School Nutrition Program
Technology
Facilities & Construction
Admissions
DA Web Seminars
Leadership Assessment
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Technology Books
Professional Opinion
Supervisor’s Opinion
Crisis Response
Problem Solution
Research Center

District Administration - November 2008