Highline Public Schools

School District Improves Teaching Support with Integrated Technology Management

Highline Public Schools, south of Seattle, Washington, had big plans for making better use of technology to enhance teaching and learning—but technology disarray stood in the way. The IT staff needed to standardize district computers and implement tools for monitoring and managing technology before it could move forward with new teaching aids. With bond funding, Highline upgraded its computers and deployed Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to automatically deploy software and is configuring Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 to remotely monitor and manage servers. With standardized technology in classrooms, teachers are better able to enhance teaching with technology. The results include more time for the IT staff to help teachers with technology needs and the ability to detect and remove unauthorized software from its network. This new process preserves network bandwidth and helps the district meet education regulations. 
   

Situation

Highline Public Schools serves the communities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Boulevard Park, and White Center in the State of Washington, just south of Seattle. Highline serves more than 17,500 students, many of whom come from lower and middle-income families whose parents work at the nearby Sea-Tac (Seattle-Tacoma) Airport. Highline employs approximately 1,300 teachers at 38 schools, plus 1,000 support staff.

Out-of-Date Technology

Like most public school districts, Highline has been in budget-cutting mode for several years. Technology spending has not been a priority, and technology purchasing has been decentralized. As a result, Highline struggled to simply maintain an aging infrastructure and keep its network secure.

“Over the past decade, the district had no technology vision and did not make good use of its technology spending power,” explains Mark Finstrom, Director of Technology Services for Highline Public Schools since 2006. “When I joined the district, the decentralized purchasing path had resulted in 11 different computer models, 38 domains, and a variety of operating systems and application software. The IT staff had no technology monitoring or asset-tracking tools; we didn’t know how many systems we had, which applications those systems were running, or what software versions we had without manually taking inventory.”

Technology an Educational Asset

Finstrom knew that he had to get the district’s technology house in order before he could move on to the ultimate goal of making technology an educational asset for the district rather than an expense. Students and many teachers were eager for greater technology use in the classroom but lacked the direction and know-how to move forward.

For his part, Finstrom had big plans for using technology to enhance district effectiveness and improve student achievement. He wanted to implement the Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007 to create an enhanced district intranet and extranet. He also wanted to deploy Microsoft Learning Gateway, a Web-based collaboration, communications, and content delivery framework, to create a customized learning management system. He had his eye on Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 to create a unified messaging environment for staff and expand teaching and staff communications with computer-based video conferencing. Finstrom also wanted to upgrade to Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 data management software and other infrastructure software. But he couldn’t take any of these progressive steps without first upgrading and gaining better control over the technology the district already owned.

Management Inefficiencies

Nearly every classroom contained different technology, which made teaching and support difficult. The district’s approximately 6,000 desktop computers were 3 to 12 years old, ran a variety of Windows® operating systems, and included an inconsistent mix of

With one mouse-click, we will have access to information that used to take 15 to 30 minutes to gather using a number of applications and manual processes. Mark Finstrom, Director of Technology Services, Highline Public Schools

peripherals. They were also often unreliable because of the older hardware and software and unauthorized software that students and teachers had downloaded. Teachers struggled to adjust to the wide variety of antiquated technology as they moved between classrooms.

The IT staff was not able to exercise technology management efficiencies in such an eclectic environment; every school, and even every classroom, presented a unique set of management challenges that consumed inordinate amounts of time. Security was another concern. Students downloaded Limewire and other rogue programs, which ate up valuable network bandwidth and presented security and legal vulnerabilities. The district lacked sophisticated monitoring tools for nabbing the constantly-changing stream of games, music programs, Web sites, and malware that students deliberately or inadvertently brought into the environment.

Compliance Demands

Exacerbating the IT staff’s management challenges was a rising tide of regulatory compliance. Every year, the State of Washington requires that school districts report on their instructional computers, including total number of computers and whether they meet state standards. Without centralized system query tools, the IT staff had to manually inventory every single machine, a process that took 33 people approximately two months to organize and compile.

Solution

In 2006, the citizens in the Highline school district passed a bond that provided funds for technology purchases. The first step was to upgrade and standardize the district’s technology. “We can’t ask teachers to depend on tools that aren’t rock-solid, on applications that we can’t deploy, or on systems that are different from classroom to classroom,” Finstrom says. “We had to take care of lower-level data center issues before we could deliver excellent technology support for education.”

Standardized Systems

Finstrom standardized on a single hardware vendor (HP) and on specific desktop, notebook, and server configurations to bring consistency to the district’s infrastructure and gain volume purchasing power. Highline is now able to buy three times as many computers with the same budget. Finstrom upgraded all desktop and notebook computers to the Windows XP and Windows Vista® operating systems and is gradually upgrading the district’s servers to the Windows Server® 2008 operating system (Standard and Enterprise Editions). His team is implementing a consolidation plan reducing 38 domains down to two, one for staff and one for students, to better provide the district with e-mail accounts that staff can easily manage using Active Directory® services.

Microsoft System Center Advantages

At the same time he was modernizing and standardizing the district’s computers, Finstrom turned his attention to automated tools to help deploy those new computers and software. His team evaluated Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003, LANDesk systems management software, and Altiris management software. The team decided on Systems Management Server 2003 because of its superior reporting capabilities, higher-value services, and lower cost provided through a state licensing agreement.

We can’t ask teachers to depend on tools that aren’t rock-solid, on applications that we can’t deploy, or on systems that are different from classroom to classroom. Mark Finstrom, Director of Technology Services, Highline Public Schools

As Highline was getting ready to install Systems Management Server 2003, Finstrom learned about Microsoft System Center solutions, a suite of integrated management solutions that helps organizations manage every aspect of their technology holdings. In late 2007, Microsoft invited Highline Public Schools to participate in the Microsoft Rapid Deployment Program for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007.

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 is a solution to comprehensively assess, deploy, and update servers, clients, and devices across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments. System Center Operations Manager 2007 is an end-to-end service monitoring solution that can monitor both Windows and non-Windows operating system environments. It provides a single, easy-to-use monitoring console for overseeing thousands of server and client computers and applications, and provides a comprehensive view of data center health.
“System Center was more cost effective than the other solutions we looked at, especially with Microsoft licensing bundles,” Finstrom says. “As an integrated suite, the System Center suite delivers huge value. We also liked the fact that we could use System Center to manage a mixed environment. Not many management products fit into educational environments that contain a mix of old and new systems, Windows and Linux, and other diverse systems.”

System Center also provides the best management of Highline’s Microsoft environment. “Products from other vendors don’t manage Microsoft programs as well,” Finstrom says. “With an investment in System Center technology, we get a bigger payback on our investment with every new Microsoft program we roll out, plus more control over those capabilities.”

Remote System Management

Using System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Finstrom’s staff can centrally deploy any application or update to all 6,000 desktop and notebook computers and 250 servers. If a student or staff member compromises a computer by changing settings or downloading unauthorized software, the IT staff can remotely reimage the system in a matter of seconds. “We want to give students and teachers as much freedom as possible with their computers without fear that they will disable them,” Finstrom says. “With System Center Configuration Manager 2007, we can give them that kind of freedom and flexibility.”

The district’s server engineer is configuring System Center Operations Manager 2007 to monitor the district’s servers, half of which are in the district data center and half of which are located in schools. She will instantly see if the servers are running and if there are problems that could threaten uptime. She will be able to easily test software updates before deploying them and to monitor update success on servers across the district.

Benefits

Using Microsoft System Center management solutions, Highline Public Schools has been able to gain efficient, centralized control of its technology holdings, which has freed the IT staff to spend more time helping teachers use technology to improve teaching and learning. IT management efficiencies have also resulted in better network protection, improved network bandwidth utilization, and easier regulatory reporting.

Better Support for Education

With computers standardized across the district, teachers can go into any classroom and find nearly identical equipment and software, which shortens preparation time and removes anxiety. Using System Center, Finstrom and staff have been able to keep all systems up to date and capable of running the same educational applications and interfacing with other classroom equipment such as classroom response systems (also called clickers) and electronic whiteboards. The staff has recently installed LanSchool classroom management software (from LanSchool Technologies) that lets teachers monitor all the computers in their classroom and see what students are doing on them. Teachers can also use this software to push images, Web sites, and other teaching resources out to all classroom computers so the entire class is viewing the same material.

Every one of those reports used to take 33 people two months to compile; now they take one person one to two days … Mark Finstrom, Director of Technology Services, Highline Public Schoolsy

“We want students and teachers to use district computer systems freely in teaching and learning and not be concerned about what’s allowed and not allowed,” Finstrom says. “With System Center monitoring and management tools, we can give students and teachers the flexibility they desire while also keeping computers and our network safe. Our goal is to use System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to quickly push out needed educational applications to classrooms, centrally manage updates, inventory software and hardware, and perform version and audit control. Soon, I hope to tie in the Windows Server 2008 Network Access Protection feature, digital rights management, and eventually move to a software-on-demand model.”

In fact, with its IT infrastructure under control, Highline has been able to begin using technology much more effectively throughout the district. Finstrom is proceeding with the rollout of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and the creation of a districtwide intranet and extranet. These online resources will provide central communications and collaboration forums for students, teachers, staff, and parents and provide an easy way for teachers to share resources with one another and with students and parents.

Finstrom is also hiring a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) manager to work with teachers to enhance the teaching of these topics with technology. “With our infrastructure under control, we can proceed with technology innovations that will really have an impact on the education students receive,” Finstrom says. “My staff is more efficient, freeing up time that we can use to help teachers use technology more effectively in the classroom. This helps teachers to be better consumers of our services and better users of technology.”

Improved Network Oversight

With a few mouse-clicks, the Highline IT staff can find machines anywhere on the network, discover what software is installed on those systems, how much memory is in a computer, what processor it is running, when it was purchased, even which purchase order it was purchased under. This insight helps the staff make wise purchasing and deployment decisions and also lets them know whether a school or classroom can support new teaching ideas that teachers request.

The staff can also better watchdog the district network against outside incursions. Recently, the staff used System Center and other tools to discover that three students were consuming 21 percent of the district’s network bandwidth playing the Quake videogame. The students had secretly established a virtual private network connection through a school server to a home computer and back through the district firewall. Finstrom was able to shut down the perpetrators immediately.

“This experience opened my eyes to the fact that there was so much about our network environment that we were previously blind to,” Finstrom says. “With System Center, we can immediately see performance aberrations or network intrusions and eliminate them.” By removing rogue programs and the frivolous use of network bandwidth, the IT staff can provide better performance for educational applications and educationally relevant Web sites and resources.

Enhanced Network Security

Plus, with a new student information system the district is deploying, parents and students will become more active users of the district’s extended network and the services it releases through tools such as Office SharePoint Server 2007. “While those services increase parent involvement and hopefully student achievement, I can’t manage their personal hardware,” Finstrom says. “With Network Access Protection, I can make sure the district’s resources are protected from inadvertent or malicious activity.”

With our infrastructure under control, we can proceed with technology innovations that will really have an impact on the education students receive. Mark Finstrom, Director of Technology Services, Highline Public Schools

The district uses System Center to detect and help eliminate other security risks. For example, the staff can immediately see if the Limewire or Napster music-sharing programs or other shareware or malware are installed on classroom computers. “Using System Center Configuration Manager 2007, we can see all these programs and remove them proactively,” Finstrom says. “We don’t want to be charged with music copyright violations or having pornography or other inappropriate content on our machines. I now know if I have 27 copies of Limewire installed in the district and can click a button in my office and delete all of them.”

Finstrom’s staff built a series of System Center Configuration Manager uninstall packages that they use to shut down renegade software versions. After IT staff members identify the offending desktop computers, they execute the uninstall package, and it removes the software from the computer’s hard drive. 

Easier Reporting

With instant insight into every computer in the district, Finstrom’s staff can far more easily fulfill growing state and federal reporting obligations. “Instead of 33 people spending two months manually inventorying the district’s technology assets, we can meet state reporting requirements in minutes,” Finstrom says. The district is also more easily able to meet a new crop of federal reporting requirements that have arisen in K-12 education to protect children from online dangers.

Improved IT Efficiency

The IT staff is just beginning to see major timesavings from centralized technology monitoring and management. The district’s lone server engineer will reap the greatest timesaving, reducing routine server management chores by several hours each week. Plus, with server management centralized and a standard console, anyone on the IT staff is prepared to address server problems. “Previously, if our server engineer was out and we had a problem with a server, we had to phone her or muddle through,” Finstrom says. “Now we all will have access to all the needed information and can methodically and proactively troubleshoot problems. With one mouse-click, we will have access to information that used to take 15 to 30 minutes to gather using a number of applications and manual processes.”

Highline has put more than 6,000 devices and applications under the watchful eye of System Center Operations Manager 2007 and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and plans to move even more devices under the programs’ management in the next18 months. “We are already seeing timesavings from new systems knowledge uncovered and expect to see more as we put more data center elements under System Center control,” Finstrom says. “As we roll out System Center more fully, we’ll see lots of hours come back to us.” The IT staff has eliminated the time it used to spend visiting, troubleshooting, rebooting, and reimaging computers. Instead, the IT staff has direct, remote access to every device, knows what software it is running, what caused it to fail, and how to rebuild it.

With its successes with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and System Center Operations Manager 2007, Highline is eager to roll out other System Center solutions. The district is deploying Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V™ virtualization technology on all new servers and plans to use virtual machines to economize on domain controllers and file-and-print servers. It will deploy Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 to simplify virtual machine management and System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 to improve data backup and create a disaster recovery location. “We’re very pleased with all that we’ve accomplished with System Center in such a short time and look forward to optimizing our infrastructure even further,” Finstrom concludes.

Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
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Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a family of leading IT management solutions that helps you proactively plan, deploy, manage, and optimize your IT environment.

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www.microsoft.com/systemcenter

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For more information about Highline Public Schools products and services, call (206) 433-0111 or visit the Web site at:
www.hsd401.org