Chamber Launches Education Management Information System (EMIS)
Knox County Schools, the Knoxville Chamber, and Follett Software Company recently launched the Education Management Information System that had been under development for the last eighteen months. EMIS, which includes a data warehouse to tie all sources of student and system data together, is enabling Knox County administrators and teachers to make data-supported and well-informed decisions about the future direction of the school system and each individual student.
Knox County’s EMIS is the first of its kind in the country. Along with student and academic data, the system incorporates financial information.
“EMIS is vital to our area because it will enable school teachers and administrators to work smarter and more effectively in developing our future workforce,” said Jennifer Evans, Chamber director of workforce development and education.
“Decisions affecting schools and families will be informed by relevant and recent information, which will ultimately improve individual student performance. EMIS will also play an important role in fulfilling the objectives and goals of the Knox County Schools’ 5-year strategic plan.”
Traditionally, school districts collect massive amounts of data but struggle to transform that data into useable knowledge. This leads to schools, district administrators, principals, and teachers finding themselves forced into “data free” decision making, instead of “knowledge based” decision-making. EMIS allows Knox County to transform data into information and information into knowledge for action and decision-making.
EMIS project manager Gary Spencer says the system will provide the appropriate information gathering tools for teachers and administrators throughout the school system.
“We’ve found out what the school system’s information needs are and set up a way to satisfy these needs,” he said. “The EMIS process frees up time spent gathering data and information so that teacher, principals, and counselors can do their jobs. The database quickly supplies desired information to help differentiate instruction needed for each individual student in the school system.”