EdTech Playbook: The District Website

#Technology

Casey Thompson

by Casey Thompson

Casey Thompson Web & Digital Media Manager

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You have a website. But is it doing you more harm than good?

The worlds of marketing and education have never been as closely entwined as they are today. School choice, family mobility, and a growing need to attract and retain high performers are just some of the factors driving this symbiotic relationship.

As you take steps to build your district’s brand, the one public-facing resource that will serve as the cornerstone for your efforts is the website. We’ve all seen the traditional, cookie-cutter template – those overwhelming, text-heavy home pages, the old menu drop-downs designed for who-knows-what audience, and the boxy, spreadsheet-looking layouts broken up by the occasional photo slideshow. It’s early-generation Web 2.0 – an archaic remnant of a very different Internet than the one we know today.

The path to a world-class website may not be clear at first glance, but it’s one that has been paved by those who came before. Let's take a look at the four most critical elements of an outstanding website.

1) Navigation

2) Accessibility

3) Content

4) Branding

Find Your Inspiration

It's not always easy to visualize your next steps without some inspiration to draw from. To that end we scoured the Internet for ten stunning district websites from ten different states. Click the link below to see them for yourself: