Entries by TFE

School IT planning must start early

IT planning for school budgets and projects usually starts early if schools hope to accomplish their goals for the upcoming year. Every year, school districts adopt their budgets and tax rates per the Texas Tax Code. They can choose from fiscal years that run from July 1 through June 30 or September 1 through August […]

Tips to enhance your school’s physical security

Maintaining physical security in a school to ensure the safety of its staff and students is a priority for any institution. Although many schools have continuously beefed up security to face various threats, research shows that more still needs to be done. A report published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics reveals some rather unsettling […]

TFE helps schools keep up with advances in physical security

Advancements in physical security make protecting schools a more effective process. With cyber attacks on the rise, many schools focus their efforts on protecting their digital assets. Overlooking physical campus security can be a mistake. Students and staff must feel safe and secure while on campus. Historically, physical security has included guards, locks, physical barriers, […]

How to boost onsite and offsite learning

Connectivity plays a significant role in a school’s ability to boost onsite and offsite learning for its students. There was a time when accessing personal devices and a reliable internet connection wasn’t needed to enhance education. The recent pandemic has helped shine a light on what most school technology professionals have known for some time: […]

Does your school need a network assessment?

Technology is great — when it works. Firewalls, routers, switches, servers, and all the technology your school relies on to deliver a quality education will eventually break or become obsolete. Waiting until one of these critical systems crashes is the wrong approach. Conducting a network assessment is the most effective preventative measure schools can take. […]

What qualifies for E-rate funding?

The COVID-19 pandemic led many schools to digitize their learning processes through virtual classrooms. Online learning was only intended as a placeholder until schools eventually reopened after the pandemic. Still, this trend has now taken root in many of our schools. Analysts believe that the use of online tools in the classroom and virtual learning […]

Maximize your e-rate funds in 5 steps

E-rate funds help level the playing field for school districts in Texas and across the U.S. by making information and telecommunications services more affordable. As more schools incorporate digital applications and tools into their curriculums, access to reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides eligible […]

E-rate updates: What’s new in the next wave of funding

The E-rate program is a government-funded initiative that provides up to 90 percent discounts to eligible schools and libraries for IT and internet-related purchases. E-rate’s goal is to ensure that all schools and libraries have access to high-speed broadband internet and information systems. Only non-profit elementary and secondary schools are eligible for E-rate discounts. For-profit […]

Security monitoring for your school’s campus

Investing in a modern security system for your campuses is the first significant step to providing a safe physical learning environment. So your system records and can alert on events, but then what? Is your organization prepared to react when events take place?  When sending their children to school, parents are trusting the school to […]