TransACT Blog

(Seattle, WA, February 21, 2020) TransACT Communications, LLC (“TransACT”), a leading SaaS provider of engagement, compliance and payment solutions for the education market, has received a strategic growth investment from the Polaris Growth Fund (“PGF”). PGF is a software-focused, specialized affiliate fund of Polaris Partners, a Boston-based private investment firm with two decades of technology investing experience.

Supporting parent and family engagement compliance with a mobile-centric, secure, trackable, integrated, and inclusive update to our software. 

We are launching significantly enhanced features and capabilities to the TransACT^® ParentNotices interface. This is the next step in our overall mission to provide state departments of education, school district administrators, and local teachers with the latest technology to help manage compliance with parent and family engagement laws under ESSA, Section 504, and IDEA, as well as in service to students and families throughout our communities. 

Just before the holidays, the US Congress passed, and Trump signed an appropriations bill into law that funds education for the 2020-2021 school year. The funding for education includes increases for many programs with a $1.3 Billion increase overall. School districts that receive Title I, Title III, or other federal education program funding will likely see an increase in per-pupil funding in the 20-21 school year. More information about funding levels for specific programs can be found in this Education Week article.

Student achievement is the goal of any effective parent-school communications plan. Students perform better when parents and families play an active role in their education, and student outcomes across the district improve as a result of increased parent and family engagement. In an increasingly digital world, the method of delivery for parent communications (paper, email, portal, native apps, or text messaging) can have a surprising impact on parent engagement, and also equity initiatives within the district.

TransACT’s Parent Notices team looks forward to the National ESEA Conference every year. It gives us the opportunity to meet with and learn more about our current customers as well as stay up to date on the topics that are at the forefront for educators working in ESEA (ESSA) programs across the country. We’ve poured over the schedule and wanted to provide you with some presentations that we think would be worth checking out at the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrator's Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, February 4-7, 2020. 

In 2004, the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS) set out to create a framework for measurement and analysis in school district operations and to help district business leaders think strategically about how to improve processes, conserve resources, and positively impact student achievement while managing the school district budget. In conjunction with TransACT, CGCS founded the ActPoint® KPI Project. For more than a decade, districts nationwide piloted the KPIs, and results are compared annually. 

Continuing Our Tradition of Support as Official Partner of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Edmonton Chapter  

Edmonton, Canada – RightLabs (a TransACT Communications brand) the customer-friendly, easy-to-use event registration software is pleased to join the Association of Fundraising Professionals -Edmonton Chapter in celebrating National Philanthropy Day November 21, 2019.  

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) resulted in significant changes for requirements related to students in foster care in both the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Title I of the ESEA/ESSA.  

In today’s progressively diverse districts, it is increasingly complicated for school systems to ensure compliance with the federal communication and language requirements for parent notices, school forms, campus-wide signs, and important school-to-home messaging. An education compliance solution such as TransACT Parent Notices provides school and district staff with instant access to compliant communications in priority languages to improve district communications, compliance, and parent and family engagement.

Making the Grade for Students Experiencing Homelessness

We all share the same mission, to provide the best services we can and help students succeed. It is easy to get swept away in the day-to-day of running a district, or Coordinating Title I, Title III, and McKinney-Vento programming or becoming caught up in an overwhelming amount of data without knowing where you can make a further positive impact.