One District’s Journey to Excellence with Follett Aspen 

Attleboro Public Schools (APS) in southeastern Massachusetts serves 6,000 students across 10 schools, with over 700 part-time and full-time educators and support staff. Committed to excellence in teaching and learning, the district recognized the need for a robust student information system (SIS) to support their mission of developing and delivering engaging, challenging, and inspiring learning experiences. 

The Challenge 

In 2009, IT Director Jonathan Plourde began searching for a new SIS to replace the district’s inflexible and cumbersome system. Plourde discovered the ideal solution in the Follett Aspen® Student Information System. After seeing its functionality in a nearby district, it became clear that Aspen was the system that could grow with APS and meet their evolving needs. 

However, implementing a new SIS amid leadership changes proved challenging. Users were hesitant to adopt Aspen, unsure of its benefits and resistant to change. 

The Solution 

The transition required strong leadership and vision, which came from the new superintendent at the time, Kenneth Sheehan. Recognizing that Aspen’s full functionality was underutilized, Sheehan hired Karen Pereira, an experienced Follett Aspen SIS programmer and project manager. Together, they spearheaded an initiative to fully leverage Aspen’s capabilities, mobilizing the central office to lead the charge and help staff overcome their resistance. 

Within six months, Aspen’s multi-functionality had significantly improved efficiency across the district. Users began to see the potential of the new system and how it was transforming their processes. 

“Aspen changed everything for Attleboro,” says Sheehan. “Even simple challenges with registration have been resolved. With our old system, we once had a situation where 127 students were told not to come to school because records showed they did not belong in the district!” 

The Results 

With the help of Aspen, Sheehan had instant access to accurate data needed to make critical decisions. The district was able to streamline state reporting needs, fully integrate HR functions, construct improved workflows, and enable a new Instructional Management System (IMS). Curriculum maps were made available to all instructional staff quickly and easily. 

“A lot of superintendents have a myopic, shallow view of their district because of limitations in their SIS,” Sheehan noted. “Aspen allowed me to tie everything together: student data, HR functions, curriculum, IEPs – all of it!” 

Pereira and the Attleboro IT team built on the foundation Plourde created, making significant improvements. Slowly but surely, objections to the new SIS dissipated as users understood the benefits and how things were changing for the better. 

About Follett Software 

Follett Software is a trusted partner for over half of America’s school districts, helping them manage everything from library resources and school assets to data and information for data-driven decision-making. Follett helps districts of all sizes track and use information and resources more efficiently, ensuring their dollars are best leveraged to help each student succeed. 

For more information on how Follett Software can support your district, visit Follett Aspen.