New York Interschool

Non Profit Organization
The Interschool Program
http://www.interschool.org

Company:
This non-profit is a consortium of eight Manhattan independent schools. The purpose of Interschool is to facilitate communication and sharing of the resources and talents of each of the schools. In addition to facilitating dialog, it helps recruit suitable staff from diverse backgrounds and young teachers for their fellows program.

Requirements:
The initial aim of the Web site was to make the recruiting process easier while demonstrating the organization’s technological savvy.

The organization wanted to receive resumes and cover letters in their original format. Once this information was collected they sought to select who, of the eight schools, would look at the different resumes. This all had to be carried out by people who were not IT professionals; so, ease of use was very important.

The second part of the project was to offer a secure forum (message board) for the staff and student body to discuss important issues. The area had to be secure as many of the users would be children and adolescents. The schools also wanted to monitor what was being published.

Solutions:
A user friendly Web site was built that outlines the programs offered and gives the potential candidate the ability to upload their resume and cover letter. This information is loaded into a database and an email is sent to the administrator. If the candidate passes the initial overview, they are given a user name and password and asked to complete an in-depth application.

All of this information is stored in the database. Once the information is collected the administrator recommends the candidate to relevant school personnel.

The second part of the project allows students and faculty to have a secure community in which they can discuss subjects of interest. A message board with secure access was developed requiring students to register before taking part in any forum. Registration only lasts for one school year.

Results:
The result is a savings in materials and time. The candidates like using the system, and staff evaluating them are no longer burdened with piles of paper. Before the Web site was built, the resumes, cover letters and application forms would have to be mailed or couriered. The Web site sped up the whole process. Now the administrator simply selects the name of the people that need to look at the information and sends out an email.

Confidentiality is controlled by the administrator at the click of a button. The administrator determines who can review the site and how much they can see.

Finally, the message board has given the organizations and students the ability to form a community and offers a place to communicate problems and find solutions.