Dude Solutions Is Back with More Data in Their 2018 Operations Health Index

2018 Education Operations Health IndexBy now, you may have heard about Dude Solutions' annual Education Operations Health Index report. It received attention in 2017 with their first edition, and it's back this year with even more data to share with education professionals. This year, the index is based on survey responses from over 300 education leaders nationwide (a lot more than last year) from K-12, Higher Education, private and independent organizations.

To create the report, Dude Solutions surveyed education leaders about the state of their operations in important fields such as maintenance, after-hour events, energy and technology. With that information in hand, they created a data-driven report designed to give the industry an inside look at the current "health" of the education landscape and provide benchmarks that give insight into how districts and universities compare to peers nationwide.

So what changed between last fall's report and this spring's? More than you might think. In the 2018 edition, you can expect new information on topics such as:

Reporting Data

Schools are using data to make valuable shifts that lead to big changes, such as securing $675,000 in state funding by putting together an accurate report of work order data. It's easy to disagree over opinions, but it's hard to argue against facts. How do your reporting capabilities compare to our reporting benchmarks?

Control

The good news: your peers are feeling more positive about managing external factors that impact their facilities. The bad news: your peers are feeling less confident about managing internal things that should be in their control. Surprisingly enough, not all of this has to do with funding. Based on your answers, we have a feeling about where this sentiment is coming from and we'll discuss why.

Trends

It's only April and predictive maintenance (PdM) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have already become hot topics for 2018. While we label them as "trends", these movements appear to be here to stay. Some of your peers plan to implement PdM and IoT in the near future, others have never heard of it. Where does the average fall? We'll tell you what we found.

Deferred Maintenance Backlog

Studies show that there is over $500 billion in deferred maintenance in US schools, and this number will continue to grow if the focus doesn't shift to preventive maintenance. We'll go over the shift we saw in preventive maintenance from the fall, good or bad.

Community Use

Higher Education institutions and K-12 schools might have different costs associated with after-hour community use, but where does sentiment around recovering those cost stand?

Technology Concerns

Already, there is one thing that IT leaders say is 64 percent more important this year than it was last year. Can you guess what it is?

Dude Solutions' motivation in developing this report was simple: data matters. Data helps us see where we've been and where we are, what's working and what's not. Most importantly, it helps us see where we need to go and enables us to justify the changes to get us there. Data empowers leaders to continuously improve.

Many schools across the country are already using data to transform their operations, and they're experiencing impressive results. Check out the 2018 Education Operations Health Index report to see what your peers had to say and learn how you can put data to work for you to transform your operations in 2018.

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Receives $2.5M Donation Toward Renovation Project

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced that it has accepted a $2.5-million donation that will transform Pence Hall into the home of the university’s College of Communication and Information, according to a news release.

  • Minnesota District Completes Major Renovations, Expansions to High School

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced that it has completed the renovation and expansion of White Bear Lake Area High School, according to a news release. The school’s final addition, a new 845-seat Performing Arts Center, was finished in November.

  • Massachusetts Charter School Opens New Academic Building

    The Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) in Marlborough, Mass., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new academic building, according to a news release. The 17,000-square-foot space will serve as a classroom and science lab building for the student population of almost a thousand in grades 6–12.

  • Michigan School District Installs New Gun-Detection Platform

    Williamston Community Schools in Williamston, Mich., recently announced that it has installed the ZeroEyes gun-detection video analytics platform for its five schools, according to a news release. ZeroEyes is the only solution of its kind with a U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation and adds an AI gun-detection and intelligent situational awareness software layer into existing school security cameras.