Small Team Success: Using Integrated Edtech to Connect Schools and Streamline Processes

Managing Chaos Across Multiple Schools

Ascension Catholic Academy, a consortium of four Catholic schools in Minneapolis/St. Paul, serves 735 students from diverse neighborhoods with a team of 147 staff members. For nearly a decade, they juggled multiple systems—TADS for enrollment and Educate for student information—which meant inconsistent processes, wasted time, and data headaches.  

“I had to log into TADS and Educate separately for each school—six different logins back then,” recalls Ben Justin, Data and Assessment Coordinator at Ascension Catholic Academy. “There was also a lot of work involved in trying to get grades and report cards updated. There were some good things with those programs, but only pretty good.” 

This patchwork approach created challenges at every level: 

• Inconsistent Systems: Data was siloed across platforms, making it difficult to compile reports or maintain consistency. 
• Wasted Time: Logging in and navigating different systems slowed down day-to-day operations. 
• Teacher Onboarding Challenges: New hires faced confusion navigating multiple platforms. 
• Administrative Burden: Tasks like updating grades or pulling attendance data were inefficient and prone to errors. 

When a grant opportunity arose providing funding to switch to PowerSchool’s integrated software ecosystem, Ascension Catholic Academy invested in their future—and they haven’t looked back.  

All four schools now use PowerSchool Perform for teacher evaluations, PowerSchool SIS to manage student data, and Curriculum & Instruction for lesson planning (the Rectory/Central Operations also use PowerSchool Perform). In addition, three schools (Ascension, St John Paul II, and St Peter Claver) are using PowerSchool Enrollment for online enrollment, and a subset of Ascension after-school middle schoolers are using Naviance CCLR to help plan for their futures. 

Improved Efficiency: Simplifying Day-to-Day Operations

Switching to PowerSchool has transformed Ascension Catholic Academy’s operations, making their small technology team far more efficient. They’ve gained a powerful, consistent toolset by consolidating multiple systems into one platform.  

 “Now, I have one login to pull data across all four schools. It’s just super convenient,” says Justin. 

 PowerSchool’s interoperable platform enables: 

• Streamlined Reporting: Reports like attendance or performance metrics are created once and instantly accessible across all schools. 
• Attendance Automation: The PowerSchool SchoolMessenger robocall system notifies parents of absences immediately, freeing front office staff to focus on building relationships with families. 
• Centralized Management: “If I create a new attendance report or something else, I don’t have to recreate it four times,” Justin explains. “I do it once, and all four schools can access it.” 

This newfound efficiency means more time for impactful work. Teachers, for instance, can focus on classroom instruction instead of struggling with clunky systems. 

“PowerSchool keeps all four campuses connected and able to share information about how to manage the school’s administration more efficiently,” says Justin. “Part of the staff floats across all four schools, so it’s nice to have consistent systems.” 

Customization for Unique Needs

PowerSchool’s flexibility has been a game-changer for Ascension Catholic Academy. Unlike their previous systems, PowerSchool allows for customized fields and seamless data transfers.  

“With TADS and Educate, custom fields couldn’t carry over. That caused mismatches in the information we collect like race, ethnicity, or religious data,” Justin recalls. “Now, I can create fields in PowerSchool Enrollment and deliver them across the whole system, including PowerSchool SIS (student information system).” 

PowerSchool allows for better data aggregation and customization, enabling Ascension staff to create consistent systems and reports across all four schools. This has simplified management and improved data integrity. 

And customization doesn’t just solve past issues—it future-proofs their operations. “Our data questions are getting more detailed every year. With PowerSchool, I know we can adapt to whatever comes next,” Justin says. “I’ve really enjoyed how customizable the system is and how much we can adapt it to our changing needs.” 

One-Stop Shop: Empowering Staff through Integrated Tools

One of the most significant impacts of PowerSchool has been on teachers and principals. The platform’s App Switcher allows educators to move seamlessly between tools for curriculum, student information, and employee performance management.  

“They get to spend more time on what increases scholar learning instead of navigating multiple logins,” says Justin. 

PowerSchool Perform, the academy’s teacher evaluation tool, has revolutionized how principals coach teachers, allowing them to check in on teachers and prepare for classroom observations efficiently. It supports frequent, focused feedback throughout the year, making evaluations more impactful.  

“Principals have a one-stop shop to check in on teachers, prepare for classroom observations, and provide actionable next steps,” Justin explains. “Early feedback from teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. They feel more supported.” 

For a complete, consistent HR management system, the academy is also in the process of implementing and customizing PowerSchool Applicant Tracking to streamline hiring and PowerSchool Employee Records for records management.  

PowerSchool SchoolMessenger Communicate provides a consistent system for timely communication with teachers and families. SchoolMessenger attendance robocalls have improved communication with parents and reduced the administrative burden on front office staff, allowing them to focus on building relationships with families.  

“SchoolMessenger can provide instant feedback to parents, which frees up the front offices to spend more time communicating with families in a way that’s building relationships, understanding their needs, and finding out how we can support them,” says Rob Hahn, Director of Communications and Enrollment. “Having a consistent system has really made things much more efficient.” 

Data Security and Reliable Hosting

With PowerSchool SIS’s cloud-hosted platform, Ascension Catholic Academy enjoys peace of mind with reduced risk, increased data security, and decreased burden on technical staff. This reliability ensures that critical information—whether incident reports or family communications—is stored safely and accessed only when needed. 

“Having everything hosted by PowerSchool means updates and security are taken care of,” says Justin. “We’ve only had two outages in six years. Sensitive data is secure, and only authorized users can access it. This ensures data integrity and compliance with privacy standards.” 

Benefits of PowerSchool Hosting include:  

• Automatic Updates: Regular updates and maintenance are handled by the PowerSchool server. 
• Reliability and Security: Secure data storage with embedded data security, ensuring only authorized teachers can access student information. 
• Incident and Communication Management: Secure storage of incident reports and family communications within the student’s record. 

Results: A Cohesive, Connected Academy

Since transitioning to PowerSchool, Ascension Catholic Academy has seen measurable improvements, including consistency across schools. Staff at each location now work with the same tools and processes, simplifying collaboration. 

Operations are streamlined, administrative time has decreased, and data accuracy has improved.  

Plus, teachers are receiving better support with HR tools to enhance onboarding and coaching, leading to stronger classroom performance. 

“The consistency and customization we’ve gained with PowerSchool have been game-changing,” Justin says. “From enrollment to reporting to teacher feedback, everything works seamlessly. It’s a system we can rely on now—and as we grow.” By embracing PowerSchool’s integrated edtech solutions, Ascension Catholic Academy has not only overcome its operational challenges but also built a foundation for future success. Small teams can achieve big results when they have the right tools and partnerships. 

As Ben puts it, “PowerSchool has connected our campuses in ways that weren’t possible before. It’s given us the consistency, efficiency, and confidence we needed to move forward.”