Every school runs on student data now. Attendance, schedules, grades, transcripts, state reporting, parent communication. It all lives inside your Student Information System. When that system is set up properly and supported consistently, staff can trust the data and move quickly. When it isn’t, small errors turn into big problems during reporting cycles.
“Student data drives decisions at every level. If your SIS isn’t supported properly, accuracy slips and reporting becomes a scramble.” — Joe Breen, VP of Client Growth at Cantey Tech Consulting
That’s why SIS support matters. It helps educators protect data accuracy, meet compliance requirements, and avoid last-minute scrambling when deadlines hit.
The Role of Student Information Systems in Modern Education
A Student information system, often called an SIS, is the system schools rely on to manage student records and the operational processes tied to those records. It is not simply a digital filing cabinet. A modern SIS supports the workflows that keep a school functioning each day, and it often connects to other platforms that staff and families use regularly.
SIS platforms such as PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, Aspen, Synergy, and EduCore typically manage:
- student enrollment and registration
- attendance tracking and reporting
- schedules and course assignments
- grade entry and progress reporting
- report cards and transcripts
- compliance and state reporting submissions
In practice, the SIS is the source of truth for student information. When the data inside the system is clean and current, staff can make decisions confidently and move through administrative tasks efficiently. When the data is fragmented or inaccurate, schools experience delays, confusion, and unnecessary rework.
Why SIS Platforms Are Becoming More Important Than Ever
Student Information Systems have become a core part of school infrastructure, and the market growth reflects it. The Student Information System Market was valued at USD 15.44 billion in 2025 and is estimated to grow from USD 17.7 billion in 2026 to reach USD 34.97 billion by 2031.
Cloud adoption is driving much of this momentum. Cloud deployments held a 72% share of the SIS market in 2025, showing how quickly districts are shifting toward scalable, accessible platforms.
For educators, this change raises the stakes. Cloud SIS platforms can improve access and efficiency, but they also increase complexity in areas like integrations, permissions, and data governance. Without consistent support, it becomes easier for data standards to slip and harder to keep reporting clean across schools and departments.
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Why Student Data Accuracy Is Critical
Student data accuracy is not only an administrative requirement. It directly affects funding, compliance, and student support. A well-managed SIS reduces the risk of errors and helps schools operate with consistency, even during the busiest times of year.
1. Funding and Compliance
State and federal reporting deadlines depend on accurate student records. When data is missing, duplicated, or entered inconsistently, reporting becomes more difficult and time-consuming. In many cases, errors are discovered only when submissions fail or when reports do not align with expected totals, which forces staff into last-minute correction cycles.
Strong SIS processes reduce this risk by keeping data structured and reporting-ready throughout the year, rather than requiring major cleanup right before deadlines.
2. Student Success
Teachers and school teams rely on timely, accurate information to track progress, identify learning gaps, and support students who need interventions. If attendance, grades, or program indicators are inaccurate, staff may not see the full picture, which can delay support and reduce the effectiveness of instruction planning.
Clean SIS data improves visibility and makes it easier to respond to student needs quickly.
3. Operational Efficiency
A well-managed SIS reduces administrative burden by creating consistent workflows for enrollment, scheduling, reporting, and record management. When the SIS is not properly supported, staff often compensate by using manual workarounds, maintaining separate spreadsheets, or double-checking information across systems.
Those workarounds create additional workload and increase the chance of errors. Over time, they also reduce trust in the SIS itself.
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Challenges Educators Face Without Proper SIS Support
SIS platforms are powerful, but they are not always intuitive. Features change. Workflows evolve. Reporting rules shift. Staff turnover adds additional strain. Without proper training and consistent support, schools can struggle to maintain clean data standards across departments and campuses.
Common challenges include:
- data entry mistakes, especially when processes are unclear or inconsistent
- missed deadlines, often caused by last-minute data cleanup and reporting failures
- high stress during reporting cycles, when staff are forced to troubleshoot under pressure
- lost funding opportunities, when reporting issues delay submissions or create inaccuracies
In many schools, the issue is not effort. It is bandwidth. Educators and administrators already manage heavy workloads. Without structured SIS support, it becomes difficult to maintain data accuracy while also meeting daily responsibilities.
How Professional SIS Support Helps Schools Stay Accurate and Audit-Ready
SIS support is most effective when it is proactive and structured, rather than reactive. It should help schools prevent problems, not simply respond after issues appear.
At Cantey Tech Consulting, SIS support is designed to help schools strengthen accuracy, simplify reporting, and build repeatable processes that hold up under pressure.
Our dedicated team provides:
1. Hands-On Training
Training ensures staff understand the correct workflows for entering and managing data. This improves consistency and reduces errors. It also helps teams feel more confident using advanced SIS features instead of avoiding them.
2. Side-by-Side Support With Weekly Check-Ins
Weekly support provides ongoing guidance to keep data clean and reporting deadlines on track. This approach helps schools catch issues early, before they become large-scale problems that require major rework.
3. Custom Plans for Reporting, Audits, and Compliance
Every district has unique reporting requirements and internal processes. Custom SIS support helps schools align workflows to state reporting expectations and prepare for audits with stronger documentation and data standards.
4. PowerSchool Expertise
PowerSchool is widely used and highly capable, but many teams only use a portion of what the platform can deliver. Expert support helps schools maximise the platform’s value while reducing common errors that appear in reporting, transcripts, and data exports.
5. Project Support for High-Impact SIS Work
Some tasks require focused time and technical experience, especially when they fall outside a school team’s daily capacity. This includes:
- standards setup
- report cards
- imports and exports
Project support helps schools complete these “must-do” items accurately and efficiently, without pulling staff away from higher priority responsibilities.
Practical Steps to Strengthen SIS Performance This Term
| High-Impact Step | What It Helps You Do |
| Standardise data entry workflows across teams | Align on how key fields should be entered and maintained. |
| Assign clear ownership for high-impact data fields | Decide who owns enrollment updates, attendance corrections, and program tracking. |
| Review permissions and user roles | Ensure staff access matches responsibilities and reduces accidental changes. |
| Run regular data validation checks | Use weekly reviews to catch issues early and reduce reporting stress later. |
| Prepare for reporting deadlines with checkpoints | Avoid last-minute cleanup by building a simple reporting calendar. |
| Confirm imports, exports, and integrations are working correctly | Prevent data mapping errors that create silent issues and surface too late. |
These steps help schools build SIS processes that are repeatable, reliable, and easier to maintain year-round.
Final Thoughts: Strong SIS Support Builds Stronger Schools
Student data is more than numbers. It is the foundation for educational success, and it only works when your SIS is accurate, consistent, and supported year-round.
When student records stay clean, reporting becomes predictable, staff spend less time fixing preventable issues, and educators can focus on teaching instead of troubleshooting.
With more than 25 years of IT experience, Cantey Tech Consulting helps schools strengthen SIS workflows, improve data accuracy, and reduce reporting stress through structured support that fits your environment.
Contact us to strengthen your SIS strategy, improve PowerSchool performance, and build a process your team can rely on during every reporting cycle.