We are increasingly relying on technology today for nearly everything, and the education industry is no different. Without reliable tech, or an effective means of communication, schools and school districts risk falling behind, thereby losing the support of parents and teachers. But with all the new technologies today, it’s hard to tell which products work, and which ones were designed specifically for K-12 education. “Unfortunately, many technology providers in the K-12 arena are simply designing products on a whiteboard,” says Ender Tortop, CEO of Educational Networks, “instead of visiting schools, seeing directly how schools are really functioning, and then developing products.”

Tortop leads the New York City-based software company Educational Networks, also known as “EduNet” to its customer base, in developing its signature product “SchoolSitePro,” a Content Management System (CMS) designed specifically for K-12 schools. Having been in the educational technology industry for over a decade, he knows what schools and their leaders need, and that is an effective way to communicate. “Today, it’s all about a school’s website. Prospective parents are going there before making a decision on where to send their child to school, and current parents and staff are visiting to keep track of what’s happening. The whole community is involved,” he says. That’s why he believes it’s imperative that a school website be fully functional and able to support a variety of modules, such as teacher pages, photo albums, calendars and news, homework assignments, and video streaming. These modules, he says, specifically fit what K-12 schools need, and are also what Educational Networks offers.

But beyond the product itself, Tortop also believes in the overall usability and experience. “Of course we want to sell our product, but we also want to make sure schools are using it, and using it effectively,” he says.The Educational Networks team is prone to personally visiting with school administrators to give demos and evaluate whether their product can meet that school’s specific needs.