North Star Academy's a new kind of school, offering a challenging educational regime designed for top–ranking students. And there's no place at North Star for old school data management methods — not when there's FileMaker Pro, the award winning database software application from FileMaker Inc.

Business Challenge

Located in Redwood City, California, North Star Academy is an academic magnet school. Its curriculum is designed to attract the best and brightest of the area's third–through–eighth grade students, with enrollment open only to students ranked in the 85th percentile or above on standardized tests. Students are enrolled in core subjects of Math, Science, Language Arts and Social Studies but these curriculums are compacted which allows for time each day for the Enrichment Program which has exciting courses such as Shakespeare, Video Production, Jazz, Current Events Debate, Storytelling, and similar subjects. All these courses are based on student interest. And behind the scenes, an array of FileMaker Pro databases helps pull it all together.

That's due to the efforts of Will Lucey — who doubles as North Star's Assistant Principal and Curriculum Resource. "I use FileMaker Pro for a lot of things," Will explains, "but the first was to build a database of student interests for use in planning classes in our Enrichment Program. This program offers different classes to fit the interests of the students — and each student can choose three specific areas of interest in determining what class they'll get. Using the database to match students with classes is much easier than assigning classes on paper!"

Successful Solution

That system now includes a number of useful refinements, including an application called the "Interestalyzer," which automates the process of gathering information on what every student in the school likes to do the most. "Students can go into the lab and log onto a FileMaker questionnaire," Will continues, "and this asks them a series of questions designed to explore their interests. For example, one question is 'if you could invite any three people out of history to dinner, who would they be?' Another asks 'what things do you like to collect in your spare time?' And another asks 'are you interested in sports?' This information goes into the database, and helps us design Enrichment classes that target the students' interests — for example, we might find some students are especially interested in certain areas of technology, while others are interested in drama. We can then develop Enrichment classes based on those subjects."

I use FileMaker Pro for a lot of things but the first was to build a database of student interests for use in planning classes in our Enrichment Program. This program offers different classes to fit the interests of the students — and each student can choose three specific areas of interest in determining what class they'll get. Using the database to match students with classes is much easier than assigning classes on paper!

— Will Lucey, Assistant Principal/Curriculum Resource, North Star Academy

FileMaker Pro is used for other purposes as well. The schools' basic student information database is a FileMaker system — storing personnel–type information for every pupil. Another database stores disciplinary information — lending a whole new meaning to the term "your permanent record." And still another database is part of the school's Math Achievement Program — tracking the progress of each student enrolled in this challenging course, and drawing the attention of teachers to students who need particular attention.