Although a few books are available on the use of computers in the school office, this book is the first one addressing the topic of computer-assisted school information systems (SISs) for an international audience, based on both practical and scientific international collaborative research. This book:
• analyzes the nature of SISs, their intended benefits and history;
• presents the development strategies and the characteristics of three SISs that are widely used in various parts of the world;
• reviews what has been learned from the research over the last decade to inform successful design and implementation of SISs;
• presents exciting perspectives on the future of SISs from experts, vendors, and users; and
• reflects on what needs to be done to promote the full utilization of SISs by clerical and managerial school staff through better system design, user support, and continuing research.
The book has been written for an international audience of students, researchers, system designers and implementers, practitioners and policy-makers in developing as well as in developed countries. It will also be of benefit to professionals in the field of school administration and school management to help them promote better use of SIS in their own context by learning from the experience of others.