Joan Lawson, Director of Special Education at Issaquah School District in Washington, was frustrated by the rigidity of her IEP platform. They were constantly having to find workarounds and had trouble matching students’ needs to what their programs would look like.
About Issaquah:
Student population: 20,965
Schools: 24
Location: WA
Solutions used:
EmbraceIEP®
Prior to Embrace®, Issaquah struggled with user-friendly access and constantly having to find workarounds with their last IEP system.
After they chose Embrace® software, they saw the following benefits:
- system was accessible from any device, anywhere
- staff could reach out to customer support directly when they needed assistance
- staff could watch training videos and access an online knowledge base at any time
- system was tailored to specific district needs
The Problem:
Getting things done on the last IEP system was a challenge for the Issaquah staff .
"Trying to access our last system was really difficult from diff erent devices. It did not play nice with other equipment," said Lawson.
The district staff wanted something much more user-friendly and Embrace® came with pleasant surprises that exceeded their expectations.
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Joan Lawson
Director of Special Education
"I tell people to call. It makes it easier. They promise to answer by the second ring and they do!"
The Goal:
Fast customer support and compliance were one of the key features Issaquah wanted from the new software.
Lawson stated, “It’s about developing and drafting a program that works for kids.”
"Embrace® is so much easier and much more flexible. I didn’t realize this was a lifesaver, or that we were even looking for this, but when we realized you could access it from your phone, iPad, Mac, or PC, it was a game changer."
Joan Lawson
Director of Special Education
“...it’s so easy to transfer IEPs from other districts that are on Embrace®. Oh, my lord. I wish our state would switch over to Embrace® and make every district use it. That would be nice.”
Superintendent Tow-Yick Visits District Schools
The Solution:
Staying compliant and up-to-date with all the state regulations
Lawson appreciates the response time and compliance of Embrace®, especially when it comes to changes required by state law. “Embrace® is super responsive, so when we have a consortium meeting…once a vote goes through, holy cow is it fast.”
Superior customer service
"The other thing that makes it so flexible is that staff don’t have to rely on me or another point person at the administration building to have something done or changed. They can call and email [Embrace®] which is huge. Staff love that they can reach out to customer service. Having that backup of help is really nice and super fast."
She felt there were never any questions, just full support when they needed something.
“I tell people to call. It makes it easier. They promise to answer by the second ring and they do! I tell the sta ff to go ahead and test it out. It’s true, they will answer quickly – 20 minutes for an email or they will pick up on the second ring.”
Access to the system from any device
"We didn’t realize we were looking for this, but I remember when I realized this, I brought my iPad and I showed it to our former boss and she responded with ‘Oh, my god’ because it really is exactly the same as if I logged in on my computer!”
On-demand customization
"It can be tailored to our district without it impacting other districts. I think that’s a phenomenal piece of this. It’s the same system, but it can be tailored and I think that’s huge. Districts are given the ability to run special education within this sandbox and everyone draws in the sand a little di fferently… Oh, and it’s so easy to transfer IEPs from other districts that are on Embrace®. Oh, my lord. I wish our state would switch over to Embrace® and make every district use it. That would be nice.”
Lawson consulted with other school districts prior to signing on with Embrace®. She mentioned that directors and other staff at FIFE and Sequim school districts “...raved about the platform and said that this makes life so much easier."
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"...when we realized you could access it from your phone, iPad, Mac, or PC, it was a game changer. Trying to access our last system was really difficult from different devices."
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