In May 2022, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest school district in the United States, faced challenges with their COVID tracking and health data system. The system was clunky, difficult to customize, and expensive to maintain for a student population of over 500,000. LAUSD administrators sought proposals for a managed service to reduce technology infrastructure costs and redirect funds to support teachers and students. Kokomo24/7, an EdTech platform focused on creating safer schools, partnered with LAUSD and utilized Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a cost-effective health tracking platform.
LAUSD had previously worked with Kokomo on essential applications such as the Incident System Tracking Accountability Report (iSTAR) and Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting (LASAR). This partnership allowed Kokomo to propose a lighter platform tailored to education needs, providing a solution that reduced costs by 50% and improved flexibility and response times. The migration to Kokomo’s software-as-a-service platform, utilizing AWS tools like DynamoDB, S3, Lambda, and RDS, involved securely transferring 3.7 terabytes of sensitive student health data.
To ensure data visibility and actionable insights for LAUSD staff, Kokomo integrated AWS’s Kinesis with the district’s current reporting tool, Power BI on Azure. By July 31, 2023, LAUSD had fully transitioned to Kokomo’s solution, resulting in significant cost savings and improved responsiveness to change requests. The collaboration between Kokomo and LAUSD’s IT team led to a 30% increase in response times, demonstrating a shared commitment to student and staff well-being.
Looking ahead, Kokomo aims to enhance health and safety technology in schools by introducing new stackable functionalities to streamline responses to student health crises. They are currently piloting their solution with another school district with the support of AWS, allowing for quick scalability while remaining cost-effective for K12 and higher education institutions.
In conclusion, the successful partnership between Kokomo24/7, LAUSD, and AWS has transformed the district’s health data system, demonstrating cost savings, improved flexibility, and enhanced responsiveness. This collaboration exemplifies the potential of technology integration in education to prioritize student well-being and safety. As Kokomo continues to innovate in the EdTech space, their commitment to affordable and efficient solutions for school districts remains a driving force in improving educational environments.
Article Source
https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/publicsector/aws-partner-kokomo24-7-transforms-los-angeles-unified-school-districts-health-data-system-in-one-year/
