Schools depend on everyone - teachers, paraprofessionals, other staff, plus of course the students - operating on the same schedule. Traditionally this has been done with a master/slave clock system.

The master clock in the office is set to the correct time and the slave clocks in each classroom automatically update. However a new type of school clock that ties into the school's computer network is proving to have many advantages over the old system.

No Master Clock:

The master clock principle is fine, as long as the master clock is working. If the master clock stops, all school clocks stop as well. The entire system of bells and classroom schedules are thrown out of kilter. Network clocks get the correct time over the school's computer network. They typically ask the school's main server for the time. However if that server is down, they can ask any time server anywhere on the internet.

Fast Time Updates:

Master school clocks update slave clocks only once an hour. If a particular clock is running especially slow or fast, it can read well off the correct time before it's corrected. Network clocks can be set to query much more often, so they can never drift more than 200 milliseconds off the correct network time.

Automatic Updates:

Time servers automatically adjust for daylight savings time, and all network clocks do the same. No longer does someone have to manually change the master clock. Also, if there is a power failure, all classroom clocks will update as soon as power returns. In fact, they may be able to maintain the correct time during a power failure due to the next feature.

Power Over Ethernet (PoE):

Network school clocks don't get their power from an electric socket. They draw power over the computer network. This means they can be installed into new rooms more cheaply, since the school won't have to hire an electrician to run electric cables. If the network has a UPS power backup, the clocks will continue to show the correct time even in a power failure.

Full Integration:

School clocks are no longer on their own system. They use the same time servers as any other network based device, including the school's website. They are not only synchronized with each other, they are synchronized with every other clock that gets its time signal over the internet. Since most cell phones synchronize with the same signal, your students can't claim they are late because their cell phone clock reads differently than the school clock!

Schools are rapidly moving to the next technology. These advantages plus the affordability of the school clocks make them a favorite choice for budget-conscious school administrators.