Web Watch

Everyone knows that students are often able to give teachers a hand with technology, but this is probably going above and beyond: A 17-year-old computer whiz in California has launched a new Web-based classroom management software program in hopes of simplifying teachers’ lives, according to the Contra Costa Times.

Now a junior at El Segundo High School, Shahan Khan began working on the program when he was in 7th grade, prompted by teachers’ complaints about their current management system.

“I decided teachers need a program that’s really easy to use,” he said. “That’s what inspired me to make it.” (You probably won’t be surprised to learn, incidentally, that Kahn is a straight-A student.)

The program, called GPA Software, allows teachers to track student grades, attendance, and disciplinary actions. They can also manage their schedules, upload lessons, and analyze statistics. Parents and students can be given controlled access so they can monitor assignments and grades and contact the teacher.

Kahn’s venture has been supported largely by his father, a restaurant employee who works nights as a baggage-loader at Los Angeles’ International Airport. “I’m really trying to make this thing work [so I can] pay my dad back for what he’s invested,” says Kahn, who puts in about 20 hours a week on his company, after school and on weekends.

So far, he has about 100 clients.