There are a handful of technology companies that are trying to build a social network around schools and education. Most of them have fallen short though, by trying to mimick a Facebook for XX school. While novel in their approach and idea, at it’s roots a Facebook style social network for schools misses the communication context that’s needed across a school community.

To really engage a community of like minded parents, teachers, administrators and students a good platform would borrow from the kinds of social tools used at rock concerts, conferences and festivals. An app or platform that said hey I’m here at this event (think school) I want to connect with other people that are parents, and teachers at this school and I want to know what’s going on. Then I want a voice in what’s happening. I need to know where to go, what to do and when that permission slip needs to be handed in.

All of these things could be borrowed from some of the better apps we’ve actually seen or used at events like CES, SXSW or even some professional basketball and football games.

Enter Buzzmob.

Buzzmob is a private social networking app that was originally released for concert venues, sporting events, conventions and festivals, with all of those ideas in mind. It worked very well. But with most of the Buzzmob team being parents themselves they saw the need for this kind of platform in school communities. “We saw a need not only to connect but also to engage parents, teachers, and administrators.” Buzzmob’s Marketing Coordinator KJ Owens told us in an interview.

Now with an active, instead of a passive social network for schools, more gets accomplished, more gets done and more people are informed.

“The BuzzMob app is helping K-12 schools cut down on unreliable and costly forms of one-way communication, such as a take-home fliers, and changing the way schools can enhance involvement at events, connect with parents, and further their reputation as a strong foundation within the larger community.” Owens said.

The idea to take Buzzmob into the education space was validated during the 2012-2013 school year in Orange County California. ” BuzzMob saw over 60% of families engaging on the platform within just a few weeks, the strongest uptake these schools had ever seen. Increasing demands from schools all over California led to the national expansion of BuzzMob, now adopted in 27 states. Internationally, BuzzMob is active in two countries and we plan to continue expanding globally in the coming year.” Owens told us about their roll out.

Buzzmob gives schools where their platform has been implemented a 360° social experience. It’s almost an injustice to classify Buzzmob as a social network because it’s far more reaching.

In today’s busy parenting life, in a world where parents are accustomed to never stopping and doing everything on the go via their smart phone or tablet, Buzzmob puts the connection with their school in the palm of their hand and then makes it easier for parents to have the information they need when they go to the offline world of school events, PTA meetings and keeping up with their kids’ education. This level of engagement is what sets Buzzmob apart from other apps and platforms in the ed tech space. Buzzmob serves as the online/mobile hub for the school’s community.

Buzzmob’s experienced leadership team of Jeff Jackel (founder and CEO), Shawn Kernes (CTO), Edmond Wong (co-founder COO) and John Ing (CFO) are constantly innovating the platform and are preparing the official launch of Buzzmob 2.0 next month in Atlanta at the ISTE conference.

A great example of their innovation is a GPS aware function that delivers Buzzmob parents important information when they get on campus to drop off or pick up their kids. How many times has your kid left an important permission slip or other communication from the teacher in their desk, only to find out the money for the trip was due yesterday. With Buzzmob the take home notes can be delivered to the parent through the app and traditional means or when activated by GPS. Perhaps your child’s class is having an assembly in the gym or maybe doing class outside, this GPS aware function can let parents know that the minute they set foot on campus.

With all of this functionality, Buzzmob also has the infrastructure and tools in place for emergency situations as well. Again this can be done through traditional app channels or GPS aware functionality. God forbid your son or daughter’s school was on lockdown you could be notified of that via the Buzzmob app and reminded through GPS.

After reviewing several “social networks” for schools over the last three years Buzzmob is most definitely the best I’ve ever seen. As a parent with a six year old I hope his recommendation is weighed heavily for our school.

Find out more about buzzmob here.