Duncan Praises Honorees: Announces 2nd Annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour

For the third consecutive year, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and Districts Sustainability Awards received accolades at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. for their sustainable, healthy facilities, wellness practices and sustainability learning. In addition to the ceremony, honorees participated in a celebration offered by the Center for Green schools and Senator Tom Harkin’s office, where they met their Congressional representatives, and in a range of tours offered by numerous federal partners. To learn more about this year’s U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees, visit our website.

…And Announces Second Annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour
Federal, state and local officials will be traveling to a select number of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees as part of the second annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour, hosted by state education agencies.  This year's tour, with the theme "Healthy Schools, High-Achieving Students" will visit West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, Minnesota, and Maryland.  The tour is open to the public and press.  It is a great opportunity to learn from and share with ED-GRS honorees.

The dates of the tour are:
August 18th -22nd: West Virginia and Kentucky
Sept. 4th-5th: South Florida
Sept. 16th -17th: Denver and Ft. Collins, Colorado
Sept. 23rd-24th: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct. 8th: Maryland

Featured

  • Fargo, N.D., Starts Construction on Consolidated Elementary School

    Fargo Public Schools in Fargo, N.D., recently announced the beginning of construction on a new elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with ICON Architectural Group and Kraus-Anderson Construction on the new Horace Mann Elementary School.

  • abstract illustration of school gym

    How the Gymnasium Can Serve as a Model for Learning Space Design

    Multipurpose gyms work because flexibility was built into the brief from the start, not retrofitted later. The same logic applies to academic spaces.

  • Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator

    From Concrete Warehouse to Innovation Hub: Accelerating Sustainability at Stanford

    The transformation of a once windowless, concrete publishing warehouse into a sun-drenched center for global innovation began with a single, fundamental challenge: how to turn an industrial storage shell into a space built for human connection.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.