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The World Is Flat

The world has changed, global competition has changed, students have changed. If we want our students to be successful, education must adapt to these changing demands. Teach the basics, but teach the arts. Encourage trial and error, creativity and collabo

Designing Out Crime in Schools

Crime prevention through environmental design is "place-based" crime prevention and is predicated on making the environment — both man-built and natural — safer. The built environment includes small-scale areas, such as street corners,

Solving Your Summer Floor Care Woes

Summer floor care doesn't have to be something you dread. In fact, because there's so much to accomplish during the summer, having a leg up on floor care is to your advantage. Proper planning in terms of floor care policies, procedures and produ

R U up 2 Speed?

Go ahead, hold onto your print edition, your cursive style of writing and your pocket calculator. While those preferences may not adversely affect your security program, failing to get in motion when it comes to trends in school security might. So, r u up

Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Whether a planning process involves a state-wide building authority or is managed entirely at the local level, the elements of sound planning should be in place. Mindful planning produces results that support students and communities for many generations.

Make Outsourcing Work

Outsourcing does not mean bringing in a provider that relieves you of the responsibility for facility management, food service, transportation or other category of outsourcing. It means forming a partnership with a company more expert in a category of ser

School Security in a Post-9/11 World

With limited resources, it is important that practical decisions are made when investing in security equipment designed to alert staff about untoward events on campus. Fortunately, responding to an emergency in a classroom or on campus has been made easie

Dedicated Efforts

Obviously, bullying is not a new phenomenon — it likely has been with us throughout time. But with the addition of new means of communications, students can no longer even escape into the safety of their own homes. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and text

A Washington Education Update: Can Washington Work Together to Address Issues Confronting the Nation?

This piece is being written as the final battle lines are being drawn before there is agreement on a solution to the debt crisis and a first step for address the unbalanced budget better known as the budget deficit. It seems the Gang of Six has at least m

One-to-One Student Computing

More and more schools are moving towards WLAN implementations, but they do require a stable and high-speed LAN back in the closets. As districts place more computing devices in the hands of their students, it is fairly straight forward to upgrade the LAN

The Search for Summer Savings

The summer months are a perfect time to conduct minor renovations such as lighting and boiler retrofits, temperature control changes and mechanical system rebalancing. These types of projects require a short amount of time to complete and can result in si

School Security

As preK-12 schools struggle to adopt high standards of security on limited budgets, smart decision making will require a well-grounded perspective on the available options. While technology is usually part of the solution, design considerations — bot

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As multiple systems and application become available to teachers, administrators and students, the corresponding number of required passwords also rises. And with the typical school administrator needing three to five passwords to access various databases

Designed to Curb Obesity

Traditional school design has focused on creating a "culture of convenience" that minimizes travel times between classes. In a scramble to accommodate schedules, facilities were designed in tight-knit spaces that hindered any physical movement a

We Need to See the Third 'E'

We can agree obesity is a problem and that digesting more healthy food and spending more active time are remedies. So what has been overlooked in this health picture, in these wellness policies from 2006? Healthy elimination — that is, the effect of

School District Introduces Full Lighting Control

Mike Conkle had a problem. Actually, he had more than he could count. As Energy Manager for the very green and very budget-conscious Leander Independent School District in the greater Austin, Texas, area, Conkle was always looking for ways to reduce energ

Have All the Costs of Closing a School Been Considered?

The current spate of school closures raises a number of issues, most of which reflect uncertainties that complicate the task of district leadership who must decide if shuttering facilities is the right way to address a hopefully temporary budget challenge

Getting Creative With Strategic Partnerships

In tough economic times, colleges and universities are finding creative revenue solutions. Colorado State University recently signed two corporate partnerships that go beyond traditional corporate sponsorships normally inked with universities (think spons

What's New in Washington and Around the Nation?

Fritz Edelstein compiles education news of note from the Department of Education, the Hill, and other sources.

What's New in Washington and Around the Nation?

Fritz Edelstein compiles education news of note from the Department of Education, the Hill and other sources.

The Newest Trends in Digital Signage

What are the trends for 2011 in regard to digital signage, and how is this technology used for emergencies, wayfinding, entertainment, and more? This article will answer those questions and provide some insight into what may be coming in the next few year

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