Breaking a large high school into smaller ones is not easy. It must be done deliberately, with a philosophy and a long-range plan, and with the support of the faculty. If that is not done, there is a good chance that what is created will fall back into a
I have been surprised by the facilities organizations that also pay little attention to their outside assets, with the common exception of flower beds. Parking lots receive special attention because they are often considered auxiliaries. Otherwise, we ten
In NCLB's wake, much of the debate has focused on the instructional practices that will enable all students to meet the proficiency requirements by 2014. However, if this goal is to be realized, school districts must focus on how to ensure that appro
- By Scott Alan Burckbuchler
- 06/01/09
Integrated Cleaning and Measurement is a systematic approach to cleaning that entails using best practices to clean facilities and to measure the effectiveness of the cleaning program using a 21st century version of "the white glove" approach. I
Administrators, teachers, and students can spend an inordinate amount of time and frustration on getting updates for programs which were cutting edge yesterday and obsolete today; dealing with a bunch of different passwords and log-ins; trying to coordina
- By Thomas G. Dolan
- 06/01/09
Since Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to reduce education cost, digital textbooks have been receiving quite a bit of buzz. We talked with Neeru Kholsa, co-founder of CK-12, about the changes and advantages digital textbooks bring to school districts.
- By Christine Beitenhaus
- 06/01/09
It's common knowledge that schools need to spend more dollars upfront on a project in order to save money over the life of a facility, but current economic realities may send this line of thinking to the back burner. Are schools forsaking long-term s
Any institution of higher learning that fails to invest appropriate fiscal resources, time, and most importantly, an appropriate level of priority to these areas is quite simply not as good a school as it should and could be. If student, staff, and visito
- By Michael S. Dorn
- 06/01/09
These days, traditional scholastic requirements, such as fostering academic excellence and molding good citizens, now go head to head on the priority list with heightened security needs, diversity issues, and the need to brand and differentiate to compete
Selecting carpet or tile isn't as easy as specifying the best material when it comes to residence hall flooring.
- By Julie Sturgeon
- 06/01/09
In an effort to save undergraduates time and money, some colleges are now offering students a three-year bachelor's degree. While popular in Europe, very few U.S. higher-ed institutions offer this choice to their students. We explore why one college decid
- By Christine Beitenhaus
- 06/01/09
Founded in 1824, Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson Medical College is the largest private medical school in the United States. When the college decided to add a new building to its urban campus, the administration needed to make definitive design choic
Across the country, colleges and universities are installing mass notification systems to inform their campus communities about emergencies, as well as more routine problems such as closings due to inclement weather. Systems run the gamut from easy-to-lea
- By Michael Fickes
- 06/01/09
A new phrase has popped up in the K-12 school lexicon: intergenerational campuses. In short, an intergenerational campus is a community-use campus on steroids; it is a campus that has something or perhaps many things of interest to people of all ages.
- By Michael Fickes
- 06/01/09
Drexel University's Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, CA, which opened in January 2009, is a story about the wisdom of careful planning and the role that technology played and will continue to play in fulfilling the Center's educational
ICM is a systematic approach to cleaning that entails using best practices to clean facilities and to measure the effectiveness of the cleaning program using a 21st-century version of the "white glove" approach.
Well-designed campus signage is part of a school's marketing toolkit, but it must also guide people of all abilities. Here's how to create ADA-compliant signage that is also streamlined, cohesive, and attractive.
Technology can be used to promote deliberate, repeated and hurtful behavior with the intent to harm others.
- By Michael Dreiblatt
- 05/01/09
Its first fire lit in December 2008, Middlebury College's biomass gasification plant is the result of several years of study, research, and collaboration between the College's students, faculty, staff, and trustees.
- By Christine Beitenhaus
- 05/01/09
If LEED states that commissioning is the key to acquiring a building that performs as intended, what about building systems that were never commissioned? Short of a substantial system failure, can we assume optimal performance? The answer is absolutely no
- By Michael Della Barba
- 05/01/09
Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has 14 million sq. ft., 5,000 classrooms, 187 structures, and 75,000 students. With rising energy costs and aging equipment, how were district administrators to save money on energy costs? With a little help from thei