From the delivery person to the volunteer parent, people visit school facilities every day. Often, regular visitors become familiar to school staff, faculty, even students. But with increased security, familiarity is no longer an acceptable method of mana
Day cleaning can be cost effective and practical in any cleaning environment. As long as you have dedication, a manageable cleaning standard with training and support from upper management, it can be easy as one, two, three.
Smartphones and tablets are in use from kindergarten to college campuses. What's important about integrating these devices into the classroom includes not only the infrastructure to support wireless access, but also the support and information availa
Spectacular? not particularly. Important? No doubt. Maintenance and operations (M&O) buildings of various sizes and types are workplaces for key K-12 district workers. Inevitably, those buildings must be renovated and new ones constructed. What are so
If you have doubts about the signs in your schools currently, or if you are planning signs for a new school, here's how to think about the art and science of signs.
Printers and copiers do a lot more than output documents. They can eat up resources when poorly managed or offer an all-in-one solution when properly purchased. Print infrastructure is changing, as administrators look for alternatives and providers that c
The election will provide some distinct choices for voters on education policy, investment and support of education programs, and how dollars will be structured and delivered to states and districts. This goes for both the presidential and congressional r
The SRO is the positive image of police for our young people. The value of our youth seeing police in a positive light at such an early age is beneficial for the future, and hopefully we are teaching our kids and young adults to have a greater respect for
And with much, and varying, activity in bustling school libraries, comes a considerable amount of wear and tear to furniture. Issues such as budgetary constraints and changes in how school libraries are being used complicate the process of replacing that
While the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) narrowbanding mandate may seem like one more bothersome chore, some school officials view it as a way to upgrade safety and security across the district.
The ability of any staff member in a school to implement the lockdown process during the first critical 30 seconds of an event no matter which employee becomes aware of the threat, where they are in the school or the nature of the threat is
When classes end for the summer break, the facility director and custodial staff race to get the carpet, vinyl tile, concrete, rubber and other kinds of flooring across the district back in shape for next year, which, of course, is only a couple months aw
Successful school safety preparedness means looking ahead to what could happen, then figuring out how to deal with it. That's how foreknowledge is gained. While some people live in denial of the dangers schools face, those whose duty is to protect ou
Like a complex problem, designing the Forum required collaboration, conversation and concentration. The science department knew exactly what it did not want: predictable or distracting hallways or public space. Critical listening and design dialogue allow
Not too long ago, students used to leave their cell phones and other devices at home, or they had to turn the devices off before class started. Now, mobile technology is often welcomed in the classroom as a way to open up learning and move beyond the trad
That 90-percent rule of thumb? It's a nice formula, but it is just that, a model, not a reflection of the actual activity of the school. Usage and educational philosophy, not some mathematical formula, should determine how space is used and what perc
What happens if we don't make education facilities a high priority? The longer we wait, the higher the investment becomes and the farther behind our children fall. We remain hopeful, for what else is there?
One of the key ways for school administrators and passenger trip organizers to safeguard their students when arranging ground transportation is to ensure they select the safer motor coach companies in the industry. Transportation safety no longer falls so
With attention to detail, it is possible to create tight building envelopes that conserve energy and protect against water intrusion. The benefit is schools that last 100 years, as intended. In addition, tightening the envelope on renovation projects can
School designers in the United States always had the urge to experiment with new designs but this has come in increments, says Baker in her analysis of the history of school design in this country. "Technology is starting to allow us to break out of