Pressure has been building in many parts of the nation to close and merge neighboring small districts, creating larger, more economic units. The basic idea is to eliminate costs (do we really need two superintendents?), but more often, the question revolv
Initially developed by the Cascadian Green Building Council (CGBC) in 2006, the Living Building Challenge (LBC) raises the "green bar" and motivates significant change in the built environment. It goes beyond other green building programs, such
Athletic coaches are famous for burning the midnight oil in an effort to find a competitive advantage. They study film, evaluate their team's strengths and weaknesses and devise complex strategies all in the name of being as informed as possible. S
Today's educators require technology systems to help enhance their reach and effectiveness. Administrators require technology to help ensure safety, reliability and success in support of its teachers and students. "Where do we begin?" —
Are we making progress? Is it happening fast enough? Are we doing the right thing for our kids? Losing a generation of children while we get our act together cannot be an option.
In today's raw, aggressive world, it seems important to bar a parent with that idea from entering. That's just one of many reasons that schools, today, typically lock all exterior doors and have a hall monitor to greet and question anyone trying
Costs have come down and schools are looking at new ways to show their commitment to technology, not only to their students, but to the community as well. What they're finding is that digital signage displays have multiple uses across the school, mak
Since every school system and school in the country is required to have a wellness policy under a renewed federal law, each district and building can include a "third E" in its Wellness Policy for Eliminate Properly.
The need for supplies and materials is certainly great, and membership in gifts-in-kind organizations allows schools to obtain a great deal of merchandise for an extremely low administrative cost. Schools can browse catalogs of donated supplies and reques
We all know that clean, quiet, safe, comfortable and healthy environments are an important component of successful teaching and learning. But which facility attributes affect academic outcomes the most and in what manner and degree? A growing body of rese
There are not many days left on Congress' working calendar to complete legislation and appropriations. The shortened calendar enables members of Congress to attend party conventions and campaign for their re-election, except for those who are retiring. Pl
Recovery is a phase of emergency management that often does not receive proper attention. Yet, like the response phase, the time to make plans is not when the incident occurs, but before. There are necessary elements to a recovery plan that should be deve
An innovative adaptive reuse project transformed an ancient industrial building, the Skinner Organ Company built in 1905, into a 21st-century charter school for fifth and sixth graders at Boston Collegiate Charter School.
After some trial and error, administrators at Great Valley School District, Rio Rancho Public Schools and Forest Grove School District have worked the kinks out of their contracted services and have established successful relationships with their provider
The Department of Education Report, "Impact of Charter Schools on School Districts," states that half of traditional school districts created new programs in response to charter schools. But while charters do create competition and encourage inn
Does warm, friendly and exciting interior design make pre-K through 12 schools more effective learning and teaching spaces? We asked this question of design professionals at three architectural firms that specialize in pre-K through 12 schools. Following
Granting and instilling permission to live for staff faced with an immediate life-or-death crisis situation is relatively easy compared with many things that schools currently do to prepare for crisis situations. It also happens to be a life-or-death matt
School crises can happen to any school at any given time. In fact, minor crises do occur frequently in most schools. It is impossible to describe every possible crisis that could occur and to prescribe a specific plan to deal with it. aving well-thought-o
Today, it seems, many people, especially my favorite targets, congressmen, governors and politicians of all stripes who insist they know how to make education better, have made teachers the target of their attack. Some may truly believe that poor teachers
Much of the stigma associated with alternative education can be traced back to the quality of the educational facilities. Often, these programs are housed within traditional middle school or high school campuses. The tenant-like nature of this relationshi